Afraid of curves? You shouldn’t be. With a little practice they are really very
easy to sew and can give you a lot of design options. I once was afraid of curves, but I overcame
that fear and now I love them. Here are two quick and easy patterns featuring
Drunkard’s Path Blocks—it’s the same block in two different colorways and
arranged differently.
Wave Table Runner and Snake
Table Runner
Because curves are involved in these blocks you will need to use
some sort of template to cut out the various pieces.
I prefer to use
commercially made templates (I use templates made by Marti Michell) because I
find it easier, quicker, and more accurate to use these in cutting a large
number of these blocks. But if you just aren't sure curved piecing is for you, and you don’t want to invest in templates yet, you can easily make templates
out of template plastic. I recommend
using C&T’s Visi-GRID Quilters Template Sheets.
In my book A New Spin on Drunkard's Path, I provide detailed pictures on how to
create your own.
When using templates created from template plastic you will trace
the shapes onto your fabric with a marking tool that leaves a distinct line and
then cut the pieces out with scissors.
If you are using commercial templates you can easily cut them out with a
rotary cutter.
You can also use die-cutting machines that cut out fabric pieces
for Drunkard's Path blocks (AccuQuilt Go Cutter, Sizzix, etc). The fabric
yardage for these patterns is based on 6" finished blocks. If you are using a
die-cutting machine, you might need to adjust the yardage, because their blocks
might be a different size.
Once you have your block components cut out, sewing curves is
really not that difficult.
Ready to give it a try? Sure, go for it!. Download the cutting and piecing directions for the two table runners (see below) here. Experiment with your own layout and see what
you can create. Have fun and enjoy!
Snake Table Runner
Wave Table Runner
Visit my website www.bigrigquilting.com
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