Popping in today to show you some detail on how to use your Classic Curves Ruler to cut and sew full circle blocks. Many of you have enjoyed the YouTube video on Color Girl YouTube where my friend Cassandra shares her expertise on this (sometimes tricky!) technique. Some have had questions about adding the tape on the ruler to mark the cutting lines. Here’s a bit of explanation and close up pic to help you understand.
As you know, the Classic Curves Ruler gives you such accurate and easy cutting of curved shapes because of the concave/convex lines. These lines are positioned so that when you line your fabric up for cutting, you get pieces that include seam allowance…so your shapes sew together like a breeze!
With typical blocks like a drunkard’s path (quarter circle), you need seam allowance on all four sides so that when you sew those blocks together you get a perfect circle. In the video, Cassandra showed how she hacked her ruler to eliminate seam allowance for cutting a whole circle (since you want to start with a perfect circle from the beginning) by adding 1/4″ tape. You’ll still have seam allowance for the outer perimeter curve of the circle so you can sew it into your background fabric, but you won’t have that extra fabric on the interior of your circle (since there are will be no seams!).
So, Cassandra used 1/4″ marking tape and placed it along the normal cutting lines. I just cut some blue painters’ tape into 1/4″ strips and used that to mark my ruler.
So, now the inside edge of the tape gives you new concave/convex lines that are 1/4″ inside the ones marked on the ruler. Fold your fabric into quarters to cut the circle (convex) and the hole in the background fabric (concave). Use the tape edges to line your fabric up for cutting just like you would for a normal block.
Be sure and watch the entire video tutorial, you will be impressed with Cassandra’s blocks and likely inspired to try this technique yourself!
Here are few links you might like:
<<Basic cutting with the Classic Curves Ruler and curved piecing: how to make a drunkard’s path block
<<How to cut and sew an orange peel block: sew a modern baby quilt with Color Girl
<<Piece a full set-in circle block with the Classic Curves Ruler
Happy Sewing!
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