Making Circles--Play Time

I broke this technique off by itself because I really wanted to show you how easy this technique is.  You can find lots of uses for it and it uses such "high tech" equipment!

You are going to need that masking tape and thumb tack now.  Please practice this on a scrap piece of fabric until you see how it goes.  Make things easy for yourself by putting tearaway stabilizer under your fabric.  OK, I have been known to use a paper towel when I run out of tearaway stabilizer.  Sewing at midnight is the mother of invention.  A paper towel works just fine.

Start by placing the thumb tack under the sticky side of a piece of masking tape.  You are going to place the tack to the left of your sewing machine needle.  If you want a certain size circle, you need to know the diameter measurement.  I am going to demonstrate a 6 inch circle.  To make a 6 inch diameter circle, I need to divide the diameter measurement in half.  That gives me 3 inches.  This is how far away from my needle I want the pointy tip of my thumb tack.

Using a ruler I measure 3 inches from my needle and place my thumb tack.  Notice that the tack is in a straight line to the left of my needle.

I marked a blue dot in the middle of my fabric.  With the stabilizer under my fabric, I place the dot on top of the thumb tack.

Next I place the eraser that I pulled off a pencil on the point of the thumb tack.  This saves my arms and fingers!

Notice that my machine still has my quarter inch piecing foot on it.  I am using a straight stitch--feed dogs up--regular sewing setting.  After I pulled my threads to the top of my fabric, I started sewing.  You will quickly notice that the stitching is making a circle!

Keep sewing--slowly.

Your fabric will turn on the point of the tack as you sew; giving you a circle of stitching.

Finish your circle.  Voila!  You now know how to be very high tech and sew perfect circles.  How cool was that?