Curved Piecing by hand

Curved piecing can give some people a bit of a scare.  The way I do it works very well for me.  I mark the template shapes onto the back of the fabric, and cut around the shapes 1/4".  I just "eye ball" the 1/4", but you might like tomeasure it accurately.  I then mark the seam in halves, then halves again.  You can finger press the marks or pin mark them.

I then line up all the marks and place the pins in these spots, including the ends of the templates

I put two backstitches and a figure 8 knot at the beginning of the seam, and do running stitches from point to point.  The bigger curve is on the top.  I check front and back to make sure my stitches are on the back line, and adjust where necessary.  A backstitch after 5 or 6 stitches helps keep the seam stable.

At the end of the stitching I do another 2 little back stitches, and a figure 8 knot.  Do not stitch into the seam line.  Start and finish at the end of the template markings.  Press the seam with the small curve onto the top.

The curve is now complete.  The sample is finger pressed, but you can see how well it sits.  You can now iron it with the small curve on top.

Good luck with your pinwheels, fans and Drunkards Paths!