A pressing problem

Cut a cardboard quadrant with the same radius as your circle. Poke the quadrant through the hole you turned through and push it to the edges. You can gradually turn it round until you gone the whole way round. I suggest a quadrant as it will be easier to get in and around than a semi- or full circle. I suggest cardboard as it won't hurt pressing that! . In message , Sartorresartus writes

Good morning, Nel. Maybe I understand the question. I'm still tickled what with Janner's ducks going cheap instead of quack but here goes. Are you saying that you have lined/faced a circle, then slashed the lining and turned it and the rim of the circle is lumps and bumps? If so, I suspect that you didn't clip enough or you didn't clip fearlessly. When I made lots of black circles for a train's wheels or it may have been the crib quilt with trucks, I discovered that you can get away with not clipping at all. Anyhow, you have to do one or the other. Clip at least every ¼" ( or more) right up to your stitching line. Turn and firmly smooth the inside edge with something like the Purple Thang or a collar point turner. Then gently mash with the iron; no swooping back and forth allowed. HTH Polly

"Sartorresartus" <

Nel, you need to be careful with the clipping part. In general when using quarter inch seams the curve has to be really tight and being pressed away from the center of the circle for me to clip at all. Do not clip too close to the seam line. Every time you clip to the seam line you almost create a corner, instead of a curve. Leave at least an eighth of an inch not clipped. It is remarkable how much smoother the curves will be. If you are lining a curve, which means pressing the seam allowance toward the center, try trimming the seam allowance just slightly with pinking shears. This "notches" the seam allowance and prevents some of the bumpiness of pleats that can be made when pressing a larger edge (the outside of the circle) to a smaller part of the circle (a half inch from the edge). Although, again, with quarter inch seams it mostly isn't necessary, in my opinion.

Have fun, Pati, > OK. =A0Pressing 101, probably, but something that has jinxed me

Use squares. Problem solved.

Sunny

I was making some lids for christmas pudding basins yesterday. Decided I was sick of playing the gereaseproof and string game.

So.

I cut out two circles; sewed an eyelet one inch from the edge, then sewed them together. I then pinked right up to scary-near-the-seam. I turned them through and needed to press 'em flat. That was the problem. I managed to get them something like, then edgestitched for strength. Two rounds of stitches one inch from the edge; string put through with a sack needle (I love those) and voila.

They work; they look pretty. But they are not perfect circles. That bugged me.

I like the quadrant idea. ATM I try to press down one seam allowance (after notching) to make a crease before I turn, or sort-of roll the seam and press it flat, then roll it back to make the knifeedge. But none of these things seems to produce the perfect circle I want.

If manufacturers can do it, why can't I? There must be a trick to it.

Nel (Gadget Queen)