More on curved piecing

You guys didn't think I remembered how to post two days in a row, did you?  Ha! 

Anyway, I wanted to talk more about the DWR.  I thought I'd talk about where I learned to piece curves.  I've had a lot of good teachers and that's why I think they come so easy for me.  I started out hand piecing drunkard's path blocks for this little quilt.  I saw someone hand piecing curves on Simply Quilts and she made it look so much easier than piecing them on the machine. 

Sorry about the lighting.  It's still dark here.  I did a couple of quilts cut from collections of 5" squares that way and it gave me an understanding of how curves fit together.  Then, I took a class from a local quilter and she showed me how to pin them together and sew them on the machine.  (drunkard's path blocks in the upper left...we did NOT set in the four circles, they are applique.)

And Sally Collins taught me to do all that marking and matching of points.  It all works together.  All those teachers, showing me little secrets that I can share.  The things that make this quilt easy.  But tedious.

Rob reads my blog and when he got home last night, he said "with those instructions, I think even I could piece one of those blocks."  Now, there's an idea.  Talk about a wedding quilt...both of us making a block for it.  I wonder if I could really talk him into trying.

But, I digress... 

Yesterday, we left off with this melon.

 

 

And, today, we're going to attach it to this diamond.  

It's all a matter of knowing where you're going to sew...before you sew. 

First comes the marking.  I mark the center by folding in quarters and pressing.  Then, I use a ruler to mark the x's in the diamond points. 

This time, the diamond goes on top because it's the concave (in-y) curve.  But, it works exactly the same.  Match the middle of the arc to the center of one side of the diamond.  Then, match the ends of the arc to the x's on the diamond and ease the rest of it together.  The joining squares hang off the edge.

Sew that seam, and press. 

Next, I'd add a melon to the opposite side, and if I needed to, a melon to join them.  There's a secret to adding a melon when two of them touch.  And, I thought I had it figured out.  But, this morning, I discovered that I do NOT.  I've been fiddling them together all this time trying to figure it out.  It's something about how the seam allowances have to be turned that I just haven't mastered.  But, I will work on it this weekend and try to come back with the solution to the problem on Monday. 

Sorry about that. 

All I can offer as condolence is that when I solve that one little problem, it's going to be worth it!  Oh, and I found the link to the pattern. 

Everybody have a great Friday!  Work continues to be an adventure.  It's like someone figured out how much time I had and took it as a challenge to fill it up. 

But, it makes the days pass so fast!

Tomorrow, we go to a pig roast.  Yes, two friends are going to roast a pig in their back yard.  Granted, they have the setup for it.  But, it's still going to be an adventure. 

I'm baking beans.  They take so much less oven space.

Lane