Langley Quilters' Guild (Evening) Block Challenge August 2015 (delayed to October meeting)

Transcription

1 Langley Quilters' Guild (Evening) Block Challenge August 2015 (delayed to October meeting) Block: Drunkard s Path: a quick, accurate, and approachable method for curved piecing. Colorway: #1 Template A Any solid med to dark blue or patterned blue reading as solid #2 Template B White and black but reading more white than black as this is the light portion of the pattern Tool of the Month - Omni Arc by Omnigrid Check out quiltsbyjen.ca/the-omniarc-ruler-by-omnigrid/ and see her great article on the Omni Arc Ruler. This tool while having many uses, is 8 square with one inch markings. Fabric is single, or folded in a double or quadruple layer will give you a quarter circle, half and whole circle in five different sizes. I use it along with my template when cutting my Drunkards Path Block template pieces, to insure that arcs are arced and straights are straight! However it is perfectly easy to make this block with any square ruler. I have found that using circles and/or curves to be very effective in gaining movement in a design or throughout a quilt. I have made many quilts, table runners and pillows utilizing the Drunkards Path Block, and wanted to introduce you to some ways it may be used in a design. Many of us find curves to be overwhelming, and using this block is one way to assure that the curves come out perfect every time. There are a few tricks to these which I have learned over the past eighteen months, and I will do my best to share them with you. I was first introduced to this block when I found A Quilters Mixology, by Angela Pingel, (Interweave Publishing). It contains 16 projects using the Drunkard s Path Block. It is available in paperback and digitally. I purchased it digitally, but wish I had bought the paperback version, as I have used it so often and learned so much.

2 Like many techniques curved piecing is not nearly as difficult as it appears. Angela offers an introduction to curved piecing via one simple block, Drunkard s Path. This block is made up of 2 units, a quarter circle in a square. This block may be put together in various patterns that look absolutely different in every combination. The block can create a sinuous staggering line, or curved motifs that form teardrops, arabesques, flowers and other shapes. There are four things which I find extremely important in creating a Drunkard s Path block, well four if you count the Ruler! (however, you don t need the ruler to make the block) 1. The first thing you will want to do is to press your fabrics and starch them very well. Each part of the drunkards path block has a curve in it, and I have found that starching makes the world of difference in preventing stretching within the blocks. 2. The next thing you will want is your pins. I have found that only three pins per block make the difference. It doesn t take long, but holds it all together. 3. I work on a Janome 1600 P with a stitch variation of 1-6. I set my stitch length to a nice small condensed stitch length of 2, which I feel helps getting around those curves. 4. Sew this block with the bigger L shape on the top. This gives you more control as you sew as you can pull little tucks out if they start to happen, and the bottom piece curves naturally.

3 Template A to be done in medium to dark blue solid or a pattern reading as a solid blue, and B to be done in black and white, but reading more light/white than black, as the blue is the dark and the white is your light in this block which gives a sharp contrast in the colors and shape in the quilt. This will give us a 6 finished block. After pressing this block we need to cut it to size. If sewn the way I have suggested, there will not really be too much cutting required. The most important thing in cutting this block is measuring the curve part to 4 from the left side to the seam, and then measuring the L portion and cutting it to 2 from the seam to the edge. The best way I have found is to use the OmniArc Ruler, as shown in the picture below. Place the corner of the ruler in the corner of the block as shown below, and make sure that each seam is on the 3 (on this ruler you have to remember that there is one inch before the ruler starts, therefore you measure to 3 instead of 4 ) mark on the ruler, trim each of those sides.

4 Pick the ruler up and flip your block to the left, counter clockwise. Position the 1 mark on the ruler, at the seam between the light and dark fabric. This will actually give you two inches from the 1 mark to the right side of fabric. Make your cut on the right hand side, as below. Now we need to make the final cut. Turn your fabric clockwise twice so it appears like the picture below. Cut the remaining fabric off the right side.

5 Once you have completed this cut, you should have a square block that is 6 with four inches of the light fabric and two inches of the dark fabric. This is the portion that no one ever told me, and is very important when piecing certain shapes made with Drunkards Path blocks together, as in a circle. I often use this block for circles, especially scrappy ones. There are so many uses for Drunkards Path blocks. Anytime you need a curve, consider trying one of these instead. A great thing to have in your quilting arsenal. You can make a pattern to suit your needs very easily, or search for someone else s template online! I hope by the time you get one or two done, you love making them! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me by at lauralynconnor@hotmail.com or telephone at Thanks, Lauralyn