Curve piecing

Curve piecing

I purchased  this pattern about 6 years ago.  Was so excited to do it.  Then gave up in  frustration because it wasn't as easy as I thought.  

It's a pre-cut  design pattern.  

I don't know if you see the rounded curves on the angles of this quilt that needs to be pieced together.  

The problem was I couldn't keep a perfect 1/4 seam  with the pieces pinned.  It shifted as I was sewing.  Sometimes it even moved that I would have unstitching then restitch the pieces.  

 

This is my first try.. I ironed and ironed to get the rounded pieced piece to sit flat that the color bled through the fabric.  In the center it was popping up and I couldn't get it to lay flat.  So I gave up.  

I took a paper piecing class for one of Judy Niemeyer patterns and it has rounded curves.  Her suggestion was to use a glue stick to hold the seams together.  So I pulled out this old quilt and decided to try it.   Again.

Pin versus glue 

I pinned the first time.  It was hard to control keeping the seams together as the fabric moved and made it hard to keep 1/4 seam.  

 

With pinning you see the puckering and shifting of fabric.  Also it's hard to keep edges perfectly together.

Gluing

Place the two cuts together.  Press from the center to edge of one  side then do the other side.  Center  to end of edge.   Just finger press glued side to the second piece.  

This technique gives you perfect control to kiss the fabrics together.  Edges then so you have a perfect 1/4 seam.  

Glue works like a gem.  The edges are perfectly together and it stays stuck.. Also wash away glue stick.   Does no harm to your fabric.  You don't need the iron to press it together either.  

Lefts side is pinned.  Right side is glued.  

Just sew like you would a straight seam.  

It also irons beautifully  no puckering or wrinkles.  Because the fabric is sew perfectly.  

This technique has been a blessing.   I never thought I could finish this quilt but now I have almost half done.  

I hope you try this out.  I'm enjoy finishing something that I gave up on and now doing a beautiful job.  Power of          wash-away glue.  Who would of thought.

A&M quilt is done

Here a glimpse

 

Close up

Center quilting

 

Sashing

Trapunto

Quilting A&M

A&M in the process of being quilted.

Here are some pictures

TRAPUNTO on A&M quilt

Trapunto 

Came from the Italians meaning, "to embroider" also considered a "stuffed technique."  It has two layers in the interior of the fabric. This creates a raised surface. 

Step 1: You need vanish away thread. 
When it gets wet it disappears. 

 You also need extra batting. Poly or cotton batting works.   

 Place it on the underside of fabric where you want the raised areas.

I like cotton  it easier to control when doing this but you need to use more layers to get a nice height.  Poly batting has a higher loft but hard to work with.  

Then start stitching with the thread on the bobbin and on the top. Sew on your top.










As you are stitching try to follow the outside line. Also remember it doesn't have to be perfect stitching.  This stitch is going to dissolve and no one will ever know how you did this.  






One of the tricks I learned from being an embroider is always make sure you can see the fabric, that you don't want your scissors to touch.  Have fabric pulled down and the batting that you are cutting have it on top.  You can hold the top fabric or batting. It will pull away from the bottom fabric and give you some control as you are cutting.  


TAKE YOUR TIME !!!!
TO DO THIS PART.   ESPECIALLY WITH A FINISHED QUILT TOP.   GOING SLOW AND BEING PATIENT IS BETTER THAT HAVING TO START OVER. BECAUSE YOUR SCISSORS CUT A HOLE ON YOUR FABRIC. 


It would be horrible to nick the fabric at this point or have a cut from the scissors grabbing a piece of the fabric and then all the work you have done is now compromised.