It looks to me that half circles are inserted between the borders during the top construction. I would put fabric right sides together and draw the size circle you want. Stitch all around the circle and trim to 1/4 inch seam allowance. Draw a line down the center of the circle and cut the circle half with the rotary cutter. Turn the half circle right side out and press. You now have 2 half circles ready to sew into the seam. Do more circles in the same manner.
if you plan to do the embroidery, you will need to draw out the circles and embroider the top piece of the circle BEFORE putting the 2 layers together and stitching around the edge.
Last edited by Tartan; 01-30-2014 at 06:03 PM.