8 Tips to Make Sewing Curves Easy and Fun!

Hi AccuQuilt Friends! It's me, Melanie from A Bit of Scrap Stuff Blog. Today I want share eight helpful tips to make sewing curves easy and fun - yes - EASY AND FUN! AccuQuilt has developed many curved piecing dies and they are amazing! There are Drunkard's Path, a Flowering Snowball, the Glorified Nine Patch (55557), and many more - click here to see the curved piecing dies.

Eight Tips for Sewing Curves

1. Use an AccuQuilt Die. 

AccuQuilt makes sewing curves easy by including notches on the curved pieces. You will use these notches when sewing your cut pieces together. Matching up the notches will ensure your blocks are sewn perfectly! Remember those notches for Tip 3. 

Example: The GO! Glorified Nine Patch Die (55557) curved pieces B, C, D all have notches. 

2. Starch your Fabric. 

I found spraying my fabric with starch, ironing the fabric, then cutting it with my AccuQuilt made piecing easier as there was less stretching of the fabric.

Fabric used: Granny Chic by Lori Holt for Riley Blake Designs.

3. Use Pins. 

The perfect place to pin is the center of each notch (right on the point).You may also decide to pin between each notch as well. I'm a pinning fan - so I like to pin between the notches on the larger pieces - like for D.

4. Feed Dogs are your Friend. 

Don't worry if your fabric looks a bit bumpy prior to sewing, your sewing machine feed dogs are amazing. The feed dogs will help guide the fabric evenly through your sewing machine.

5. Sew Slower. 

Now is not the time for pedal to the maximum sewing time. Just take your time and sew slowly while gently moving the curved fabric under your piecing foot. Be sure to remove the pins as sewing over the pins may damage your sewing machine.

6. Press your Blocks. 

Take the time to iron/press after piecing each section. Pressing will keep your block flat and will make it easier to sew the next section to your block.

7. Watch the Instructional AccuQuilt Video for the Curved Piecing Die.

AccuQuilt has created a video for almost all of their dies! These instructional videos are so helpful. I recommend watching the video AND reading the included directions on the insert that came with your die BEFORE you start cutting and sewing. Videos are available on the AccuQuilt YouTube Channel or AccuQuilt.com under each product description. Below is the latest video for the new Glorified Nine Patch Die. 

8. Alternate a Curved Pieced Block with a Traditional Pieced Block. 

If making a full quilt with all curved piecing blocks makes you nervous - you can choose another block to alternate with the curved pieced block. Example: I used the Glorified Nine Patch block and then used a nine inch traditional pieced block to make my Granny Chic Glorified Nine Patch Quilt. 

Don't worry - I will be sharing a mini-tutorial for this Granny Chic Glorified Nine Patch Quilt soon! I hope these 8 tips for curved piecing will inspire you to give it a try! Curved piecing really can be EASY and FUN!

Be sure to follow me on Instagram @abitofscrapstuff and on my A Bit of Scrap Stuff Blog for more fabric fun!

Happy Quilting!

Melanie Call