Going in circles with the OLFA rotary circle cutter – What fun!

Yesterday we got started on the Cathedral Window Quilt by cutting 8½” x 8½” squares using an OLFA 12¹⁄₂″ Square Frosted Acrylic Ruler, an OLFA 12″ x 18″ Double Sided Rotary Mat and the OLFA 45mm Rotary Cutter.

OLFA tools

Today is about circles. To make them, we’ll need the following tools.

OLFA Square Rotating Cutting Mat

OLFA Rotary Circle Cutter

OLFA Compass Circle Cutter

OLFA 18mm Stainless Steel Rotary Blades

Circle making tools

I’m using leftover fabric strips from another project for which I cut too many 8½” strips, which are perfect for this week’s quilt.

Why also OLFA 18mm Rotary Blades when a new OLFA Rotary Circle Cutter comes with a blade? The reason is there should always be spare blades within arms reach. It only takes one pin to ruin a blade. And with time, blades get dull, so buying spare blades at the same time as buying an OLFA Rotary Circle Cutter makes sense.

TIP If while cutting fabrics or batting you notice that fabric shavings or bits of batting are getting stuck where the blade just made a cut, it’s time to replace the blade. Also, when the sound of cutting fabric makes a sound like something being slightly rubbed against sandpaper, it’s time to replace the blade. Most of us are guilty of wanting to do one more cut with a blade. Wanting that extra cut means we’re exerting more force to cut, and causing damage to the cutting mat.

Adjust the OLFA Rotary Circle Cutter to 4¼” to make an 8½” circle. Place the pivot spike on the X you made on the back of the fabric square. With the pivot spike in place, use the rachet handle and cut a circle.

I like cutting circles on the OLFA 12” Square Rotating Cutting Mat because sometimes when I cut circles, I have to stop cutting therefore losing momentum. When this happens, it’s easier to rotate the mat a little than trying to reposition everything.

Cut a circle from each square.

For some, using the rachet is difficult. Another option is to hold the circle cutter between the pivot spike and the rachet. If using the cutter in this fashion, the OLFA rotating mat is handy.

Another cutting method

Cut a circle from all 16 – 8½” x 8½” squares,

OLFA makes another circle cutter, it’s the OLFA Compass Circle Cutter. It’s a cool little cutter. This cutter doesn’t have a rotary blade on it, it has a small x-acto-knife-type blade. It can cut cloth. I found the cotton fabric a bid too light to be cut using this compass cutter. I enjoy using it for cutting plastic or cardboard circle templates.

Note: The OLFA Compass Circle Cutter comes with 6 blades.

OLFA Compass Circle Cutter

Because I wanted a light and thin batting for this quilt, I used Fairfield Low-Loft Quilt Batting. In the same fashion as cutting circles from the fabric squares, cut 16 – 8½” circles from the batting.

Cut 16 – 8½” circles from batting.

Cutting circles using the OLFA Rotary Circle Cutter with the OLFA Square Rotating Cutting Mat is a super combination.

Remember, if you prefer using a template, use the OLFA Compass Circle Cutter to cut beautiful paper of plastic templates.

OLFA circle cutting tools

Tomorrow I’m competing the circles, to do so I’ll be using the following tools: KAI 1000 Series Embroidery Scissors, SCHMETZ Piecing and Quilting Needles, Gütermann Cotton 50wt Thread in Lt. Slate and Gütermann Cotton 50wt Thread in Ivory.

This is part 2 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 1: Quilt a Cathedral Window Quilt! For best results use OLFA tools!

Go to part 3: Sewing up circular quilt sandwiches for the Cathedral Window Quilt

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