Well I still have a handfull of hair left so I decided to ask for help before I went totally bald. As some of you know I posted a pic of an old quilt wanting to know the name of the block. I took made a pattern with no luck. After looking and using a ream of paper I think I know what they did to crteate this pattern. It appears to be a New ork Beauty pattern turned around. I made it and it looks exactly like the old quilt but there is a few issues I cannot fix to save my life and hair. I don't know how to make it work. It keeps puckering up after I sew it together. I have tried everything i know. Thanks in advance.
Judy
Pic of old quilt

love the old block, sorry I can't help you

No idea, sorry.

Was this quilt hand pieced? That could be why it lays so nice and flat and why you are having problems machine piecing.
Trying to piece around the center square and those arcs is not easy :D:D:D

Are you notching and clipping the inside and outside curves??? I just took a class on the New York Beauty, and that was stressed. I didn't have any puckers in my NYB.

hi and yes it was all hand sewn and hand quilted in a Baptist Fan design

That's an awesome pattern.
Looks tricky! Good luck!

Something to think about: try applique (hand or machine) for those curves...

I don't know the name of this pattern. I love your old quilt. I think I would make a solid background square and then applique the center square and curves onto it.

Good Luck.

Can we see a picture of your block?

Both front and back of your block so we can get an idea of the problem for you?

Jan in VA

perhaps you need to clip your curves to get them to lay flat.

Here is 3 pics hope you can help me out with my mess before I am totally bald. LOL

Judy

On last try I made the solid color arch narrower but it didn't help. I have 3 hairs left almost bald now.
Judy

From here it looks like the seams are not 1/4" all the way....EXACTLY - you have to be exact when doing curves. Good luck!

Ooops -- our messages crossed. I'd say look at your pattern pieces again...try to pin them together to see if they're exact.

I concur...it's in the seam allowances. This is going to be so great when you get the piecing figured out. Keep going! You can buy a new wig until your hair grows back out, LOL!

I will try again tomorrow thanks
Judy

I think it would lay better if you tried pressing all the seams toward the corners.

Can you tell from the "original" how the seams were pressed?

Hi Bearisgray I checked the orig. quilt and it looks like they are indeed pressed to the corners I will try that tomorrow. Thanks
Judy

lovely old quilt. your pieces all look to be cut on the bias,starch, starch and more starch. the fabric looks stretched out of shape. i only see one clip instead of 6 or 8 around the outer edge of the curve. hope this helps.

I believe it is all your bias pieces are being way stretched. I agree with starch, starch, starch and handle very carefully.
Robin in TX

[quote=seahug]Here is 3 pics hope you can help me out with my mess before I am totally bald. LOL

If I had tried and tried as hard as you did I would just applique the pieces on the what looks like background fabric.It still would like very nice just not a difficult to do.]

I think this is how I would approach this block, too.

if you look very closely at the blue in teh old quilt, it is not flat.

There is a foot that helps do curves and circles it only catches one side of the fabric (one side of the feed dog) I got it from Martinelle (SP) But I haven't tried it yet. Has any one else seen this foot? Or have used it?

When sewing curves, pin at each end then the center then inbetween a half inch part and don't hurry; the uneveness comes when stretching one side to fit the other. clip the edges a half inch apart, not just in the center. Sewing a curve is tricky. I have never used starch when sewing, you can do more with the holding pins close together.
Try basting the edges together and then sewing with the machine after you have clipped the long side to adjust to the shorter side of the seam.

Carol J.

Judy,
What size is your original block? Try clipping your seams a little more often. Increase your stitch length a little bit so it doesn't pull out of shape. Like your colors and it may take a little bit but you will get it, you have a good start.
Brenda

What beautiful old quilt

I'd maybe just applique the arcs?

It looks like your seam is not consistant or maybe you are pulling on the fabric when you set the curve piece. With curves I learned to ease in gently and not pull on peice. I hope this may help. Lovely old quilt and I love the colors in your new blocks.

Judy I also had trouble with a block with a lot of bias edges. I used 1/2 "" strips of fuseable pellon {light weight}on all edges.
Good Luck Gloria :D

Heavy starch on your curved pieces. Starch before you cut your pieces. Don't stretch while sewing, these are bias, also don't iron...press only.
Mark the center of your arc on each curved piece, pin together and sew from the center out to each edge.
Avoid that wonky piecing of the square by cutting the center of the block in one piece and applique the square to the center either by hand or if you are quilting "inside the ditch on your block, then just quilt the square block to the center of your block. Hope that makes sense. Love this design!
D in TX

Are you thinking of the Curve Master? Just bought one and tried on about 4 practice pieces but kept ending up with either the top or the bottom stretched out. I will try again. In the meantime i have sewn about 100 Drunkard's Path without difficulty. Just pin 3 times, each edge very well and in center, catching very little of fabric so that it will pivot as I work in the side that wants to pleat. They have all come out perfectly.

A couple of days ago there was a tutorial on sewing Curved Seams (just do a search) and it was wonderful.
She doesn't and I haven't notched at all.

There is a foot called a curvemaster which may help, but the technique can be used on a regular foot. There was a thread on that some time ago so you might search and see if that helps. You definitely must match up exact 1/4 inch seam allowances and ends, take it slow and see if that helps.:)

UPDATE
I did another pattern of a new york beauty it worked very well and all fit. Just one thing I don't know how to do and that is I need to reduce the org pattern. I need to go from 3 3/4 to 1 3/4inches on the wide band around the 1/4 circle(corner) and I think I can take 1/4" from the corner piece. I am not sure about the other piece yet. the pattern I am trying to reduce is from Ulas quiltpage/ new youk beauty the beginner pattern. Maybe someone can help with the reducing of this pattern?

I would applique' the arcs onto the background piece. use the Eleanor Burns method & machine applique'. unless you are very experienced, those curves are buggers. does your
fabric have polyester in it ?

Is there any way you could scan the block or just half of it and then cut the pieces out for a template..maybe that would give you an idea ...

I looks to me like you haven't drafted your pattern pieces correctly. Did you use a protrator to draft your circles? Also, it doesn't look like your seams are a 1/4" constant. Try drafting your circles again using something that draws a perfect circle and then quarter it for your arc pieces. Hope this helps.

If you are unable to manage the curved seam by holding the top layer up off the other piece and only lowering it as it meets the needle, there is a product called the Curve Master Sewing foot that might be useful for you. Make sure you buy the tweezers and wooden roller to help you master the technique more easily. You really need to have a more experienced sewer show you the technique for sewing curves and then the process is easy.
Another slower method is to pin at each end of the seam and then ease and pin all along the seam. Some people even gather very slightly when easing in and then clip the curves.Try not to stretch the bias edges. Good luck with it all.
P.S. As for the square: You could always applique it on and then cut out from the back in order to make the thickness consistent.

Love the pattern of the quilt.