I had a lovely bundle of Autumn fabric by Lori Holt on the shelf and it has been calling to me. I wanted to make another mini quilt for late summer/early fall, and those colors are just perfect. I am not sure where I got the notion, but I thought I might make a small Drunkard's Path table topper.
I have a small set of templates that I used. The blocks are supposed to be 4 1/2" unfinished, but with this block you always have to trim it down because it comes out wonky.
I trimmed mine down to 4 1/4". They all must be the same size to line up properly.
And they all came out pretty darn good.
Have you tried curved piecing? I actually kind of like it. Some tips are that you shouldn't try to cut out more than maybe three layers of fabric at once. It is tricky to cut around those curved templates and fewer layers makes it easier. I also find it helpful to use lots of pins. I watched some YouTube videos of women zooming around those curves on their machine, with nary a pin in sight, but when I tried it, I wasn't very successful. Also, when you pin, take the tiniest "bite" out of the fabric as you can.
Another tip: there are two pieces to the Drunkard's Path block, a smaller curved piece they call "the pie shape" and the longer piece that curves around it. Sew with the longer piece on top and the pie shape on the bottom.
I made piles of them, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see what I will do with them all.
In other news, the new housecleaners did a great job. Look how shiny my floor is. They were extremely thorough, wiping down things I hadn't even realized were gross. They also tied every toilet paper roll, paper towel holder, and kleenex box into a bow or a fan or some other kind of origami shape.
They also tied my dishtowels into a shape I thought at first was an elephant.
12 Responses
I have found that a glue stick works well on piecing curves. I learned about this method in a paper piecing class taught by a certified instructor for Quiltworx.
I use a very small rotary cutter with the Drunkards Path templates. It is more accurate for me.
I have no idea where any of my Drunkards Path quilts are, I know I have made them.
Love the housecleaning— especially the elephant! haha. Instead of pins, I started using a kid’s glue stick to align my curves— it’s so easy to then ease them together before the glue stick dries. Kudos for doing curves— I think I’ve been stuck in “stitch n flip” land for too long. Xox
If the cleaners had only put some googly eyes on the towel it would definitely be an elephant 🐘!🤭. 😻
Part of me wants to lovingly chastise you for starting a new project lol but its going to be worth the brain power needed for keeping your projects organized! Have you seen vidoes where ladies can sew curved pieced with no pins at all?? Its crazy! I need to pin like you do and sew at a snails pace. I visited a quilt store yesterday and need to go put my purchases away! Happy sewing, Nicole and your house looks stunning as usual.
Starting a new project brings life joy just like finding your favorite author has just released a new book! So fun to be a quilter🪡
I’ve made a Drunkards Path table topper using the same templates. It was a fun project. I have the templates in a larger size too for a layer cake but haven’t used them yet. Your floors look beautiful, and I’m sure the rest of your home does too. Now, more sewing time for you…😊
Carolyn is correct. new project brings joy. I’ve tried large curves and wasn’t happy with the results. 🙁 I need to try again. I love the Aussie quilter Emma Jean Jansen. She does lots of curves in bold colors.
Those are interesting templates…I’m a sucker for new rulers so they’ll probably end up in an Amazon box to my address sooner than later! It’s nice that the house cleaners made up for the cancelation! And, they have a sense of humor it seems! 👏👏
Ooh, I will be glad to see your finished project using the drunkard’s path piecing. I’ve only done a couple of those for a sampler class and then none since then.
I’m back from a couple of weeks of surgery/recovery and am having fun reading and catching up with all your projects!
I’v done curves on two projects. One was a disaster because I tried to use a curved ruler but the curve wasn’t the right size arc. The other was better, I used templates, glue just at the two ends, pins, etc and they were much better.
Great instructions and tips! I’ll need to break out my templates and find some cute fabric! Love when housekeepers get creative with towels and paper!