Improvised Patchwork Curtain, Part One

Hi, I’m Martha. I am a BERNINA Ambassador with an incredible new overlock/coverstitch combination machine in my sewing studio: the L 890. My sewing is garment-focused, but I enjoy making quilts and I love creating quilted jackets. Since adding the L 890 to my workspace, I have taken advantage of this machine’s beautiful stitches, precision, and speed. I am always thinking of new ways to incorporate it into my workflow. 

This is Part One of my Two-Part series on how to make a patchwork shower curtain. My end use is a shower curtain, but you could apply this technique to window treatments, a bedspread or quilt top – anything requiring a large piece of fabric. Honestly, the possibilities are endless!

Materials Needed to Create a Improvised Patchwork Curtain

• Fabric Scraps – How many scraps ? We all know that is an impossible question to answer. You will need a healthy amount. The finished size of this curtain is 72” x 72” – you will need enough fabric to create that, including all seam allowances.
• Solid color fabric for borders (optional) – I used 1.25 yards of 58” solid white linen.
• 3 cones of serger thread in a color that blends with your scraps, I used light pink.
• Pins or clips  (optional)
• Rotary cutter and mat, and/or scissors
• Fusible interfacing – you won’t need this until Part 2, so don’t worry if you don’t have any in your stash. I used ½ yard of 20” wide interfacing.

Inspiration

For this project, I had two inspirations: the traditional Korean patchwork technique Bojagi; and improvisational quilting. Bojagi is an incredibly rich and beautiful practice. Curtains and dividers are expertly crafted with enclosed seams. As my project will only have one side exposed, I thought, why not take visual inspiration from Bojagi, but use the serger as my tool, instead of the sewing machine? 

Earlier this year, I was introduced to the concept of improvisational quilting – making patchwork without a plan or formal pattern. This sparked my creativity. Think of it like a collage. Mixing and matching colors, shapes, and using larger blocks to make a new composition is really fun. Since the serger adds speed to the equation, it meant I could work quickly, which encourages spontaneously. 

Lets Get Started

For the patchwork component of this project, I am using the 3 thread narrow overlock on the BERNINA L 890. After a few test swatches, I determined that the stitches were good to go for this project with the auto settings. I love this stitch setting because I like the narrow look, and very little fabric is wasted when trimmed by the L 890’s blade. 

Begin with random pairings of your scraps. You may wish to make deliberate choices for which fabrics are next to each other, but I delighted in leaving this to chance. I grabbed scraps of similar size, and paired them together, then sat down at my machine for chain piecing. 

I am “chaining” or piecing lots of fabrics in a row, just as you would if making patchwork on a sewing machine. This keeps things moving quickly!

Once pieced, I press my seam allowances. I prefer to press them towards the darker fabric, but as you build out your patchwork, you will find there is usually a direction to press them that makes the most sense for the larger composition. 

Keep Going

Start serging together some pieces that have 2-3 colors each. I like rotating my work 90º, so the colors meet at different angles. If you want, you can incorporate triangles. Because the L 890 is such a fast-moving machine, you will find you are piecing at a really fun, fast pace. 

Improvise

Now for the best part! Make decisions quickly and see what happens when you take a chance. Cut apart a larger piece and repurpose the off cuts. Through this playful approach, you will create larger blocks that you couldn’t have dreamed of when you started!

Shapes

I do have a few diamonds and triangles in my patchwork, but I decided to mostly stick to rectangles. I was inspired to try quarter circle shaped by The Big Book of Serger Quilting, which is packed with ideas for serger quilting. So, I used my rotary cutter to cut some quarter circles and pieced them together. The L 890 guided my fabric with ease, and the seams are nice and smooth. 

When cutting a quarter circle, the insert (circular-shaped piece) needs to be slightly larger than the other piece of fabric. As the seam allowance is narrow, they can be close in size. I eyeballed a lot of my cutting and then trimmed my blocks down to make sure they were square in the end. If you wish to measure more carefully, you can trace a circular template or round object in your home (bowls work great for finding different sizes).

Bigger Pieces

To maintain a bit of organization and composition, I worked on four large rectangles. Eventually, I pieced them together and added more. As I don’t have a design wall, I worked on the floor and rotated the pieces until I found the most pleasing composition. When it comes time to piece large sections together, you may wish to pin your long seam lines. Take care to remove all pins before the work reaches your cutting blade! 

Larger pieces can be heavy. I had the best results when using your extension table attachment and kept the weight of the project on my sewing table. Be sure you support the weight of the fabric, so it doesn’t pull to the left of the needle. This will ensure consistent, beautiful stitches and an even seam. 

Borders

The finished size of my curtain will be 72” x 72”. My panel is 72” wide, but not quite tall enough yet. I corralled my remaining scraps – if you are like me, your cutting table will be chaotic by this point – and saw that I could create strips of white scraps. I added these to the top and bottom of my patchwork. Then I made strips of colorful patchwork, and added these to the top and bottom. After these additions, my fabric panel is 72” wide and 70” tall. 

We will need more fabric for the top edge of the curtain. This will be addressed in Part 2 of this series. For that, I will use more solid white fabric, but you may wish to use more scraps or patchwork. I will use about ¼ yard of solid white fabric. Stay tuned for Part 2 for all the details! 

I’ve covered a lot of ground today, so meet me back here next week to finish up this project. We will finish the edges of all 4 sides of the panel, using a few different techniques to do so, and I’ll show you some options for how to hang it. 

In the meantime, catch up with me on Instagram @BuriedDiamond or my blog. Are you inspired to dig through your scrap bins and begin a spontaneous collage? Thinking of new color combos and ways to combine them? Let me know in the comments, and Happy Sewing!

Martha