A couple more Drunkard's Path "units" made it to my design wall -
The "test" block/unit is set off to the side since the "quarter circle" piece is a white-on-white and not the soft muslin that I used in the others. And I took down all of the Gold/Muslin HST. I used a different muslin in the HST and after I made the rest of them - I set them all aside because I don't like the feel it - too stiff - so maybe they'll work in another project another day - ;))
Anyway, after I had cut all of the Drunkard's Path muslin pieces, I used my die to cut some pieces from scraps - all with that handy little notch in the middle -
I am NOT really that much of a pinner - one or two here and there - but unless I'm doing a long border - I usually just eyeball it. BUT this block is a little more fiddly and I'm not particularly fond of curved seams. And I know there's an AccuQuilt video of Eleanor Burns sewing this block without pins - but she's using the 7" die and mine is the 4-1/2" one (4" finished block). So - I decided that - for this project -
Pins are my friends - ;))
I layer the "quarter circle" piece on top of the "arc" piece - right sides together -
And pin the middle notch first -
Then I pin the top edge - both ways - horizontally and vertically - and because I'm Left-Handed - they look like this. (When I sew it - the vertical pin comes out of the top edge just to the left of the presser foot. I need that starting corner to be SQUARE for the first three or four stitches - then I pull those two pins out.)
The bottom edge gets the same treatment - pinned both ways - horizontally and vertically - and because I'm Left-Handed - they look like this.
The head of the vertical pin comes out at the bottom edge just to the left of where the presser foot will be. I need that bottom corner to be SQUARE for the last three or four stitches - and those two pins help me have something to "grab onto" when I get to the very end. I can press down on them and push the fabric a little to the right so that it is under the presser foot all the way to the end of the seam. I have tried a stiletto - and my cuticle stick - but the fabric always seems to slip out from under the presser foot and it messes up my pretty seam.
It takes a bit more time - since I'm doing them one at a time and not "chain piecing" them - although I probably could. The finished block/unit comes out pretty well -
It's supposed to measure 4-1/2" to finish at 4" - and it does - Yay, me!! - ;))
The non-muslin pieces are being cut from scraps - and one of my all-time favorites is Mrs. Clause sitting at her sewing machine. I'll have to make sure she's sitting up straight in her "block" - when I get there - ;))
Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -
6 comments:
You do a better job with those than I do!
Haha - I have avoided curved seams for years - but figured it was about time I got over my fear of them. The die helps a lot with the accuracy of the cuts, of course - but pins are my new friends. With a couple hundred "units" in this project - I should be an expert by the time I get done - ;))
I just can't imagine sewing those curves with a machine. I can't even make a machine sew squares together with corners meeting.
Trust me - I can't sew those curves without using pins. For the longest time I couldn't imagine sewing those curves with a machine either. Whenever I tried to make this block/unit - I always messed up those last few stitches - the end would skew to the left even when I used a stiletto to hold them down. Pins to the rescue! Some people can do it with no pins - some use three - I need five - ;))
I love curved piecing (I never said I was sane!) and the Drunkards Path is one of my favorite curved patterns. I would never have thought to square pin the ends, I will have to give that a shot. I almost always end up with the finishing end of my seam a little 'off' - this might be the ticket to fix that. Thanks for sharing!
You are most welcome! I never could do these without pins - and I avoided curved seams for years - never even wanted to cut them - but I always liked the pattern I have and had it on my "someday" list - and the die sure makes the cutting easier - ;))
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