Making Yo-Yo's

Wednesday, August 29, 2012
 I'm always looking for little projects I can take on a plane with me....all that time away from crafts....it can be really trying......the yo yo is all over the craft stores these days, and I'll be sharing my first yo-yo project tomorrow, but first.....I had to figure out how to make these, and it's super easy.  I asked the experts....my friends that were around the first time yo-yo's were big.  I also was able to snag a collection of old fabrics (with a few newer from my collection) from some ladies that have been quilting forever and shared old scraps with me, which makes it even more special.  I love the idea that these little yo-yos have friends in quilts made by masters somewhere in the world. 
I digress.  Let me just say, first...I bought a yo yo maker, this little plastic thing I do NOT recommend.  BUT....if you are doing a yo yo project and want them to all be the same size, then create a template.  a 3 inch circle makes about a 1 inch yo yo....just experiment.  I wasn't actually looking for uniform size, so I just cut a bunch of small circles from random fabric. 
 I doubled over quilting thread.  and tied a knot, then began going in and out around the circle. 
 Literally, just follow the outside of the circle, stay as close to the outside as possible. 
 Come back to the start.  Pull tight. 
 Tie off a knot. 
 and literally just squish it down until you have this. 
 I used white thread so it showed up in the tutorial.  Use thread that matches the fabric better, or added a button to the center to cover up the thread. 

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