Stitching curves can be intimidating but is totally achievable for beginner quilters. Curves are convex (stick out) or concave (go in) and fit together with pinning and easing.
Top Tips for Cracking Curves
Draw around templates carefully.
Cut accurately.
Pin well – I find the more pins the better.
Stitch slowly with the bigger piece on top (but if this doesn’t work for you try with the smaller piece on top).
Stop and smooth out when needed.
If you get folds/puckers, see if they will press out first.
If you have to unpick, unpick ~1” around the fold/pucker and smooth out to re-stitch.
If you are new to curves (and stitching a few of them) and need to unpick wait until you have finished. You will get better with the practice and it will be easier to go back and fix any that need it.
Press in the direction the seam wants to fall. My preference for Drunkard’s Path is to press towards the corner.
Larger curved squares are easier to stitch than smaller squares.
Step-by-Step
This is a Drunkard’s Path square which has a corner ‘L’ shape and a quarter circle. I cut it using a die cutting machine.
Lay the pieces to be stitched together next to each other. If I’m stitching a block, I tend to layout the whole block (and take a picture so I know where the pieces should be put back down!)
Find the middle of both of the curves and mark them. I snip into the seam allowance.
Lay the pieces right sides together with the corner on top, matching in the middle. Pin the middle.
Line up the raw edges of one of the sides and pin.
Line up the other edge and pin.
Ease the fabric between one side and the middle and pin.
Pin either side of this pin.
Repeat for the other side.
Stitch slowly ¼” from the raw edge, removing the pins before you reach the needle.
If the fabric is bunching up, lift the foot and smooth out before continuing to stitch.
Press the square.
It looks like there is a fold on the back of this square …
…but it doesn’t show on the front. Check it is a ‘proper fold’ before you do any unpicking.
Check if the square is the size it should be. You can trim it down if it is too big. If it is coming up a little short like this one is at the ends check your seam allowance. If your seam is ok and it’s only slightly out don’t worry about it. If the square is quite a lot out, trim it to the length of the shortest side and then make it square (then trim all of your squares to this size along the same edges so they will still fit together).
Here are some of the curved blocks we have made in classes.
Happy Stitching!
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