Using decorative machine stitches is one of my favorite ways of embellishing and decorating fabric and I use them in all sorts of different ways. But one of my favorite ways to use decorative stitches is to sew them in circles to create circular designs and quilt blocks. Sewing in circles may look a little tricky, but it’s really quite easy using a special tool called a circular sewing attachment.
Circular Sewing Attachment
A circular sewing attachment is a metal tool that attaches to your sewing machine and allows you to sew perfectly round circles.
Things you need to know about the circular sewing attachment
- Always use a stabilizer underneath the fabric to ensure that the fabric spins smoothly. An iron-on tear-away stabilizer such as Sulky Totally Stable is perfect for this application.
- You can only use this attachment with sewing machines that have a top loading bobbin.
- Different sewing machine models have different size bobbin covers, and because of this there are no generic attachments available. You need to purchase an attachment that is specifically manufactured for your particular brand and model of sewing machine. To find out whether there is an attachment available for your sewing machine, you will need to contact your sewing machine dealer and ask them if one is available.
How to Use a Circular Sewing Attachment
To fit the attachment to your sewing machine you need a machine with a top loading bobbin. Simply remove the bobbin cover from your sewing machine, and the metal plate on the attachment snaps in place.
To attach your fabric, remove the pin cap from the attachment …
… position your fabric, then replace the cap. As you sew, the fabric automatically spins on the pin in a circular motion.
You can easily adjust the measurement on the attachment by moving the slider along the metal ruler. It snaps in place to prevent the fabric from shifting.
With this attachment you can sew circles from 2″ up to about 10″ in diameter, and you can also reposition your fabric to create intricate and interesting circular designs.
You can even create circular quilt blocks.
