A couple quick things before we start pinning-
- If you are new to curves, you might what to give it a trial run on some scrap fabric before using your beautiful quilt fabric, just to get the feel for it
- Expect to un-sew. Like in anything else, not every curve will be perfect.
- Remember this is fun! Don't stress yourself out over curves. When you step away from your quilt, you cannot see tiny pleats or any other common curve imperfections.
- With pinned curves, the more pins you use, the better your curve will turn out.
- If you need any more tutorials or explanations, you tube and the blog world have tons of videos and posts about curves.
Fold your pieces of fabric in half (right sides together) and press them tightly with your fingers in the center of the curve. This will leave a crease that is easy to see but not as permanent as one made with an iron. I know it is hard to see in my photo, my apologies.
Then,
you lay your pieces (right sides together) on top of one another like
the picture below matching up your creases. This ensures you are
matching the centers of each piece. Then pin through the pieces at the crease.
And at each end. Once all three pins are in, your pieces should look like this.
The
next part gets tricky. Here is where you have to really watch your
fabric. You want to start filling in pins between the ends of the curve
and the center pin. As you do, make sure to wiggle your fabric to get
the edges to line up all the way around. Since the fabric is cut on a
curve (that goes through the bias) it will STRETCH. It is very very
important to be cognizant of just how easily the fabric will stretch. If you are seeing your background fabric looking very warped and wavy on the edges of your pieced curve once it is finished, it is probably because you inadvertently stretched your pieces.
This
is why pinning is important. You don't want to stretch the fabric to
make it fit, more try to mold it into place as it is pulled through the machine (or while you are pinning). Also, you want to try at
all costs to avoid pleating you fabric accidentally. Your finished pinned piece should look like this.
I
have done so many of these in the last few days that I have gotten
comfortable with just six extra pins, but I encourage you to use more
than that if it makes you comfortable! There is no such thing as too many pins!
Sewing
your curve is just like sewing any other seam, only you follow the
curved edge of the fabric with your presser foot instead of just going
straight. Try to turn through the curve smoothly to avoid the stop start turning that will give you an angled curve rather than a smooth continuous curve.
Now,
I have a secret. I know it is wrong, and I know it is bad for my
machine, BUT, I sew over my pins. Gasp, I know. But frankly, I don't care. I find this
helpful when it comes to keeping the fabric in place and making sure the fabric doesn't stretch. Truthfully, I sew over pins any time I am using them.
The
biggest thing to watch out for while you are sewing is pleats. If you
see one coming, put your needle down, lift your presser foot up, and
wiggle the excess fabric around to help the edge lay flat. Pleats in the
seam will show up in your background fabric after it is pressed, and we
all know how much fun unsewing is.
Continue to work your way around the edge of the fabric and that's it!
Another
tip: it is important to make sure you are sewing with a 1/4 inch seam.
Don't trust that just because you machine says it is a 1/4 inch, that it
actually is. If you measure the seam with a ruler, you can be sure of
how big it is. If you find that your machine is off, just move your
needle position or change the foot. I have to move my needle 3 places to
the right to get a 1/4 inch!! 4 if I want a scant 1/4 inch.
Once your are finished, your piece will look like this.
When pressing, I have found that pressing the seam towards the convex piece, or the hemisphere, is very important, especially if you have a light background. The only time I would reccomend not doing this, is if your hemispheres are light and your background is dark.
If
you have a light background and you press your seams towards the
background, you will be able to see them after you make your quilt
sandwich. I made that mistake when making my single girl. It's not the
end of the world. I was 14 rings in when I realized it, so needless to
say I did not fix it. But, if you haven't started yet, its something to
be aware of.
Lastly, to make this whole process go faster, I have found that it is much easier to pin a whole bunch of curves and then sew them. If you pin one sew one pin one sew one it feels never ending. It is super easy to just sit in front of the TV, or whatever, and pin until you run out of pins, and then chain piece them on the machine. I have no idea why, but it feels like it significantly reduces your time.
If the trimming instructions trip you up, feel free to ask any questions here or in the Flickr group. I will cover it fully in the next post, but I know some of you have or will be getting started on trimming before then.
Well
there you go. I hope this helps to put rest the fear of curves. Once
you get to know them, they are just like any other seam, they just need a
little extra love and care. I cannot wait to see all of the beautiful
pictures of your hemispheres start popping up!!!! If you have any questions
still, feel free to ask and/or check out the Flickr Group.
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