Searching for a sweing tool

Special food? Sure: CHOCOLATE! :D As to the tools, Pfaff makes a guide for stitching in circles. It slips into the shaft of the foot thingie .... sort of like the guide for straight lines. It has a small rubber tip that the operator presses gently so the fabric goes around that in circles. The diameter of the circle does not exceed about 5 or 6" though. Is that any help? PAT in VA/USA

Are you looking for something like this? It's called a circular sewing attachment.

Julia in MN

I went to the same link as Julia - further down the page is a DIY system using a pintack and tape to set up your own 'tool' for circle sewing. Some of the sewing machine manufacturers sell their own circular systems - check with your dealer for any information about your brand of machine. I have seen quite large circles sewn using the inside rim of an embroidery hoop as a guide while having the pintack hold the fabric in place. I usually make do with marking out a circle on the fabric (tracing an outline or using a pair of compasses) sew the line using a small stitch length - trim close to the stitchline with pinking shears - make a small slit on one side to turn the fabric. There are lots of circle templates available now too if you wanted to try this method. Spray starch would be an aid to circle sewing as well as 'not having matching grain lines' for sewing. jennellh

I don't see that the poster said what size circle she wanted to stitch. If she's meaning a tiny one such as an eyelet for threading or an eyelet as in embroidery, there is a Bernina attachment for those little circles. If fact, my Berninas can do those little circles as a special stitch. I use it sometimes to tack a Minkee blanket. Polly

Several different machine companies make "circle sewing" attachments for their machines. However, a cheap, easy way to do the same thing is this; find a thumbtack with a fairly fine "pin" part. Take a piece of tape and put the tack through the middle of the tape, sticky side against the back of the head of the tack with quite a bit hanging over the edges. Figure out the radius of the circle you want and tape the tack straight out from the needle that distance. Put your fabric with the center of the circle on the tack, and sew, slowly. The tack must be directly in line with the needle of the machine or your circle will be wonky.

I have used this technique on occasion, for some decorative stitching (forward motion only) and such, but for applique I just follow the edge of the circle I am appliquéing.

You might want to try it and see how it works for you.

Pati, > Yesterday I got a quick glimpse of the Fons & Porter show. I wasn't able to

You can make your own version of this, quite easily and inexpensively.

Tools needed: 1 thumbtack 1 small piece of tape.

Measure your circle from the edge to the center (easiest to do if you fold the circle in half twice, to mark the center). Place the thumbtack, point up, on your sewing machine bed so the point is that distance way from the left swing of the needle. Poke a small hole in the center of the tape (using the thumbtack works!) and tape the thumbtack in place. Put the center of your circle on the thumbtack, set your machine to a satin-stitch zigzag, and sew.

Easy-peasy, and cheap! If you like the technique, you can buy an attachment if you want, but you don't need an attachment to do it.

Dragonfly (Pam)

That looks exactly like the the vintage "Kenmore Flower Stitch Foot for zig-zag Machines" that came with one of my Kennies. I have tried it and it is fun to use. I often see them for sale on eBay.

-Irene

Nah, I've been using mostly old straight-stitch machines lately, and one vintage zig-zag Elna, and haven't felt the need to sew circles of cloth to anything! But I think I tried it once about 10 years ago on my Bernina, and it worked just fine. Back then, I didn't need to sew circles of cloth to anything, either!

But I suppose with a long straight stitch it could be used to sew lots of gathering stitches to make yo-yos. Then just cut them out a little beyond the stitching, and gather it up! I hadn't thought of that application of it. (Although one of the quilting or sewing mags had an article recently on an "easy" way to make yo-yos using an embroidery machine that was a lot harder and more time-consuming than the old-fashioned way, and similar to but harder than this possible application of the thumbtack method. I just shook my head at that article....!)

Dragonfly (Pam)

I don't know the name either, but I saw someone do circles by poking a flat head thumbtack up through masking tape(poke from the sticky side to the dry side.) Then tape the thumbtack as far to the left of the sewing machine needle as the radius of the circle you want to sew. Mark on your fabric where you want the center of the circle to be, reinforce the center spot with a little stabilizer, and place the fabric so the point of the thumbtack pokes up through the center of the circle. As you sew the fabric pivots on the thumbtack and your stitching line makes a perfect circle. You can sew with any stitch but the decorative ones might not match up where they join.

Hope this helps Jane in NE Ohio

I just wanted to thank everyone for their ideas on this. I bought tacks yesterday (all I had were push pins) and I'll be giving this a try this weekend. I can't wait :) (btw, Jane, I'm also on NE Ohio, looks like we are going to have lovely weather today.)

Using thumbtacks and tape is certainly a cheaper way to see if you would like this technique or not! :-)

Dragonfly