Circles

I need to get my circles looking like circles, not pretending to be circles. Found an article in the McCalls Quilting Magazine April 2008 about using a “sleeve” to gather the circles.

I cut a 3.5 cm circle template out of wet/dry sandpaper. (180grit)

Then cut a larger circle of fabric, about 5.5 cm, using the sandpaper circle as a guide.

Using calico, I then cut another larger circle, 7.5 cm, this is for the sleeve.

Using crochet cotton and a long running stitch around a large calico circle, a gathering sleeve is made. I left the threads for pulling.

The smaller fabric circle was placed inside the sleeve. The sandpaper circle (grit side down) on top of the fabric circle placed on top. Spray with water.

Gather sleeve around all the sandpaper circle, holding it in place with your finger. Pull up tight.
Press with dry iron. Turn it over, press again. Allow to cool and open sleeve and remove the template and fabric circle.
Press gathering sleeve open, ready to use again.

It took me a few goes, to get the gathering tight, the book said to use spray starch, but I didn’t have any in the cupboard, so that is why I just sprayed with water. I guess it would give a crisper edge.

The process quickly made 10 circles, from which I selected my favourites and made a “building” and hand sewed them to the background fabric.

These were then machine embroidered, connected all the circles.
Couldn’t resist machine embroidering a larger circle in the center. Everything was then quilted together with metallic thread.
Easy technique and I will use this again on larger circles.