If at first you don't succeed...

It certainly has been a case of try and try again today with this sample that I have been dreading, incorporating...curved seams!  This sample is known as 'Drunkard's Path' and the curved seams certainly proved themselves to be somewhat problematic.  I have found that the one major flaw with distance learning is there is no-one to guide you and point you in the right direction and you have to quite literally learn from your mistakes.  

The instructions for this sample were fine but there was no information on how to create the templates.  As it turns out, one of my templates was the wrong size, because I didn't allow a seam allowance on the curved edge (I did on the straight edges.)  So when I painstakingly pinned and machined, the final result was a complete disaster.  And so I kept trying, over and over, and also by hand, to no avail.  I was getting desperate.  So I went back to the drawing board, and that's when I realised what the problem was.  

So with the new template drawn up and two pieces of fabric the right size, I found pinning SO much easier!  And because I couldn't face it going wrong again  using the sewing machine, I opted for hand stitching, and finally it worked out! So then I was able to complete the sample, in less than half an hour, (including putting Freya to bed) after the best part of a day tearing my hair out. 

You would never know of all the fuss from the picture below,  as it looks very plain and uninspiring, but apperances can certainly be deceiving...

Drunkard's Path

And in case you are wondering when you are going to see a whole quilt, (given that this is a quilting course) I think the answer is not for a while.  Being a City and Guilds course, there has to be evidence of lots of different skills, patterns, designs etc. first, before you start making whole projects.  But I had planned on making a 'quick' quilt out of my 4 lovely nautical fabrics, so as soon as I have done so I will post a picture.  

As for the Union Jack bunting, I am still waiting for the fabric to arrive, hopefully it will be here soon.