Piecelique: Curved Quilting Technique

1. Make a mirror-image copy of the pattern, transfer it to freezer paper and cut out for template.

2. Cut a piece of fabric at least one inch larger than the template. Press template to the wrong side of the fabric. Trim the shape to at least 1/4 inch to the outside of the template.

3. Clip the seam allowance only on the inside curves. I like to clip at least 1/4 inch apart, leaving a few threads unclipped to the outside of the template. You will only want to clip two of the outside areas. They need to be opposite from each other.

4. Gather spray starch, stencil brush, tweezers, hot iron and pressing mat.

5. Spray some starch into the lid of the starch spray can. Saturate the stencil brush in the starch and "paint" the areas you want to press back with starch. Start with the middle circle. Go from right to left if you're right-handed and from left to right if you're left-handed. Using tweezers, hold the small pieces of the clipped edge against the template, folding them over and pressing with a hot iron until dry.

6. Pull the template off the prepared piece. Pat the block back in shape with a hot iron.

7. Put a small bead of water-soluble basting glue on the very edge of the center circle. The glue has to cover the very edge. Before the glue dries, carefully place a piece of fabric (measuring at least two fingers wider than the hole) over the center hole.

8. From the back side of the block, heat-set the glue by patting with the hot iron. If you've done this correctly, there will be a shadow of glue showing through to the back center.

9. Set up with sewing machine with 1.75 stitch length, single needle plate, size 70 or 75 needle, 100-percent cotton thread and a 1/4-inch presser foot.

10. The fold line that you pressed into the piece serves as stitch line marking. The additional fabric left on the center piece will serve as something to hold onto while you sew—which is especially helpful when sewing small pieces. Use tweezers to hold small seams flat while you sew. Do a small back or lock stitch to keep seams from coming out.

11. After stitching the seams, trim the seam allowance of the second fabric to 1/4 inch. If you want the seams to go in the other direction, reactivate the starch by re-brushing the area with water and pressing in the opposite direction.

12. Fashion a layout guide to make block sets for quilt assembly. To do this, use a permanent pen on freezer paper to trace the outside shape of the template (cut in step 1) in a four-patch configuration.

Position on pressing surface and secure by pressing to the board and pinning each corner. Glue baste blocks into sets then sew them.

Sharon Shamber's Piecelique Tips

• Due to experience in designing couture fashion, Sharon uses a different pressing surface than many quilters. She recommends using a hard board, cotton batting and a canvas cover. The canvas and firm surface serve to hold the fabric so it doesn't distort during pressing.

• Freezer Paper can shrink in the width. Preshrink it by laying it on the board, spraying it with starch and pressing.

• Work with mirror images of applique patterns. Do this by scanning into the computer and reversing it or by taking it to the copy shop for reversal.