Perfect Pieced Circles

Today I tried out a technique I've seen others use for making a pieced circle block. My first attempt was not so great, but my second attempt was almost perfect!

Pieced circle block - first and second attempts

It had been a while since I watched the video (http://www.hgtv.com/video/easy-circle-quilt-blocks-video/index.html) but just decided to jump right in.  The first attempt (on the left in the picture) was not so good.  The circle wasn't round and the block puckered.

So I watched the video again and realized that I missed a few points.  I also ended up making the circle bigger the second time (on the right in the picture), but I don't think that made a difference in my success.  The first thing I forgot was using the glue on the ironed down snipped edges of the circle.  I had remembered using the glue as the temporary adhesive for the two pieces.  The second thing I forgot was to use a zipper foot to sew the seam; it made all the difference.

Having a hard ironing surface is a must, too; they mentioned that in the video.  My small table-top ironing board that I use for crafting has only the slightest bit of foam and I'm considering removing it to help with getting even crisper creases; that crease is critical to the success of this process.

One tool I have that will be useful for this block is the Circle Scissor because it will make almost any size circle, either using a pencil or using a cutting tip.

I'm so pleased that I found this technique.  My next quilt is going to have a circle theme, so I'm glad I tried it out.