How To Make A Yo-Yo Quilt Top - Part One

Recently I have had the privilage of receiving donated materials from a few of my close friends.  Umong those items was a large bag of small pillow cases made out of cotton in various colors and patterns.  The yo-yos that were made for the previous projects came from this stash of material.  You can use any material you have on hand.  Recycling or reusing fabrics is the best way to get started on a project with minimal cost.  You can use any cotton fabric that is light weight.  Don't use thicker materials like denim, felt, wool or fleece.

I first got the idea for this project after receiving a catolog in the mail from Ethan Allen several months back.  They had a beautiful photo of a quilt that was made using yo-yos.  The quilt was cream, beige, sage green and light brown.  It was so beautiful that I showed it to my daughter and told her, "I can make one like this!".    She rolled her eyes at me because she knows how I get when a new project idea pops into my head.  Needless to say, here I am showing you how to make a yo-yo quilt top.

To get started you will need the following supplies for this project:
Pre-made Yo-yos (238)
2 yards of fabric
thread
scissors
rottary cutter
cutting mat
chalk pencil or washable fabric marker
*extra small embroidery hoop (optional)
***You can pick up these items almost anywhere they sell crafting supplies.  I buy most of my tools and supplies from Wal-mart.

***Pick you fabric that compliments the yo-yos that you have made.  Don't use any patterned fabric that would make the yo-yos visibly disappear or visibly confusing to look at.

These instructions are for a crib size quilt top.  Follow the steps outlined below to get started.

1. Using your cutting mat and rotary cutter, you will need to cut 17 - 3 1/2" strips.

2.  Lay your strips out on your cutting mat.  You will use your ruler and chalk pencil/fabric pen to mark the placement of each yo-yo.  Your first mark should be approximately 2 3/8" from the end of the strip.  Each mark after that, working from left to right, will be approximately 3 1/4" from the previous mark.

3.  Once you have marked your strips, you will tack the yo-yos onto the strip using the markings as your guide.  Place the yo-yo to the right of each mark with the mark being right next to the left edge of the yo-yo.  You can tack the yo-yos down with thread or you can use fabric glue.

4.  Next you will sew the yo-yos in place by hand using a quilting stitch.  I recommend that you also use a small embroidery hoop to keep the fabric stiff while sewing the yo-yo in place.

5.  You will repeat step 4 moving down the length of the strip.  Each strip holds 14 yo-yos.

The finished strips should look something like the photo above.  Don't worry if your stitches aren't perfectly spaced or the exact same size.  Even seasoned quilters don't stitch perfectly.  You could probably sew these onto the strips using a sewing machine if you would like the stitches to be perfect, but doing it by hand allows you to sit with your family while watching your favorite shows.  As I have said before, this is a great project to do with your kids as well!

I will post the instructions for assembling the quilt top tomorrow along with instructions on assembling and finishing the quilt. 

Happy Sewing!

Yo-Yos, Yo-Yos And More Yo-Yos!

Now that you have a million yo-yos made, I know you are wondering "What do I do with all these Yo-Yos?".  Well here is one idea.  These bags were pre-made and bought from Wal-mart.  The yo-yos were made using the small yo-you maker and then they were tacked onto the front of the bags.  These bags are great for the book store, library, small grocery run, etc. 

All you need to do is find a bag that you like,
use a chalk pencil or washable fabric marker to draw a design that you like and then start tacking the yo-yos to the front of the bag!  It is a very simple project that can be done while watching your favorite show or a weekend project with the kid!  They will love making these and then taking them to school to show their friends! 

Happy sewing!

Making YoYo's

Recently I was at one of the local quilting shops here in good old Springfield, Missouri and I was casually talking with another patron about needing something to do with my hands while I was watching TV at night with my family.   I always have a lot of unused energy, so doing something creative with my hands always seems to enable me to sit in one place for an extended period of time.  The lady that I was speaking to suggested that I make Yo-yos! 

I know I must have looked at her with confusion and I told her, "I don't know how to make yo-yo's".  She told me that it was very simple and that they could be used for a variety of different craft projects.  So I set out to find out how to make yo-yo's!!
There are two ways to make yo-yo's; 1. with a tool or 2. without a tool.  They both accomplish the same thing, but one is more time consuming than the other.  To make them without a tool, you must first cut your material into a circle, then press the edges down approximately 1/4 inch, then the rest is the same as using the yo-yo tool.  You weave a threaded needled in and out around the edge of the fabric and then cinch up the edge.  As I said, this take more time and has an additional step, so I vote for using the tool.

Now you can buy the yo-yo tool just about anywhere you can purchase crafting supplies: Walmart, Joann's, Micheal's, Hobby Lobby, etc.  I am sure you could even find them on EBay!!  The tool comes in various sizes depending on the size of the yo-yo you want to make.  I used is an extra large one that makes yo-yo's that are approximately 2 3/8" in diameter or roughly the size of a silver dollar.  The yo-yo tool cost approximately $6 to $8.00 (U.S). 
This is what the yo-yo tool looks like:



The yo-yo tool is plastic and it has two pieces that pop apart.




Now that you have your Yo-yo tool, what do you do with it?



First you will need to cut a piece of fabric into a circle, square or rectangle, that is larger than the yo-yo tool. 




Next you will pop the two piece of the yo-yo maker apart and place the material, right side down on the bottom piece of the yo-yo maker.  Then you will line up the straight line on the top piece with one of the knobs on the back piece. Then snap the top and bottom plates together with the fabric between the two pieces.


Now cut the fabric around the edge of the yo-yo maker leaving approximately 1/4 inch of fabric around the edge.







When you are finished cutting the fabric it should look like this:


Next you will use a needle and thread that has been knotted to sew around the edge of the material.  The yo-yo maker has notches in it and you will use those as your guide.  Holding the fabric down with your thumb, you will need to start from the top edge to the left side on one of the knobs going through to the back on one side of the notch and then come back through the other side of the notch.  Moving counter-clockwise around the yo-yo maker, you will repeat this step until you come back around to the knot.










Once you have finished  sewing around the edge, you will need to pop the plates apart and remove the top plate from the center of the material.  Then you will pull the thread and cinch the  material until it becomes the desired shape. 

The final step is to tack down the thread so that your yo-yo does not come apart.And then throw it into whatever container you are collecting them in and start your
next yo-yo!

 You will have fun making these and they are definitely something that you can do with you kids.  You can even make a contest out of it so see who can make the most while watching your favorite TV show or movie!

Check back soon for ideas on craft projects that use yo-yo's!


*** Note *** Use thin to regular thickness fabrics, not medium or thick fabrics (denim, felt, wool, etc).  Also, use strong sewing thread, no embroidery floss or any other decorative threads. 

History Of Sewing Machines

I started this blog because I have had several family members and friends ask me to teach them how to sew and specifically quilt. I find it interesting that they all say, "I can't sew" or "I can't quilt" and claim that it would be just too hard to do. I think this is because they are looking at the finished products that other people have sewn in the past and then just make that assumption that it is just too hard to do.

I on the other hand see things that I find interesting or intriguing and I think to myself "I can do that" and then I fly by the seat of my pants until I figure it out. I am not smarter or more talented than any of the friends or family that want to learn how to sew, I just don't take NO for an answer.

During the time that I was considering starting this blog I became interested in how sewing began. We all know that it started with the necessity to cover our bodies and protect ourselves from the elements. The earliest forms of sewing have been traced back to the Palaeolithic Era more commonly known as the Stone Age. During this time people used bones as needles and sewed together hides using various animal parts as their thread such as intestines and veins.

As with everything, sewing evolved over time, but the notion of modern day sewing with a machine was not realized until the 1800s. The first patent for the "sewing machine" was issued in 1755 to a German man named Charles Weisenthal, however it is unknown if he ever built a successful sewing machine. History shows that in 1834 an American named Walter Hunt invented the first sewing machine, however he never patented it.because he was afraid it would cause unemployment for dressmakers, tailors and the other textile trades that used the sewing skill to make a living.

In 1846 a patent was issued to another American by the name of Elias Howe, however he had trouble with his patent and in developing interest in the sewing machine. In 1850 Isaac Singer built the first successful sewing machine designed for commercial use and a patent war ensued when Mr. Howe sued Singer for patent infringement. Howe's patent was upheld by the courts and Singer was ordered to pay royalties to Elias Howe.

Today you can buy sewing machines made by several different manufacturers such as Singer , Babylock, Pfaff , Gammil and many more and almost all of them make specialty machines that embroider, quilt and sew many different specialty stitches.

In this blog we will explore many different types of sewing from hand-stitched embroidery and cross stitching to machine sewing garments and quilt piecing and using a quilting machine to finish a pre-pieced quilt. I will add written instructions along with video for you to follow along with and learn this fantastic skill.

Please let me know if you have any requests or if you have a specific sewing skill that you would like to learn and I will try to incorporate it as soon as possible.

Purpose

Recently I have been asked by many to teach them how to sew, however most of those who have asked live out of town and this has made getting together for lessons almost impossible.  I have decided that in order to be able to teach those who want to learn, it would be in everyones best interest to start a blog so that they can access the information that they want without having to drive all the way to my house to learn to sew.