Ruminating on ... Curved Seams...
copyright, The Quilt Complex, 2009
Why are there so many more (antique) pieced quilts made with straight seams than made with curved seams?
Is the answer the obvious one ~ that straight seams are simply much easier to execute?
Are curved seams that much more difficult to piece?
There are a few designs incorporating curved seams that are fairly common.
Two of those popular designs are shown above: The red and white is "Drunkard's Path" (circa 1910), and the one just above is a detail of a circa 1930's "Double Wedding Ring."
Nonetheless, we see FAR fewer curved seam quilts in the 19th and early 20th centuries than we see straight seams.
Below are some more examples of curved seams pieced quilts.
These with more complex designs than the two above; below we see curved seams combined with points, sometimes elongated points.
Detail, "Caesar's Crown," circa 1840
Detail, "Mariner's Compass," circa 1880
Full Shot (above) and Detail (below)
"New York Beauty," circa 1880, Southern United States
Why are there so many more (antique) pieced quilts made with straight seams than made with curved seams?
Is the answer the obvious one ~ that straight seams are simply much easier to execute?
Are curved seams that much more difficult to piece?
There are a few designs incorporating curved seams that are fairly common.
Two of those popular designs are shown above: The red and white is "Drunkard's Path" (circa 1910), and the one just above is a detail of a circa 1930's "Double Wedding Ring."
Nonetheless, we see FAR fewer curved seam quilts in the 19th and early 20th centuries than we see straight seams.
Below are some more examples of curved seams pieced quilts.
These with more complex designs than the two above; below we see curved seams combined with points, sometimes elongated points.
Detail, "Caesar's Crown," circa 1840
Detail, "Mariner's Compass," circa 1880
Full Shot (above) and Detail (below)
"New York Beauty," circa 1880, Southern United States
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