Sunday, October 16, 2011

Circular Logic

Do you ever find yourself saying "I can't make anything round because I don't have a circular pattern"? I know I do. For smallish things, I usually trash the kitchen in search of appropriately sized round things to trace. The biggest thing we own is a 16" pizza pan, so for circles larger than that I have to do the trick with the string and the pen, which I'm not very good at. I wanted to make a tablecloth yesterday, so I finally took the time to make a large scale, printable circle pattern. I put the pattern and instructions together in a little pdf tutorial, which you can download for free!

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The pattern is actually nested quarter circles. Simply fold the fabric into fourths and align the pattern at the indicated edges...couldn't be easier. Markings are provided to make circles from 1" to 58" in diameter. You can also use this pattern for making circles with perfectly centered holes so you can make things like poodle skirts, tree skirts, and giant stuffed donuts.


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I used the full 58" pattern to make an outdoor tablecloth from Jennifer Paganelli's
Sis Boom Queen Street Line.


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Look how beautifully this stuff cuts! No need for hemming...it will never fray.


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I'm in love with this print (OCJP03 Jodi)...so perfect with fall flowers!

Click here to download the free printable circle pattern.

UPDATE: For some reason (probably the gazillion little lines from the circles), the PDF file was HUGE (50+ MB - gasp)! I tried lots of ways to print it smaller, but nothing worked. I ended up printing the patterns on my printer and scanning them back in. It isn't as pretty, but it is only 1.27 MB now. Thanks so much for your patience!



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38 comments:

  1. JamieOctober 16, 2011 at 8:43 AM

    Genius! Thanks for sharing this info :)

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  2. Jessica with Magical*Memories*by*JessicaOctober 16, 2011 at 8:56 AM

    That is so pretty. I think I will do this next summer for our table on our top deck.

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  3. MindyOctober 16, 2011 at 9:31 AM

    Carla, this is so AWESOME! Thank you! And I love you table cloth! That is one of my favorite prints!

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  4. SusanOctober 16, 2011 at 10:10 AM

    That's great! Thank you for the pattern! I love the tablecloth!

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  5. CathyOctober 16, 2011 at 10:57 AM

    What a very handy download!!! I love how you can make any diameter circle with this pattern! Your table cloth is just lovely! It livens up your table and the flowers are just the right touch. Hope your wonderful hubby makes a nice meal you can enjoy out in this beautiful fall weather!!!

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  6. AndreaOctober 16, 2011 at 11:01 AM

    Such a pretty tablecloth. Thank you for the pattern - I can't cut a circle to save my life.

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  7. Sew Pretty DressesOctober 16, 2011 at 11:26 AM

    Carla what a great template! Is this the Jodi Laminate? I just ordered some!

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  8. CrafterBerlyOctober 16, 2011 at 1:20 PM

    Awesome resource, thanks for sharing!

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  9. AnonymousOctober 16, 2011 at 3:39 PM

    Thanks for the tutorial! I bet it will help many people, including me if I were to ever need a circle cut for anything. :)

    Thanks again!!

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  10. GingerOctober 16, 2011 at 10:03 PM

    Thanks! This will come in handy.

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  11. Digital MisfitOctober 16, 2011 at 10:09 PM

    Carla I LOVE you! My mom has been bugging me to make a tablecloth for her kitchen. Circles are my nemesis, so I have been putting it off. Thank you SO much for this!
    hugs,
    Heidi G.
    aka Digital Misfit

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  12. Sewing PrincessOctober 17, 2011 at 3:57 AM

    Although I don't have a circle table...this is genius...you always need to make circles at some point.

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  13. JenOctober 17, 2011 at 1:09 PM

    This is perfect for my Halloween sewing! Need a circle to make a pea costume to accompany the princess!

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  14. AmyOctober 17, 2011 at 10:57 PM

    OMGoodness you are brilliant!! Thank you for sharing! :)

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  15. ThirtySevenWestOctober 18, 2011 at 4:37 PM

    Wonderful idea! And your tablecloth came out beautifully. Love the pattern you chose!

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  16. saffiertjeOctober 19, 2011 at 9:57 AM

    hello carla the download PDF does not work... can you please mail me the pattern???
    Awesome work on it!

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  17. PKOctober 19, 2011 at 10:14 AM

    Another one wanting the pdf, but it doesn't work in firefox, IE or Chrome. Any chance of having it emailed?

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  18. Dianna StamperOctober 19, 2011 at 12:50 PM

    Thank you for putting this together!! You are Amazing!

    I do have a question. To show my example, we can refer to a 2" circle. The radius will be cut at 2", but the circle will actually be 4", correct? Cut at 1" will be a 2" circle? cut at 5", the circle will be a 10" circle? so, if you cut at 58" then the circle will be 116 inches across. Is this right?

    Dianna

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  19. Crunchy Crafty and CrazyOctober 19, 2011 at 2:13 PM

    Way cool! Thanks for sharing! I'm totally making a giant felt stuffed donut for a photo prop :)

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  20. NancyOctober 19, 2011 at 2:29 PM

    For some reason I am unable to get your circle template. Can you send it to me please?

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  21. NancyOctober 19, 2011 at 2:31 PM

    I am not getting your circle template.


    hadden004@gmail.com

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  22. Joy BurkhartOctober 19, 2011 at 2:44 PM

    Thank you for creating this pattern and making it available to those like me that are math challenged! :)
    xoxo
    Joy

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  23. Grandma GOctober 20, 2011 at 10:52 AM

    Thank you for the pattern... AND for making it smaller! :)

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  24. LaurieOctober 21, 2011 at 6:33 PM

    Thank you! This will be very useful.

    Laurie

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  25. Clearwater CreationsOctober 25, 2011 at 9:50 AM

    This will be very useful. I made a tablecloth for a sort of round picnic table with umbrella hole in the middle. But never got around to trimming the sides down. I couldn't figure how to make it perfectly circular! So it's a square cloth on a round table. Fortunately for me, hubby likes it that way! Your pattern will help me for future ones that are really round. Thanks!!

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  26. katOctober 25, 2011 at 1:59 PM

    Wouldn't it be easier (and fun!) to make a compass like in here:

    http://www.ehow.com/how_4420899_make-compass-using-pencil-string.html

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  27. make handmadeOctober 26, 2011 at 12:12 AM

    So cute! thanks for sharing.

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  28. PennI PopsOctober 26, 2011 at 4:33 AM

    Thank you for sharing all of your hard work with us! Inspirational!
    Penni xxx

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  29. SamanthaDecember 4, 2011 at 1:50 AM

    Thank you so much for this, I could not find a large enough compass lol

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  30. AnonymousDecember 12, 2011 at 7:37 PM

    Thank you x 150. I just printed your circles pattern and I'm very thankful to have found something that actually works once and for all. I was just about to cry. Now my yoga bag will have a perfect bottom. Merry Christmas!

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  31. Artemisia MoltaboccaDecember 22, 2011 at 5:00 PM

    Thank you! Now I can throw away that perfectly measured (and annoying) piece of string.

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  32. la marquise de carabasJanuary 29, 2012 at 9:43 AM

    Pour tracer un cercle, il vous suffit aussi de prendre un crayon et de la ficelle. Vous faites un noeuds avec la ficelle, sur le crayon, de la longueur du rayon souhaité. Vous placez la pointe du crayon sur le pli central et vous tracez le quart de cercle! Cela va un peu plus vite que d'imprimer de feuilles....
    Merci pour votre blog que je découvre et qui est rempli d'astuces!

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  33. AnonymousFebruary 20, 2012 at 12:39 AM

    Thank you so much!!! awesome :)

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  34. IsangelApril 28, 2012 at 4:56 PM

    Genial!! Muchas gracias!!

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  35. Heidi PerezMay 29, 2012 at 11:33 PM

    I could kiss you for this! Thanks you thank you thank you! The largest circle I could find in my house was 18" and I was looking for something at least 24". This is a sanity saver!

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  36. Social HistorianAugust 16, 2012 at 11:23 AM

    Many, many, many thanks for this, I was hoping someone would have created something like this. I appear to be incapable of producing perfect circles and needed the help! This is even more useful than I ever imagined I would find online.

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  37. L.NicoleMay 17, 2013 at 10:50 AM

    Great idea! I sewed a circular cover for a footstool and wiil be linking this pattern to my blog, www.artfullycraftedblog.blogspot.com.

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  38. Lz M.September 7, 2013 at 11:00 PM

    I want to do a large-scale compass rose painting on a drape, and I think this might just be big enough to work for me. Thank you so much!

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