CURVED LEGS
- Only 5 seams!
- No perfection required.
- Never tried a curved seam? This is the ideal low-risk opportunity, and directions are written for the novice. If you're experienced with curves, you'll be done faster than you can read the directions.
- There will be waste on the curved square. Toss the offcuts into your scrap bin.
I apologize in advance. I found a photo of this quilt but did not save its origin, and Google AI couldn't find it. I worked up a paper template of my own and wrote a pattern from there.
Fabrics
Pick 2 fat quarters: solid or reads solid, high contrast, saturated. No pinks or whites.
Cutting
Fabric A:
- Cut 10-inch square
- Cut 2 rectangles 3.5X2.5 inches
Fabric B:
- Cut 8.5-inch square
- Cut 10.5X3.5-inch rectangle
- Cut 7.5X3.5-inch rectangle
All dimensions include a .25-inch seam allowance.
Cutting the curved block
If you have experience sewing curves, that's great! But no experience is required. Freehand and wonky blocks are welcome. Attached photos show curves sew unpredictably. You haven't made a mistake. Don't worry. This is all about having fun and sewing fabric you're about to get rid of. So here we go. There are many options.
If you have a totally optional Classic Curves ruler, sew a 7.5-inch curve with the square pieces.
Paper template method: Draw a 9.5-inch square on paper and make your own template. Using your square paper, trace a quarter circle using a large plate or just eyeball it and draw a freehand curve in the lower left corner about 2 inches away from the upper left and lower right edge. Cut the paper quarter circle, leaving the first inch on each edge straight and at a 90-degree angle to the edge. Place the paper on the 8.5-inch Fabric B square right side up. Leave a .25-inch fabric allowance showing on the left, bottom and curve of your fabric-paper stack. Cut the curve plus fabric allowance into your 8.5-inch fabric square. Place the quarter circle fabric on the 10-inch square with both fabrics right side up. Pull the 8.5-inch square diagonally to the lower left about a half inch for the eventual seam allowance. Cut the identical curve into the larger 10-inch Fabric A square as the template photo shows, remembering to leave the first inch straight on left and at bottom.
Fabric-only method: Stack the 8.5-inch Fabric B square on the 10-inch Fabric A square with edges matching in the lower left corner. Pull the 8.5-inch square diagonally to the lower left about a half inch for the eventual seam allowance. With the fabrics stacked right side up, draw your curve with chalk or a hera marker on the the 8.5-inch Fabric B square. Leave the first inch on each end straight at a 90-degree angle to the edge. Cut your curve into the fabrics. You will end up with this:
Here are additional cutting tips. This curve is gradual, and the smaller rotary cutter is not necessary.
Sewing the curved square
I can never keep concave and convex straight, so for this project Fabric B is the pizza slice (Cindy Grisdela's preferred term), and Fabric A is the surrounding pizza box.
This is such a gradual curve that you shouldn't need pins or end with puckering. Place right sides together Fabric A, the box, over B, the slice. Line the upper left edges up perfectly. This looks funny, but it really is the starting point.
For pinners, pin the curved edge together, but this step is not required. The first inch should show a straight line based on your cutting. Sew the first inch with a quarter-inch seam allowance and stop to adjust fabric.
Adjust Fabric A to align with Fabric B. Sew as much or as little as you feel comfortable with. (For small tight curves, I sew 2-3 stitches before readjusting.) Keep adjusting as you go. By the end, your fabrics may come together evenly, but expect to see a tail on one fabric or the other. This is absolutely normal. Press the inner pizza seam allowance outward with starch onto the box piece. Pressing with starch works miracles to hide the oopsies on curves. Note the uneven edge on the upper right, and the purple is not straight. You should expect to see variations like this.
Press the right side as well. Try to push out the full sewn seam, and it should lie flat. This shouldn't happen, but if there's a terrible pucker, use your seam ripper to open the section that's the shortest to the edge and re-sew. Your square may not look very square, but do not trim now.
Additional guidance for video learners plus more.
Sewing the rectangles
Sew Fabric A 3.5X2.5-inch rectangle to Fabric B 10.5X3.5-inch rectangle.
Sew Fabric A 3.5X2.5-inch rectangle to Fabric B 7.5X3.5-inch rectangle.
Sewing the block
You should have three pieces ready to sew: curved square and two rectangles. Note the placement of Fabric A, yellow in this case.
When the curved square is done, place your curved block on a cutting mat or eyeball it to see your ideal square, which may leave the square at a slight angle. Trim the right side of the curved square.
Sew the shorter A-B rectangle to the right side of the curved square with Fabric As together at the upper right. Trim top into a rectangle.
Sew the longer A-B rectangle with Fabric A on the left to the top of the previous rectangle, aligning at the upper right. You can expect to see overage on the left side. This is standard. You are safe.
The right side should be straight or close to it. Measuring from the upper right corner, square up the block to 12.5 inches. Smaller is OK. I don't mind if the quarter circle looks tilted, wonky or out of whack. That's improv! You're done. Hope you enjoyed it!
The magic of this block appears when it's laid out with others. The curves can form a quarter, half or full circle. No two layouts will be alike. As you can see, these are my untrimmed blocks. Feel free to reach out if you run into any problems: @cw1ls0ncot on Instagram and Catherine Wilson, one of many, on Facebook.
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