salmonsweet

Freezer paper. The curve method is the same for these oval ones and for the two curves in the New York Beauties I've made a few of also. The way I make them, I think curves are easy. Just slow, lol.

I drew the oval on a square 12'' block, then made freezer paper templates: one for the oval and one for each half of the background. No seam allowances added, the freezer paper ends on the sewing line. (So the freezer paper oval fits with the freezer paper backgrounds to make a 12'' block.)

Fitting the templates together I draw a few marking lines across the curves; so half of each marking line is on the oval paper and half on the background paper - make sense?

I iron the frezer paper to the wrong side of the fabric; mark the fabric all the way along the paper curve with a fadeaway marker. For each marking line, I draw a line on the seam allowance of the fabric (so it looks again like a short line crossing the curve line, half on the fabric and half on the paper).

I cut the shapes out, adding seam allowances all around. (About half an inch because I like to be safe.) I pull the freezer paper off and put it away for reuse, in case I want to make more blocks later.

Then I pin one curve, right sides of fabric together. I pin first the corners, then each place where a line crosses; then I fill in bit by bit between the marks, checking the lines on both sides as I go. I may be strange but I pin ALONG the sewing line, not across; just catching a very few threads of fabric in each case. I end up with a lot of pins overlapping each other on top, and little bits of pin showing along the seamline on the bottom.

I sew very slowly and gently along my marked line, pulling pins just before they would get under the presser foot, gently easing the fabric flat maybe half an inch ahead of the presser foot (keep feeling for creases in the bottom fabric and ease them out before I sew over them).

It seems to give me good curves, or at least good enough for my eyes... :oops:

If at the end I turn it over and find I've sewn in a crease anyway (not often but sometimes, usually when I get blasé and think I know it all now, lol) - no big deal. I unpick the creased bit, repin and resew that bit of seam on the line, usually putting the other fabric on top this time. Easy. :D

This was longer than I intended... I hope I'm explaining this in a way that makes sense!!! It's straightforward really, it would be easier to show than to write.