fan them out in a windmill formation and press. When rows are joined, some corner seam allowances may get twisted and difficult to fan out. In such cases press down as close to the corner and trim any bulky parts of the seam allowance.
Basic Piecework Techniques
LESSON 4
Making a Quilt Block with Curved Pieces
Joining curved pieces is easier with smaller seam allowances. Remember to add the markings where pieces will be joined. To press the seam allowances of silk pieces (as well as wool fabrics), instead of using the iron with the steam function on, place the piece on a barely damp towel and use a dry iron.
★ Refer to page 82 for drafting pattern pieces and marking.
★ Refer to page 10 for pin basting, backstitching and piecework sewing basics.
1 Trace A and B pattern pieces onto the back of the fabric (make sure to add marks where A and B will be joined). Add seam allowances: ⅛ in (0.3 cm) for the curved section and ¼ in (0.7 cm) for the rest of the piece
2 Place A and B right sides together. At the center of the marking on the curved section of A, insert pin and push through the same spot on B.
3 Align the pieces with the right angles facing the same direction, then position the pin from the previous step with the tip facing the corner and pin in place.
4 Insert a pin in the curved corner marking of A to the curved corner marking of B.
5 Align the straight side markings of A and B, then insert the pin along the marking on B to the marking on A.
6 Curved corner pinning complete. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for other corner.
7 Add two more pins as shown (①~⑤ indicates pinning order).
8 With A facing up, sew along curved marking (placing the convex side of the curve towards you may make sewing easier). Use backstitching with two stitches instead of a knot.
9 Sewing of curve complete. When smoothing out the fabric with your fingers after stitching, take care not to stretch out the curved section.
10 First, move the seam allowance out of the way and press along the curved seam on B.
11 Repeat step 10 on side A and press along the curved seam with the seam allowance out of the way.
12 With the seam allowance towards A, press edge of curve firmly. Repeat on other edge.
13 With right side facing up, press. Make sure not to stretch fabric as you press.
Complete. Make as many quilt blocks as necessary and use the method from page 11 to join the blocks.
Depending on how the 1 are combined, an infinite number of patterns can be created. The pattern shown is called Drunkard’s Path. Refer to pages 46 and 46 for details.
Basic Piecework Techniques
LESSON 5
Making a Diamond (Lemon Star) Quilt Block
This lesson shows how to join diamond-shaped pieces into a star pattern. The same instructions apply to parallelogram pieces. Please refer to the Triangle Quilt Block lesson on page 12 to sew the sharp points of the diamond pieces together. For steps 10–12, the technique of moving the basting pin as you sew along the side markings is called “intarsia.”
★ Refer to page 82 for drafting pattern pieces and marking.
★ Refer to page 10 for pin basting, backstitching and piecework sewing basics.
1 Trace the pattern piece on the wrong side of the fabric and cut 4 pieces each of the following: diamond A, diamond B, square and triangle. Add ⅜ in (1 cm) seam allowance; seam allowances will be trimmed later).
2 Place diamond pieces A and B right sides together and sew one side, following the marking. Start and end with backstitching (2 stitches). Where the points meet, take care not to sew beyond the marking into the seam allowance. Trim seam allowance to ¼ in (0.6 cm) from the stitch line. Make 4 sets. Press seam allowance toward the same color for each set (shown: seam allowance pressed toward B).
3 Join two of the piecework from step 2. Repeat. Now you have the upper and lower halves of the star. For the section where all the sharp points gather, refer to step 8–12 of constructing the Triangle Quilt Block on page
