Ofla Circle maker

[Dawn S.]

Has anyone any experiance of using the ofla circle maker? I bought one recently hoping that it would make my circle cutting more precise. It appears to be quite difficult to acheive a nice smooth edged circle? Maybe I need much more practice but I would really appreciate any tips anyone has? (should of asked advice from all you guys before I bought the tool ops: ). Also i can't work out why there are two sliding sections can anyone enlighten me, there were no instructions in the packaging :?

[Renata L.]

Hi! I bought an Olfa Circle Cutter for the Sedona Star 2012 BOM and have used it for 19 circles so far. If you go to YouTube and type in Olfa Circle Cutter, there are several demonstrations on how to use it. Since I cut my circles without fusible attached (I hand appliqued my circles so did not need it), I taped the four corners of my small piece of fabric to the cutting mat with painter's tape and then did the cut. That way the fabric did not shift. My fabric was also well starched so that it remained stiff on the cutting mat. Also, note that where you hold the cutter on top (the big black knob), that has a ratchet feature built in: this means that you turn that knob as far as your wrist will allow, then stop, and give the knob a little twist in-place clockwise, and you will see then that it is easier to turn for the rest of the circle to be cut. Hope I was not too confusing... and hope this helps.
Renata

[Manuela T.]

Renata,
I also struggled with it at first. Of all the You Tube videos I found this one the most useful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMTgmBRWhXw. I hope this helps.
Manuela

[Renata L.]

Hi, Manuela! I watched the same video on YouTube that you did when I was trying to learn how to use it. I just forgot which video it was until I saw yours. Hopefully this will help Mellymoo and it was a nice refresher for me. I also looked at your quilts for your brother and sister-in-law: they are beautiful. I hope that you will post more of them and it is nice to see you on the Forum too! Renata

[Manuela T.]

Renata, thank you for your kind comments. I think I owe you an apology - for some reason I thought you posted the question. This shows how little experience I have posting on the forum, but I'm learning.
Manuela

[Renata L.]

Manuela, no apology needed! I'm so glad you started posting on the forum. I think we joined about the same time... Like you, I did not post for a long time but then realized that the we gain the greatest benefit not just from reading postings but from participating and I feel we make good friends along the way. Bienvenida and keep the posts coming! Renata

[Dawn S.]

Taping the fabric square in four corners did the trick for me, too! Otherwise I think it is almost impossible to get a perfect circle, as the fabric creeps ahead of the cutter!

Dawn
In beautiful Northwest Montana

[Renata L.]

Haven't tried it yet, but I saw a demo at a fabric store for the Olfa Circle Cutter at the last Quilt Club they sponsor. When Heat Bond webbing is pressed on to the fabric (or probably any other kind of fused stabilizer), that appeared to be the only time you could get a perfect circle without the painter's tape.

[Renata L.]

I would like to thank you Renata for the u tube addy. I bought a rotary cutter off eBay and because I wasn't at all familiar with them I bought just a cheap one. I used it ok for the small circles in month 1 but I hadn't much success in using it for the 4" circle in month 3.When I looked at u tube I realized that it was not an olfa cutter I had but obviously a cheaper version and without the ratchet knob and retractable point. The quilt shop has another order on its way!! Muriel

[Renata L.]

Thankyou for posting the U-tube link, it was very helpful. She made it look very easy though !! :?

[Dawn S.]

I haven't used my Olfa circle cutter in a while, but just remembered another way that was successful for me. I ironed my fabric to freezer paper, then taped it to my cutting mat. If you are not fussy cutting the circle, you can actually put the freezer paper up (fabric under it, against your mat) and it cuts like a dream! Have fun, with whatever way you find works for YOU!

Dawn
In beautiful Northwest Montana

[Renata L.]

I haven't used my Olfa circle cutter in a while, but just remembered another way that was successful for me. I ironed my fabric to freezer paper, then taped it to my cutting mat. If you are not fussy cutting the circle, you can actually put the freezer paper up (fabric under it, against your mat) and it cuts like a dream! Have fun, with whatever way you find works for YOU!

Dawn
In beautiful Northwest Montana

Thank you, Dawn. I am preparing to cut circles for Sedona Star Month 2 and I am definitely going to try your freezer paper method. It does make sense to me. Renata

[Dawn S.]

I haven't used my Olfa circle cutter in a while, but just remembered another way that was successful for me. I ironed my fabric to freezer paper, then taped it to my cutting mat. If you are not fussy cutting the circle, you can actually put the freezer paper up (fabric under it, against your mat) and it cuts like a dream! Have fun, with whatever way you find works for YOU!

Dawn
In beautiful Northwest Montana

Thank you, Dawn. I am preparing to cut circles for Sedona Star Month 2 and I am definitely going to try your freezer paper method. It does make sense to me. Renata

Just remember when pulling the circles away from the freezer paper, there are a lot of bias edges. If you have any trouble. sometimes just a quick, light reheat with the iron, will help, if peeled immediately while still warm. You just have to be careful not to BOND the freezer paper to the fabric with a too hot iron to begin with!

Dawn
In beautiful Northwest Montana

[Renata L.]

Good point, Dawn, and timely: I still have freezer paper in my template 2 circles of the first month of Sedona Star, and because the foundation paper is still on, I won't be able to get to them for a while to remove. I will definitely keep your advice in mind then as well as when I cut circles with the Olfa circle cutter.
Renata

[Nancy R.]

I have a circle cutter, but haven't used it for quite some time and certainly not often. I remember having trouble when I tried it on my own. The last time I used it was in a class and it worked like a dream with no tape, freezer paper or starch. As I recall, my problem had been that I was pushing down too hard. When I let up on the pressure, it worked great. Of course, this is based on a dim memory and I haven't tried it on my own again since.

Nancy