2021 Mystery Quilt Along Month 4

Now we are ready to sew all those curves we cut last month. Curves are often a technique that scares new quilters, but they really aren’t that bad, we promise! We love sewing with curves and adding them into quilts and have shared a couple different methods to sew them together, and this month we are going to add one more! Our goal is that you are able to find a method you love that makes curves easier and helps you be more successful. If you missed last month and still need to cut out your pieces, head to Month 3.

2021 Mystery Quilt Along Month 3

This month, we are sewing our curves with no pins! That’s right, we are not going to be spending tons of time pinning and lining up all the pieces. We are going to show you how to hold and manipulate the fabric to sew your curves quickly and accurately with no need for glue or pins or fancy sewing feet.

Something to keep in mind. We will be working on different parts of the quilt throughout the year, it’s not a block by block design. We recommend finding a container or bag to keep all the parts in so they are easy to find each month.

Sharing pictures?  Use #sparkmysteryquilt and don’t forget to tag us @onwilliamsstreet when posting on social media so we don’t miss it.

 

The quilt finishes at about 60×72″. You can find all of the fabric requirements and color suggestions in month one.

Missing a step? Find all blog posts on our main Quilt Along Page.

Spark Mystery Quilt Along 2021

Fabric

We are going to be sewing all the blue and white drunkards path pieces that we cut out last month. There should be 28 of each and you’ll end up with 28 blocks when you are finished. Pair one blue with one white piece.

Sewing the Curves

Grab one white piece and one blue piece. Fold both in half and give them a quick finger press. This mark will help us make sure we are on track when sewing. Lay the blue piece on the bottom, right side up and line up the white piece right side down. You are going to place the side of the white piece along the edge of the blue piece, making sure that they line up correctly. When lining them up they are going to go in different directions and will look completely wrong. Don’t worry, this is what we want!

I like to start with one pin (I know, I said NO pins, but we are just going to use this one and it’s worth it, I promise). After you’ve lined up the beginning, stick one pin in to make sure things don’t move on you as you place it under your pressure foot. Take a couple stitches and then you can remove the pin.

Now, using your left hand, pick up the white piece. You are going to hold it up above the blue piece so that they only come together as they are going under the pressure foot. One important thing here: DO NOT stretch your white piece. The cut is very stretchy and you can easily end up with everything out of shape and not lining up correctly if you put any tension on this piece. Hold it in place gently making sure not to pull.

With your right hand, place a few fingers on the blue piece and this time use just a little tension. Keep it tight as you are sewing the pieces together, but don’t pull so much it distorts.

Now, start sewing with each hand guiding its piece under the sewing foot so that they line up on the 1/4″ mark. Use little movements to keep everything where it needs to be. Use the finger pressed mark in the middle to ensure that you are on track as you sew the curve together. If it’s way off, you’ll likely want to unpick and try again. If it’s just a little off, release or increase tension on the blue piece to make them line up closer.

Continue until the end of the seam, as you near the bottom, lay the white piece down and line up the final ends. If you are having trouble hanging on to them with your fingers, you can grab some tweezers to guide that end through.

And done! Even when sewing slowly, this method is quick and takes much less time than pinning everything first. I encourage you to try it out, but keep in mind it may take a few tries to figure out the exact tension you need to use to line things up. After you get the hang of it though, you may never go back.

If you want the tutorials on using pins or glue, check out this post: Curves Made Easy

As always, if you have any questions ask! We are here to help. Happy Quilting!

Kimie and Missy