Circles are My Game (Quilting)

Inklingo Circles Everywhere

Monkey and I love circles. We see them everywhere.

I have written about circles before (Circles and Bigger Circles) but I saw a new-to-me technique on The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson recently and got very excited.

You Don’t Have to Baste Every Circle!

Instead of running a basting stitch around every circle, Sarah Fielke uses aluminum foil to gather fabric onto cardboard circles and presses to prepare for appliqué.

Bad news: I tried it and was disappointed.
Good news: There is a better way to avoid basting every circle.

You can see the aluminum foil method in Sarah’s episode 3201. Her whole episode is interesting (love her books) but the part about circles starts at about 23:27 and only takes about 3 minutes.

If you aren’t a member of The Quilt Show (why not?), there is also a 1-minute demo video of aluminum foil circles on YouTube, which was posted several years ago.

Before you get excited (like I did) and try it, you might want to see how I have adapted this to suit the way I work and still avoid basting every circle AND avoid burning yourself.

Disappointment!

Unfortunately using aluminum foil was not the answer for me. I got little points in the fabric (so my circles were not perfectly round) and I burned myself on the hot aluminum foil trying to get rid of the points. The aluminum foil is back in the kitchen drawer, where Russ can put it to good use. (I wonder what’s for dinner?)

We thought aluminum foil sounded good because Monkey and I don’t want to have to sew a basting stitch around every circle to gather up the seam allowances.

Modified Aluminum Foil Technique
(without the Aluminum Foil)

Thanks to watching TQS, now I only need to baste ONE circle in each size, not every circle.

This is epic!

basted circle

The technique is the same as the one with aluminum foil except that there is no aluminum foil. (Insert big smile.)

Every step is the same as the foil method—the layers, pressing, removing the foil/basted circle, re-using the foil/basted circle.

However, instead of foil, I use a fabric circle like this one over and over again with Perfect Circles® by Karen Kay Buckley. (Details for those below. Keep going.)

    • Use strong thread and make sure there is no gap between the start and end of your basting stitch. (Overlapping a small amount will keep that edge smooth.)
    • You can lightly spritz the basted circle with water, if you like. (Optional)
    • Attach a fish to the to the ends of the basting thread to make it easier to pick up and pull the thread to gather it. (Non-fish buttons work too.)

Perfect Circles by Karen Kay Buckley

    • Do not use a super-hot iron on Perfect Circles.

fabric glue for basting circles

    • You can dab tiny amounts of quilter’s glue on the seam allowance. Just having a good crease is usually enough, whether you use needle-turn or back-basting appliqué, so this is optional. (I avoid glue when possible.)

Circle of Love

    • If you love someone, put their name in a circle; because hearts can be broken, but circles never end.
    • Romantic music is not optional (next).

Click to listen to Fleetwood Mac’s “Everywhere” while you read my lyrics and sway to one of the best rock songs of the 1980s—written by the amazing Christine McVie—okay?

As usual, I hope my lyrics make you laugh.

It starts like this —

Calling out your name = Circles are my game

Can you hear me calling out your name? = Can you hear me printing circles today?
You know that I’m falling  You know that I’m quilting
And I don’t know what to say And it’s the Inklingo way

I’ll speak a little louder  I’ll print a custom size
I’ll even shout  I’ll even test
You know that I’m proud  You want perfectly round
And I can’t get the words out  And you can print them out

Oh, I – I want to be with you everywhere  Oh I – I want more circles everywhere
Oh, I – I want to be with you everywhere  Oh I – I want more circles everywhere
(Wanna be with you everywhere)  (Want more circles everywhere)

Something’s happening  Circles are happening
Happening to me  Happening for me
My friends say I’m acting peculiarly  My friends say I circle spectacularly

Come along, baby  Come along, baby
We better make a start You should add-to-cart
You better make it soon You better make it soon
Before you break my heart Before you break my heart

Oh, I – I want to be with you everywhere  Oh I – I want more circles everywhere
Oh, I – I want to be with you everywhere  Oh I – I want more circles everywhere
(Wanna be with you everywhere)  (Want more circles everywhere)

(Rock your needle and admire the rhythm created by Christine, then resume.)

Can you hear me calling out your name?  Can you hear me printing circles today?
You know that I’m falling  You know that I’m quilting
And I don’t know what to say And it’s the Inklingo way

Come along, baby  Come along, baby
We better make a start You should add-to-cart
You better make it soon  You better make it soon
Before you break my heart  Before you break my heart

Oh, I – I want to be with you everywhere  Oh I – I want more circles everywhere
Oh, I – I want to be with you everywhere  Oh I – I want more circles everywhere
(Wanna be with you everywhere)  (Want more circles everywhere)

Repeat

Finger Pincushions

As you know, I wear a finger pincushion whether I am sewing by hand or by machine.

You will still need to baste every circle for finger pincushions,. Aluminum foil or a separate basted fabric circle won’t work because you need to gather the circle into a ball, as shown in this short, fun video.

ring blanks for finger pincushions

At the time I made the pincushion video, I was still hot-gluing the fabric ball to buttons and elastic. The elastic did not last very long, so now I buy “ring blanks” from a beading shop. They are amazingly cheap and lots of fun. (No affiliation.)

Karen Kay Buckley’s Perfect Circles®

You know I prefer Perfect Circles® by Karen Kay Buckley instead of cardboard circles.

Perfect Circles® by Karen Kay Buckley are well loved by quilters who appliqué, and it’s no wonder. They really are perfect compared to homemade circle templates, and they are economical and reusable. You can use Inklingo Circles without them, but Monkey says Why Would You?

Karen helped me prepare the shape collections for Inklingo Circles, but I am just one of her many happy customers. (I do not benefit from her sales. I just think she has a great product.)

The smallest circle is a little less than 0.5 inches across and the largest is 2.0 inches. The 15 Inklingo sizes were chosen to match up with the thin, heat resistant Perfect Circles®. There are also Bigger Perfect Circles.

Perfect Circles® are available in quilt shops and on Karen’s web site.

instead of aluminum foil circles

Lots of Inklingo Circle Sizes

Check the Index of Shapes > Shapes with Curves > Circles to see if you already have circles in other Inklingo shape collections too. There are circles in more than a dozen different shape collections!

I wonder what you will do with the Inklingo Circles shape collections!

Appliqué? Pincushions? Other crafts?

Any comments? Love the song?

10 thoughts on “Circles are My Game (Quilting)”

  1. Thank you Linda! This is so clever of you, improving the foil method! I am thinking one basted circle will probably work for pressing several sizes of smaller circles, too!

    Reply
  2. Hi, Linda…Thanks for the tip on ring blanks for finger pin cushions. One can only take so many tucks in the elastic of the old button version before there is no stretch left! I found the blanks on Amazon, 20 for $8+change and free shipping. Given that I only have 10 fingers, and would rarely use them on my toes ;-), I will make them up to share with my sister stitchers at the next River Valley Stitchers meeting here in Osceola, WI.

    Reply
    • Hi Sue, I’m glad that worked for you too. I looked for them for a long time but I was using the wrong search term. Once I found out they were called “ring blanks” I was all set. I’m not going back to elastic either! It’s nice to know you will be sharing them too. Suddenly my toes seem naked.

      Reply
  3. I’m lost… I don’t see any directions for basting one circle and using it to make other circles ready for appliqué. I checked Karen’s website for her Perfect Circles. I don’t see it there. I watched your ring pin cushion video. It’s not there. What am I missing?

    Reply
    • Hi Rob, I’m sorry that was not clear. It is exactly the same as the aluminum foil method but instead of aluminum foil, use a fabric circle that has been basted and pull up the threads to gather. Please Watch the one-minute video showing how to use aluminum foil next.
      Every step is the same (the layers, pressing, removing the foil/basted circle, re-using the foil/basted circle) as the foil method. If you have used foil, I think you will find it simple but let me know if you have questions.

      Reply
    • Thank you, Sandra. I had fun with the lyrics. I love the song and circles seemed to be just right for it. I hope you will find these tips helpful next time you need circles. Rock on. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Love the words to the song.LOL I’ve been using Karen Kay’s techniques for years. Love her style and glad to know you have circles…

    Reply

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