Circle rulers RULE!

As promised I am back to talk about the new Handi Quilter Circle shaped quilting rulers.  Getting these was an AWESOME surprise since they are just now coming to market.. perhaps in Houston?

Like many I have the Handi-sized half circles and find tons of uses for them, but these new full circles.. these are really sweet!

In even numbers sizes from 2-12 inches these circles will make quick work of many of those projects that just beg for circles to set the quilt in motion! I had a wonderful time using them today on this funky windmill table runner that was still languishing in my un-quilted pile!

Of course the first step was to figure out which size circle to use and this chore was make easier by using a preview method that I will talk about in the coming days. Four inch circles  were a bit too small, leading to the quilting being too busy, but the six inch size was just right.

The best hint I can ever give you when doing ruler work is to find a preferred method of giving your rulers a bit of traction. Some people like little sticky dots and some like those little sandpaper discs. I like a quick shot of 505 sprayto the back of the ruler. With one quick spray I was able to do this whole table runner. Some people worry about residue with this method but I have never had a problem and will stick by that until I do. ( Honestly I would think the only time it might be a problem is with a very light or white quilt but even then I would be tempted to give it a try ~ but I am daring that way!)

As for working with the rulers like anything else it takes time to get a feel for what is right and what is wrong when you first give them a spin. For myself I continue to refine the way I work with rulers and have found that when working with interlocking circles I have to do a bit of over stitching so that using a thin thread is of great help.  In this sample I am using a 50 weight thread.  I have highlighted the thread path with red stitch marks and am showing you that I use my water soluble pen to mark the area where I need to backtrack to so that I will get an accurate circle intersection.

Holding tight to the ruler can be difficult at times and there is more than one bobble in this table runner. I can personally deal with that so will not go back and rip out those stitches but do find that if I talk myself around the circle I tend to be more accurate in holding tight and smooth to the curves of the shape.

I personally "address" my circles going in a counterclockwise fashion.. I have NO idea why.. it's just works for me. As I am going around I think of myself pushing or pulling towards the circle.  ..

If you saw inside my widdle brain as I did each circle.. you  would see... push push push... pull pull pull.... .. around and around, but then I am easily distrac... is that a puppy???

Ok.. back with you..

And here we go... not perfect by a long shot but I have full confidence that after washing none of the slight bobbles will show.  I selected a photo that showed the worst section of the runner and soon as I get it bound and washed I will post another photo so you can see how it compares.

All in all I am enjoying the Handi Gadget Circles more than I would have dreamed and would not hesitate to recommend them to any longarmer out there!