Piecing curves: Techniques to help you make the Wife-made Palma Quilt pattern
It’s been nearly four years since I released my Palma Quilt pattern, so it’s definitely about time I put out a tutorial for piecing curves, right?! Truth be told, I actually made these videos a while ago and then got distracted and forgot about them. #lifewithfourkids I also remember after recording them that I felt very self-conscious and judgmental about myself talking on camera. But I’ve decided, you know what? Who cares!? (I turned forty this year. I wonder if that has anything to do with my change of heart? What do you think?)
How to sew curves in quilts
I know the thought of piecing curves can be a little intimidating for some people, but I’ve found that the best way to overcome your fears is to just do the thing you’re scared of! (And, in the grand scheme of ‘scary things’, piecing curves is probably pretty low on the scale.) But, I know it can be helpful to have someone show you how they do it, so that’s what I’ve done. I’m definitely a visual learner – you too?
As I said, when it comes to trying anything new, I have found that it’s best to just give it a go, and not set your expectations too high to begin with. Accept that your first few goes are probably going to be pretty wonky and you may have trouble with over-stretched blocks, or you may start pinning the pieces together and realise you haven’t stretched it enough. Either way it’s all a learning curve and I promise you will get better the more you practice! But it can also be super helpful to read up on techniques other quilters use. The video I have created below relates specifically to sewing the curved blocks in the Palma Quilt, but the techniques can be translated to any curved piecing you might be attempting.
You might also be interested to watch some other videos on curved piecing, so here’s a couple for you that I can recommend. This one is by Fons & Porter and this one is by American Patchwork & Quilting.
Remember that piecing curves is fun!
Because quilting is fun, right!? You’re not a brain surgeon, and it’s unlikely if you’re reading this post that you’re going to be submitting this quilt into a competition, so go easy on yourself and just enjoy the learning process.
Let me know if you have any other questions in the comments and I will do my darndest to answer them!
Video Tutorial: How to piece curves in the Wife-made Palma Quilt pattern
