How to Make Near Perfect Turned Edge Circles

Turning Circles with Alipops

For those who aren’t familiar, alipops are small, heat-resistant, round templates that make it easy to create precise, turned-edge circles for applique. This quilt design features lots of whimsical circles, so getting those perfect shapes was key to pulling off the overall look of the quilt. Here’s how I used them to achieve clean, crisp edges:

1. Cutting the Fabric Circles:
   I started by cutting my fabric slightly larger than the alipops template, giving myself enough room to fold over the edges. It’s important to allow for that extra bit of fabric so the final circle has smooth, even edges.
2. Preparing the Turned Edges:
   Using a running stitch around the outer edge of the fabric, I gently gathered the fabric around the alipops circle template. First starch the edge of your fabric. Then, I used a small iron to press the fabric into place while the alipops were still inside. The heat-resistant material made it so easy to press without worrying about damaging the template or the fabric. After letting it cool, I removed the template, and voilà! Perfectly round, crisp-edged circles, ready to be appliqued onto my quilt.
3. Appliqueing the Circles:
   Once all the circles were prepared, I carefully stitched them down onto the background fabric by machine. I used a medium grey thread color to fade into the background color. I used simple applique stitch on my machine and sewed around each circle just on the edge of it.

 

The Joy of Completing This Quilt

Now that the quilt is finished, I’m filled with so much pride and happiness. It feels incredible to see my vision come together in fabric form, especially after all the time and effort spent choosing fabrics, perfecting the circles, and piecing everything together. 

This quilt was a fun challenge that stretched my skills in applique, and using the alipops to get those precise circles has opened up new possibilities for future projects. I absolutely loved working on this pattern and seeing how every circle and fabric choice played into the final design.