Cutting No Corners
Hello! I feel like I've been absent from the Blogosphere for ages!!
You know how it goes - if you work too hard you end up getting sick. You can tell I'm not well when I can't find the energy to sew a stitch, but when I don't have the strength to even leave comments on my friends blogs you know I'm really sick. It's okay because I'm on the mend now so I hope you'll excuse me blowing my nose every five minutes while I'll get on with my show and tell.
Last weekend I had a play with this little toy- a Ratchet Rotary Compass Cutter.
Just for the sake of playing around I attempted to sew a circle into another piece of fabric by cutting a circle half an inch bigger. I didn't pin it and just used my quarter inch foot. It almost worked except for the pucker on the right hand side. I'm curious to have another go one day with my Curve Master Foot, and maybe a bit of spray starch to steady the fabric a bit, but at the time I was distracted by other ideas and ended up playing in my scrap baskets - to see what this little test block grew into pop over to Basket Full of Scraps.
The main reason I pulled my Ratchet Rotary Compass Cutter ( that sounds so wonderfully important) was to do a bit of fussy cutting. No more trying to line a bowl up against little marks on the fabric, or cutting freezer paper circles but then after ironing finding that they've moved half an inch. I just stuck my compass pin into the center of the design, did a swivel with a flourish and hey presto a perfect circle...
and a perfect center for my dahlia quilt!!
You've got to love Jennifer Paganelli's Sis Boom fabrics for fussy cutting, so many beautiful shapes and patterns that are perfect for featuring. Beautiful!
Cheerio.
16 Comments
Wow Rachael it looks fantastic. Hope you feel better soon.
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful. What pattern is it? I'm in love! Hey congrats on the SMS win :-)
ReplyDeleteGinger tea! That's my solution to cold..
ReplyDelete1tsp. juice of fresh ginger
(grate the ginger and squeeze the juice in the mug)
1tsp honey
in warm cup of water..
This has always helped me.. Ancient Indian home remedy :)
Feel better! The dahlia is looking gorgeous!
I'm glad you are on the mend now. You are very brave to play with sharp objects when you aren't operating at full capacity. I would have ended up with injuries. :) I may have to add this cutter to my toolbox. Being able to see exactly where the center is--a major improvement in fussy cutting. Take care of yourself!
ReplyDeleteLove your Dahlia center.
ReplyDeleteI saw Ruth McDowell piece a circle just like you did with a regular foot. She had lots of practice and no puckers. I'm impressed by both of you.
oh poor you! Glad your on the mend. It doesn't help that one day we're baking, and the next we're drowning.
ReplyDeleteLove your new cutter, the dahlia center is perfect! I'm too timid with circles and curves, unless it's applique, and then rarely. One of these days I'll get brave though!
The center is gorgeous! Love it! :)
ReplyDeleteYou may have already posted somewhere but where is your dahlia quilt pattern from? I love it!
ReplyDeleteI hope you're feeling better by now. I have to say I'm loving your block and the center is gorgeous. I have one of those circle cutters but I can't figure out what the ratchet part is supposed to do, any pointers?
ReplyDeleteWow imagine what you could do when you're not sick ! It is just beautiful !
ReplyDeleteWow thats lovely. What a good way to do a perfect circle.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experience with this product. I have seen it many times, and wondered how it worked. Maybe now I can try circles :)
ReplyDeleteFeel Better!
SheilaC
Yeah! I'm proud of you for getting out the Curve Master foot AND using your new Olfa circle cutter like we discussed earlier (This is Joyful Stitches, aka Dianne). I have now used both tools to complete the front and back of my inset circle quilt and have included pictures and tips on my Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/joyful_stitches/ . A few tips (discussed in more detail on Flickr): Use spray starch or sizing to make the circles and inset holes handle better and stretch less. Be very accurate in your circle cutting. I even place the Olfa circle cutter on a ruler to be sure that the distance is what I want. The markings on the Olfa circle cutter just aren’t as precise. Cut the circle you are insetting 1/2 inch larger than the hole you are putting it into. This makes the actual stitching line on both pieces the exact same size circle. Make four registry points on both pieces by folding each in fourths and marking. I have pictures and more descriptions of my entire journey in my “sets” on Flickr. I can't wait to see a project where you make inset circles! Keep us posted.
ReplyDeleteOH my word! Look at your quilt! So beautiful! Congratulations on winning the Carla pattern on the Sisboom blog! Woo hoo! So exciting!
ReplyDeleteHey, I forgot to ask you. Did you inset the Dahlia center, or applique it. It is lovely!
ReplyDeleteHi rachel, What pattern is your Dahlia quilt from?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for leaving me a comment. Your kind words encourage me to keep sharing my work and stories.