Highs & Lows in Week 8 of Physical Distancing!

Hope all of you are doing ok with this darn CoVid 19 pandemic. I've decided to quit using the term "social distancing" and use "physical distancing" instead because while we can't stand next to, or hug, our friends and loved ones, we certainly can stay social! Thank goodness for Zoom and similar programs and cell phones that let us make "free" long distance calls!

I'm a former history teacher and school counselor. As a student of history, I keep reminding myself that our pioneer ancestors dealt with this physical distancing and not seeing extended family members for months, years, maybe forever! And let's face it, the Postal Service was much less dependable. They called it life. So we breathe deeply, and deal with our situation. Part of that "dealing" is to plunge into those things that give us pleasure and relaxation--which includes quilting for me and so many more!

Besides face masks and working on customer quilts, I have been tackling long planned/untouched projects. It's funny that if you leave that fabric sitting long enough, it sometimes inspires a much different pattern than what the original purchase was intended. One thing I've been exploring this last 8 weeks are different ways to work with curved piecing.

Now before you groan and say "I can''t do curves without getting tucks!" lets cover the basics to make them behave. 1) ALWAYS cut the curves on the bias so they can curve into place while sewing

2) Pin in 3 places--in the middle (finger press both pieces in half to find that spot and match) and each end. If you put a ton of pins in you won't be able to take advantage of the bias and getting the edges to stay matched while you sew--and you'll get tucks. 3) always have the "pie" (convex) on the bottom and the "crust" on the top. And with most templates you are expected to trim--so check the measurements for that. And keep in mind that our curved pieces or Drunkard's Path as the traditional block is called, can be dressed up so it's not just two pieces of fabric. These were cut from half square triangles and 16 patches.