How To: Sew Easy Inset Circles

Here’s how I sew easy inset circles using freezer paper and glue.

1. Draw a circle onto your freezer paper. Or three if you draw the wrong size. Twice. Not that I would do that. Cut out the circle, leaving the exterior intact.

2. Lay this over the fabric you want in your circle, just to make sure that you’ve cut the circle the correct size. You want to have at least 1/4″ behind the circle for your seam allowance.

3. Place the shiny side of the freezer paper on the wrong side of your background fabric where you want your circle. Iron this in place. Make sure the shiny side is down, or you’ll have a messy iron. Ask me how I know…

4. Leaving a 1/2″ seam allowance, cut out the inside of your background fabric circle. Cut into the seam allowance every 1/4″ or so, being careful to stay about 1/8″ away from the freezer paper.

5. Now iron that seam allowance back over the freezer paper. I like to use that groove between the soleplate and the body of the iron to just kind of pick up the little notches and push them back.

6. Grab  your glue stick – I like the lapel stick because it washes out so easily – and run it over all those little notches, on the right side of the fabric.

7. Center your circle fabric over the hole and press down all around those edges. Make sure it’s stuck, then gently lift it up and pull the freezer paper off.

8. Now turn the whole thing right side up, pull back the background fabric, and start stitching along the crease you ironed into the fabric.

9. Did you need a closer look at that? Stitch right on that line.

10. Trim away the excess fabric from the back.

11. Press it again from the front, and just like that, an easy inset circle!

It might seem a little awkward the first time or two you try it, but soon enough it’s going to come as second nature.