10 Year Happy Quilting Blogiversary Celebration!!!!!

Today is the big day!!!  We have been having Throwback Thursday's for a year leading up to this Thursday ;)  And I am just so excited!!!!   Today is my 10 Year Blogiversary!!!!    Can you believe it, I have been writting Happy Quilting for 10 YEARS, that is an entire decade of blogging!!!!

I can't even begin to explain how grateful I am for Happy Quilting!!!!  I never would have dreamed when I started this little quilting blog that it would open so many doors to so many opportunities and most importantly, so many friends!!!!    I can not believe how Happy Quilting has grown over the 10 years and how I have grown along with it.   I could go on and on about how much I have been able to accomplish from simply starting a blog . . . but today I just really want to thank each of you!!!!

Happy Quilting would not be the space it is without each of you!!!  I thank you for your comments, your emails, your pictures, your encouragement, and your friendship :)   I love that this blog has allowed me to meet so many amazing friends that share my passion for quilting!!!   And I just want to say Thank you again and again and again ;)

And so let's do that with a Giveaway Celebration!!!  I have so many friends joining in with me today to celebrate 10 Years of Happy Quilting and I am so grateful to them for sponsoring prizes for this occasion!!!!   We are going to do this in the same style as Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day ;)    You can scroll through all the giveaways and then the instructions to enter the giveaways are at the end!!!

So let's get to the

HAPPY QUILTING GIVEAWAY EXTRAVAGANZA!!!!

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED -

Thank you so much to all those who entered!!!

The winner's can be found in this post ;)

I am so grateful I found AccuQuilt!!!   I love how easy cutting is with this system especially for teaching my daughter accurate piecing with smaller and more complicated designs!!!   And you know I love it for cutting those more complex curved pieces!!!

                                AccuQuilt is giving away a GO! Me Fabric Cutter Starter Set!

I am so glad I got to become great friends with Aurifil when I was an Block of the Month Designer in 2017. I really came to love their threads that year and still love using them for all of my applique :)  They have so many wonderful colors to choose from!!!

                         Aurifil is giving away a Great British Quilter Thread Collection!

 

Shari is a wonderful friend and owner of Bear Creek Quilting Company.  She has been a tremendous supporter of Happy Quilting and I am so grateful to her for that!!!  I love her shop :)

                         Bear Creek Quilting Company is giving away a $25.00 Gift Certificate!

    

I can't begin to say how grateful I am for my friends at Fat Quarter Shop!!!  They have been a very long time sponsor of Happy Quilting!!!  I have worked with them on so many Quilt Along's in the past, and was ecstatic to work on my Charming Baby Quilts book with their sister company It's Sew Emma.  I have made so many great friends here!!!

                                     Fat Quarter Shop is giving away a $50 Gift Certificate!

  

Clint and Judy have been long time supporters of Happy Quilting and I am so grateful to them.  I love Green Fairy Quilts and that it is based in St. George, Utah, just  45 minutes away from me :)   And I can not say enough about Judy's amazing quilting!!!  I am so glad to have them as friends!!

                                Green Fairy Quilts is giving away a Marches De Noel Layer Cake!

  

Julie was one of my very first sponsors and encouraged me so much along the way of starting out my quilt along's!!  She made so many custom bundles for them and really made them take off.  I am so very grateful to her and the The Intrepid Thread   for making that happen!!!  

                                The Intrepid Thread  is giving away a Tilda Fat Quarter Bundle!

  

Jamie is an amazing friend who also is the owner of Lou Lou's Fabric Shop!!!  I absolutely love her custom Lou Lou Bundles that she makes each week.  She has such a wonderful eye for color and prints!!!   And I am so glad to have been a small part of her ongoing Little Lou Charity!!! 

                     Lou Lou's Fabric Shop is giving away a Lou Lou Bundle of your Choice!

  

There really are not enough words to say thank you to my friends at Moda!!!   Lissa was pretty much the person that got me to publish for the first time and has been a constant support over the last 10 years!!!  Carrie has been encouraging and always there with projects and helps.  Chelair is always available to help with fabric for new projects and patterns.   I have made oh so many friends at Moda and am so grateful to their huge support of Happy Quilting!!! 

                            Moda is giving away 2 Prizes - Each of a Book and Pre-cuts!! 

I met Rhonda at a Quilting Retreat and we became fast friends!!!  I was thrilled when Olie and Evie begin sponsoring and so grateful to her for her support of Happy Quilting and her wonderful friendship over the years.   She always has the nicest things to say that just brighten my day!!!

                               Olie and Evie is giving away a Custom Flurry Fat Quarter Bundle!

 

Jina and I have been friends for some time now ;)  I have been fortunate enough to teach for her at UQSM and to work with her in lots of fabric endeavors!!!  I was thrilled when she started her new Poppie Cotton fabric's and just love working with these gorgeous and high quality fabrics!!! 

                         Poppie Cotton is giving away a Country Roads Fat Quarter Bundle!

Riley is one of my newest sponsors and it has been so great to get to know her though her awesome shop Thousands of Bolts!!!  Her shop is amazing and her prices are super affordable ;)  

                                Thousands of Bolts is giving away a $50 Gift Certificate!

 

I am so grateful to my friends at Riley Blake Designs!!!    They have been a long time supporter of Happy Quilting and I am so glad I have been able to share so many amazing tutorials and quilts made from their beautiful fabrics.  I especially love that they are close to home and that I get to visit their Warehouse on occasion, oh so much fun going up and down those isles!!!

                         Riley Blake Designs is giving away a Snow Sweet Fat Quarter Bundle!

 

I have so many wonderful friends at Shabby Fabrics and have just loved sharing all of their amazing projects.  I love their laser cut kits!!!  They really make applique easy, and I am all about trying to share how fun and fast applique really is :)  I am so glad to have them here!!!

                        Shabby Fabrics is giving away an Easy Pieced Table Runner Kit!

  

And finally I have a prize to share as well :)  I am just so grateful to all of you!!!  You have truly made Happy Quilting into a special place and I am thankful beyond words for that ;)  

                                         I am giving away a Happy Quilting Goodie Box!!! 

  

You have one entry for all 14 giveaways and then optional Bonus Entries ;)  Please leave a separate comment for each.  All Entries are welcome, please just be sure to leave an email address if you are a no-reply blogger ;)  

ENTRY 1 - Simply leave a comment that tells me what is making you Happy Today ;) 

 
BONUS ENTRY  - Show your AccuQuilt love.    You can follow them on  YouTube, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram or you can visit their Website and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your AccuQuilt Love!!!


BONUS ENTRY  - Show your Aurifil love.    You can follow them on  YouTube, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram or you can visit their Website and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your AccuQuilt Love!!!


BONUS ENTRY  - Show your Bear Creek Quilting Company love.    You can Sign up for their Newsletter (top right corner) which I highly recommend as there are specials announced exclusively to newsletter subscribers.  You can follow them on  Pinterest, Facebook, or you can visit the Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Bear Creek Quilting Love!!!


BONUS ENTRY - Show your Fat Quarter Shop love.   You can follow them on   Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, You Tube or at their Blog.  You can Sign up for their Newsletter which will ensure you catch all of their amazing sales, or you can visit The Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Fat Quarter Shop Love!!!


BONUS ENTRY  - Show your Green Fairy Quilts love.   You can Sign up for their Newsletter which I highly recommend as it will ensure you catch all of their amazing sales!!  You can follow them on Instagram or Facebook,  or you can visit the Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Green Fairy Quilt Love!!!


BONUS ENTRY  - Show your The Intrepid Thread love.   You can Sign up for their Newsletter which I highly recommend as it will ensure you catch all of their amazing sales!!  You can follow them on Instagram or Facebook,  or you can visit the Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your The Intrepid Thread Love!!!


BONUS ENTRY - Show your Lou Lou's Fabric Shop love.  You can follow them on   Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram.  Or you can follow their blog or  visit The Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Lou Lou's Fabric Shop Love!!!

BONUS ENTRY - Show your Olie and Evie love.   You can follow them on  Facebook, Instagram  or Pinterest or you can visit The Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Olie and Evie Love!!!

BONUS ENTRY  - Show your Poppie Cotton love.    You can follow them on  YouTube,  Facebook, Instagram or you can visit their Website and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Poppie Cotton Love!!!

BONUS ENTRY - Show your Thousands of Bolts love.   You can follow them on   Facebook or Instagram.  Or you can visit The Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Thousand of Bolts Love!!! 

BONUS ENTRY  - Show your Riley Blake Designs love.    You can follow them on  YouTube, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram or you can visit their Website and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Riley Blake Designs Love!!!

BONUS ENTRY  - Show your Riley Blake Designs love.    You can follow them on  YouTube, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram or you can visit their Website and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Riley Blake Designs Love!!!

BONUS ENTRY - Show your Shabby Fabrics love. You can follow them on Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Pinterest, or Instagram.  You can Sign up for the Shabby Fabrics Newsletter (top right hand corner) or Follow their Blog,  or you can Visit the Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Shabby Fabric Love!!!

BONUS ENTRY - Show your Happy Quilting love.   You can follow Happy Quilting on Bloglovin, Email Updates, or RSS to get daily updates.  Or you can like Happy Quilting on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest.  Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Happy Quilting Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until Sunday, July 5th, and I will announce the winner's on Monday Morning

And for more entries you can visit my Facebook and Instagram ;) 

Good Luck and Happy Quilting!!! 

Bloom-Topia Quilt Along - Release 11 - Quilt Top!!!

It's July 1st and I am so excited for today!!!  I have been waiting for it for a long time!!!  Today is the 11th release of the Bloom-Topia Quilt Along hosted by the Fat Quarter Shop and we are putting the quilt top together!!!!!   So, so, so excited :)   

Obviously, my layout is very different from the original.   So for my version of the Quilt Top here is what you need to Cut :

Print Fabrics:

          (176) 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" Squares - Label A

          (4) 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" Squares - Label B

          (4) 4 1/2" x 6 1/2" Rectangles - Label C

Background Fabrics:

          (20) 2 1/2" x 12 1/2" Rectangles - Label D

          (2) 2 1/2" x 20 1/2" Rectangles - Label E

          (3) 2 1/2" x 42 1/2" Rectangles - Label F

   Cut (24) 2 1/2" x WOF Strips - Sew the Strips End to End - Cut the Following Pieces from the Strip

          (2) 2 1/2" x 46 1/2" Rectangles - Label G

          (2) 2 1/2" x 54 1/2" Rectangles - Label H

          (2) 2 1/2" x 58 1/2" Rectangles - Label I

          (2) 2 1/2" x 82 1/2" Rectangles - Label J

          (2) 2 1/2" x 86 1/2" Rectangles - Label K

          (2) 2 1/2" x 90 1/2" Rectangles - Label L

          (2) 2 1/2" x 94 1/2" Rectangles - Label M

Sew the Quilt Top Together according to the below Diagram.  Start from the center 4 Blocks and work outward adding Borders.  Add the Side Borders first and then Top and Bottom Borders.

  

And that is all there is to it!!!  Isn't that just so fun!!!!

So are you joining in the Bloom-Topia fun???  If so, you can download the quilt layout pattern  and it is requested for each pattern you download to donate $5.00  to the Make a Wish Foundation :)  This is Fat Quarter Shop's annual charity QAL that is raising funds for an amazing organization. And it has been such a huge success this year!!!!

And just as a reminder, if you are new to finding the Bloom-Topia Quilt Along, this layout I made is different from the Original.  There are links at the end of this post for all of the alterations on blocks ;)     I am using a Breeze Fat Quarter Bundle by Zen Chic for Moda Fabrics with Gris Grunge as the background!!! And there are still a few Bloom-topia Quilt Kits and Backing Sets available if you want to make yours like the original ;) 

And like always, Fat Quarter Shop has made an awesome  You Tube video tutorial that walk you through the steps of the original layout.  There are some great helpful hints and you can see it put together step by step!!!   

Be sure to share all of your Bloom-Topia progress on social media with #bloomtopiaquiltalong and check out Fat Quarter Shops post for Release 11 for lots more Bloomtopia Inspiration!!!  I can't wait to see all of your quilt tops!!!! 

And that's it for the eleventh release in the Bloom-Topia Quilt Along!!!!   Now it is just time to sew up this Bloom-Topia Quilt !!  

And just to make it easy to find . . . Here is a list of all the places to find my alterations

Layout Fabric Requirements Alteration

Release 1 - Block 1 and 2 Alterations

Release 2 - Block 3 Alterations

Release 3 - Block 4 and 5 Alterations

Release 4 - Block 6 and 7 Alterations

Release 5 - Blocks 8 and 9 Alterations

Release 6 - Block 10 Alterations

Release 7 - Block 11 & 12 Alterations

Release 8 - Block 13 Alterations

Release 9 - Block 14 & 15 Alterations
Release 10 - Block 16 Alterations

Thanks for popping in today ;)  I hope you have a very Happy Quilting Day!!

Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!!

It's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!! Let's have some fun :)

First, we need to announce the winner from last Terrific Tuesday Giveaway!!  

The winner of the 2  At Home Charm Packs  from  Fat Quarter Shop is . . .   Number #727 . . . Congrats Lee Butler!!!  I have messaged you :)    

    

And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by  Thousands of Bolts .   Thousands of Bolts has incredible prices that will have you super excited!!!  And yes they are open and working hard to get out orders during this crazy time :)    And right now, you will find incredible bargains shopping in the Thousands of Bolts Sale Section where they just added 400 fabrics!!!      Be sure to check it out :)

And for Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway,  Thousands of Bolts is giving one lucky winner a Sand and Sea Pack by Wilmington Prints!!!  Don't these just make you wish you were on the beach :) 

You have two entry chances here on the blog, and please leave a separate comment for each.  All Entries are welcome, including International Entries.   Please just be sure to leave an email address if you are a no-reply blogger ;)  

ENTRY 1 - Simply leave a comment that tells me your favorite thing to do at the beach?? I love the water and enjoy jumping waves with my kiddo's :) 

 ENTRY 2 - Lets show Thousands of Bolts some Love!!!!   You can follow them on   Facebook or Instagram.  Or you can visit The Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Thousand of Bolts Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, July 7th, when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

You can also pop over to my Instagram and/or Facebook to enter there as well :)  

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Charming Baby Quilts - Last 2 Remix's Designed!!!

So first I shared these Charming Baby Quilts Remix's and then these 3 Remixes and today I am excited to share the final 2!!!!   Yup, with these 2 finished, that means I have all 10 Charming Baby Quilts redesigned in  EQ8 and all are in the process of being made!!!  So that means in the coming weeks, it will be like all new Charming Baby Quilts shares all the time!!!

So let's share those last 2 Remix's for today ;) 

To The Moon - Original

 To The Moon - Remix

The original version of Shine Bright, is all baby!!!   So I thought it would be fun to give it a more Teen Vibe.  So it needed a color makeover and I think Alexia Abegg's not yet released, Golden Hour Charm Packs has just the perfect fit for a Updated Space feel!!!  And with the Soft Blue Speckled Background, It almost looks like outer space ;)    And by making an additional 19 blocks, this quilt will be Twin Sized at 60" x 84", perfect for a bed of a teen or tween ;)     

And last but certainly not least . . .

On the Move - Original

On The Move - Remix

 I am so super excited about this Remix!!!  I knew I wanted to do one remix with Solids, and you just know how I love to do a Rainbow layout . . . So Solids Rainbow!!!!    I am using 2 of these awesome Super-Sized  Kona Rainbow Charm Pack to have a huge variety in color and I can't wait.   And I added some more blocks and rows, so it will finish at 69" x 83" making it a great throw or lap size!!!  Won't this just be so fun!!!    

So ya . . . that now makes all 10 new Charming Baby Quilts Remix's!!!  You will need a copy of Charming Baby Quilts to make the remix's but I will share the alterations needed for these new sizes when I finish the quilts :)   And I will also add them to the Charming Baby Quilts, All the Quilts, All the Details page to make it easy to find them ;)     Now just to get them all finished up and quilted so I can start sharing!!!! 

And fun side note for all my readers . . . Today and Tomorrow are the last days to use promo code EQ8MELISSA for 20% off all EQ products.  If you haven't guessed by now . . . I just love this program!!!

   

I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Day!!!

Modified Drunkards Path Units Tutorial!!

I love Curved Piecing!!!  And one of my favorite things to curve piece is the Modified Drunkards Path Unit.  It is such a great little building block!!!   It is the Unit I used in my Nordic Nights pattern, and many of my Quilt Along's.  So, just in case you are new to Curved Piecing, I have put together this Modified Drunkards Path Tutorial to help you make your own from start to finish!!!  So let's get going. 

First up . . .

STEP 1 - THE TEMPLATE

  To start, you will need a Crust and Pie Modern Drunkards Path Template.  You can either purchase custom acrylic templates or you can make your own.  To make your own, print off the Drunkards Path Template or have it from a pattern.  If you print it off, double check that the 1" squares is actually 1".    Trace your templates onto a sturdy surface like thin cardboard or Extra Thick Plastic Template Sheets.  Trace your paper templates and then cut them from your template material.  Don't use your fabric scissors to cut these out.  They will ruin them.  Once your templates are cut double check them back to the pattern to make sure they do not need to be trimmed in any areas. 

STEP 2 - CUTTING

Now you have your templates ready and you are all set to start cutting out your Drunkard Path units.  I cut Modified Drunkard's path units in 3 ways.     What you need to cut whether from Print or Background Fabrics will be specified in your pattern, but I will show you all three types of cuts just so you can see how I make them.   From the Largest Square (4 3/4" in this sample) you will cut 1 Crust piece and 1 Pie piece.   From the Medium Square (4 1/2" in this sample) you will cut 2 Crust  pieces.  And from the Smallest Square (4" in this sample) you will cut 1 Pie piece. 

To cut the 1 Pie Piece from the Smallest square:

Align the Pie Template so it is flush in the corner of the square and the sides are aligned.  Now, holding the template in place, gently cut along the outer curve of the template.  You'll be trimming off just a bit as the square is made to fit the template.  This is the easier of the two curves to cut, so just try to stay relaxed and let your blade follow along the outside arch.

To cut the 2 Crust Pieces from the Medium square:

 Start by placing your Crust Template onto the corner of your square so that is flush in the corner and the sides are aligned.  Holding the template in place,  gently cut along the inner curve of the template, gently is the key here.  You will need to cut a tiny bit to start and finish that has no template guide but just keep it straight and aligned with your template.   Then slide the now Pie looking piece out of the way and and then Cut along the Top and Bottom of the template to trim off the excess fabric.

Now spin that pie looking piece 180 degrees and once again place your Crust Template onto the corner of your square so that is flush in the corner and the sides and top and bottom are aligned.    Holding the template in place,  gently cut along the inner curve to give you your second Pie Crust.  This will also give you a Bonus Petal that you can use for Applique on another project, and if your not quite sure what to do with those Bonus Petal's you can see my video tutorial on Applique to get you started!!!

To cut the 1 Pie Piece and 1 Crust Piece from the Largest square:

Align the Pie Template so it is flush in the corner of the square and the sides are aligned.  Now, holding the template in place, gently cut along the outer curve of the template.  

Now spin that large crust looking piece 180 degrees and place your Crust Template onto the corner of your square so that is flush in the corner and the sides and top and bottom are aligned.    Holding the template in place, Cut along the top and bottom of the template to trim the excess squares.  Then gently cut along the inner curve to give you your Crust piece.

Once you have your pieces cut, regardless of what size square you cut them from, simply match the Background Pie pieces with the Print Crust pieces and the Print Pie pieces with the Background Crust pieces as shown.  Then you are ready to start sewing curves!!!

Cutting out curve takes a little practice to get used to  but just relax and you will get it.   The key is when you are coming out of the curve to not press to hard that you cut into your template.  Relax and just let your cutter glide along the edge.   I had to keep reminding myself to relax my hand and let the cutter do the work ;)   And if you have a small 28 mm rotary cutter it really helps in those curves.  But no worries, by the end of cutting your pieces, you will be a pro!!!    

Once you feel that you are getting the hang of cutting, you can speed things up a bit by stacking up 3-4 squares at a time.  Be sure that your blade is sharp so that it will go through all the layers, and again, practice on single squares before you jump into this.  But once you feel confident, this will save a lot of time.

STEP 3 - PINNING

So now your pieces are all cut,  let's learn how to sew them together!!! I like to use 3 pins when sewing curves and will share this method.  Some people use 1 and some people use a ton :)  If you find you want more than 3 pins, fabulous, if you find you like 1, wonderful!!  Do what works best for you :)

Okay, to start, we need to find the center of our pieces, so to do this, fold your Pie and Crust in half and finger press the crease.  It doesn't matter if you are using a Print Pie or Background Pie, just so long as the Crust is the opposite. 

Now, with right sides together, place the Crust onto the Pie aligning the two creases.  Pin the two pieces together along the crease.

Now, grab the end of your Crust and align the two sides with the two sides of your Pie.  These should align perfectly, just like if you were sewing a square together.  Pin in place.    And I like to pin pretty close to the edge so that that alignment won't shift on me.

Then repeat for the other end, again making sure that the two sides are aligned perfectly, just like a square and pin it in place.   And your block is pinned and ready to sew. 

STEP 4 - SEWING A MODIFIED DRUNKARD PATH UNIT

And now you are ready to sew.   Now before we start sewing take a deep breath :)  The more relaxed you are, the easier curves are to sew.  If you get frustrated and tense, it just gets harder, so remember, this is all about having fun :)

The biggest key I have found when sewing curves is to only worry about what is directly in front of your presser foot.  The rest of the block won't line up until it gets there so don't stress about it.   Just keep focused on what is about to go under the foot.

Using a 1/4" foot on your machine, Align your pinned edge with the foot and begin a few stitches.  I like to backstitch 2 stitches once I have started.  This isn't necessary, but I just like to where I pull on this piece when sewing a little more than traditional square blocks.

Now just try to imagine that is just like sewing straight lines only a little more aligning as you go.   I like to use the finger on my right hand to keep the two edges of my fabric aligned and the fingers on my left hand to smooth or pull out any bubbles that are in the way.   Just smooth those outward, you only have to have a 1/4" of flat sewing space.  And again, just worry about smoothing out your sewing patch right before it goes under the presser foot.

Just keep aligning with the right hand and smoothing with the left hand.   The fabrics will ease into position right where they should be as long as you be sure to keep the edges aligned.   Every once and a while, you might find that you need to lift your presser foot to smooth out a stubborn crease and that is all good, just be sure your needle is in the down position.

When you get close to the edge, I find it helpful to slightly pull down on the bottom right corner, this just helps to pull out any last creases, especially when you are dealing with 1/2" width on the Crust piece.

And just like starting, I like to backstitch a few stitches on the end.  Again, it isn't necessary, I just like the idea of holding that seam in place ;)
Now, I just went through that super fast, and I know, it can be hard to tell from the pictures, but just remember, slow and steady and try to relax.   Practice, practice practice and trust me, within a few blocks you are going to be flying through these ;)  Really, it takes longer to pin them then to sew them.

STEP 5 - PRESSING

Now you are ready to press your blocks.  You will always be pressing towards the Pie piece. And I know, it seems like it would be easier to press towards the Crust and that it might be the darker fabric, but we press towards the pie so that when we sew these Drunkard Path units together we don't have 4 layers of bulk right where we only have 1/4" of fabric to sew in :)

You can either press from the front, or the back, whichever you prefer.

To Press from the Back . . .
Begin by grabbing the corner of pie with one hand and gently pulling it outward and at the same time pressing the center of the crust seam inward.  Pulling gently will just ensure that we don't have any little bubbles in our seam.

Then, adjust your pulling finger to pull upward and turn your iron point towards the side.  Really be sure and use the point of your iron to press into that seam and keep it nice and flat.  Again, pulling gently will help pull out those bubbles.

And now again, change the direction of your pulling to pull outward and rotate the point of your iron into the remaining corner, being sure to use that point to help get right into the edge of that seam.   It really gets fast when you get the hang of it and you won't have to lift your iron or let go with your other hand, it is just shifting the way are pulling as you go.

Finally, I like to flip my block over and give it a nice press from the front, just as a double check that I didn't get any little bubbles in my seam allowance ;)

To Press from the Front . . . 

I like to start by first finger pressing the seam towards the pie piece.  I don't use a roller or anything, just press it enough so that it isn't trying to flip to the crust piece.

Then I simply take my iron and using the point of the iron at the seam, press the seam flat.  I find it easiest to start at the top and move to the bottom when doing this and sometimes I will run my finger right in front of the iron point to ensure I don't have any bubbles in my seam.

Then, I like to flip my block over and give it a nice press from the back, just as a double check that I didn't get any little bubbles or creases in my seam allowance ;)

And that is all you need to make a Modified Drunkards Path Unit!!!   But one last little. . . 

Helpful Hint - SPEEDING IT UP :)

So if you want to speed things up, you will want to Chain Piece lots of units at a time.  Just sit down and pin a whole bunch of units first.   This is a great time to put in a movie or listen to a great book, or have a chat with a friend on the phone.   Pin up as many as you like!!

Then you can chain stitch your blocks.  To do this, just keep feeding them through your machine one after another.   Once your blocks are all sewn. go ahead and clip the threads between blocks and remove the pins.  And yes, you will note that I don't take my pins out, but rather sew over them.  I don't like my ends shifting, so I just be sure to slow down when I get to a pin (and I only had one needle strike through my whole pile and the needle didn't even break)   With that said, I know I should never recommend sewing over pins so do what you are comfortable with ;)

Then just turn that movie, or book back on while you sit and press your pile.   And just like that . . .


And just like that DONE!!!

You have conquered curves with the Modified Drunkards Path Unit!!!!   I don't square my block up as I don't want to loose my seam allowance and I use the seam rather than the edges to align my pieces when sewing them together.  But if you want to trim your units, they should be trimmed to the size of the Smallest Square from your original cutting (4" in this sample).    When the unit is sewed into your block it will finish at 1/2" smaller than the Unfinished/Trimmed size. (3 1/2" in this sample)

And that is how it is done!!!  An easy 3 Pin method of making Modified Drunkards Path Units from Start to Finish.  I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and find just how easy it is to do Curved Piecing!!!

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to leave them in the comments  :)

Happy Curved Quilting!!!!