I recently had the pleasure of pattern testing my friend Sydney's new Valentine quilt pattern called Flirty Gertie. The pattern features a large plaid center heart surrounded by Xs and Os. My favorite detail is the sweet scalloped border! I enjoy the slower, relaxed pace of sewing curves and was so excited to make it.
Sewing curves can sound intimidating, but don't let curves keep you away from a pattern that you love! Curves really aren't the bear that they are sometimes made out to be. With a little practice and a little patience, you can tackle a quilt with curves!
Let's see how!
Patterns with curves will have templates that comes with the pattern. Use the templates to cut out the pieces according to the pattern. TIP: Use template plastic, cardstock, or thin cardboard to make a sturdier template if many pieces are needed. This will help give you more accurate cuts than a regular paper template.
For each curve, there will be two pieces: a concave piece and a convex piece. Start by folding the concave piece in half, wrong sides together, and finger press a crease right in the center on the edge that will be sewn.
Now, fold the convex piece in half, right sides together, in the same manner and finger press at the center.
Place the two pieces right sides together, matching up the creases. The creases should nest. Place a pin right in that crease to hold the two pieces together.
Take the end of the concave piece and line it up with the end of the convex piece and pin. Repeat for the other end.
From here, you are going to start on one end and continue to place pins along the curve. Gently stretch and ease the concave piece as you go so that it lines up nicely with the convex piece. If you reach the middle pin and there is extra fabric that looks like it will cause a pucker, take out the pins and try again (leave the pins in the center and both ends).
Once the curve is pinned, sew a 1/4" seam, removing the pins as you come to them. Go slowly!! You may need to raise your presser foot to smooth out the fabric or adjust the fabric position. Do your best to keep the raw edges lined up as you sew the entire curve.
Give the block a good press and don't worry if there are little creases near the curve. Those will go away after quilting and washing.
Sewing curves is a skill that requires practice and patience, but the more you do it, the easier and quicker it will get. Flirty Gertie is a great pattern to practice curves because there are plenty of them to gain experience, and there is room to trim away any wonky bits!
You can get the Flirty Gertie quilt pattern from Sydney at stuffsydneysews.com.
