Saturday, May 17, 2008

Polka Dot Jumbo Yo-Yo Bliss


I'm sure by now you have figured out that my stylemark and passion has everything to do with fabric yo-yo's. This quilt consists entirely of all that I adore.

I know that many of you have made rag quilts before. If you are willing to deal with the massive amount of clipping that is required and the piles of dust that it creates, this is a quick and easy quilt to produce.

I have chosen to include my hallmark jumbo yo-yo flowers to highlight this bright and cheery quilt. I'm sure you already know that I have a passion for polka dots by the title of my blog. I thought that combining both of my loves into one quilt would take me to seventh heaven and I was right. In my opinion, it cannot get any better.

I plan to share more polka dot jumbo yo-yo flower projects in the coming week so please stop by if you can.

If you haven't been able to read far enough into my blog, you may have missed several yo-yo ideas. Have you seen my jumbo yo-yo quilt and tutorial before?

I hope that it inspires you to start a quilt of your own.

Another tutorial that I have put together is one that shows you how to attach a fabric yo-yo to your project by sewing machine. I will be bringing portions of it back to this page directly under this post for those of you who may have missed it. This method was used to attach the jumbo yo-yo flowers to my quilt and is something that I know you will find very useful in your projects too.

I would like to thank everyone who has visited my blog and especially to those that leave comments. I'm really sorry that I haven't been able to get back to you individually but please know that I love hearing from you. You really are a bright spot in my crazy hectic world. Thank you, thank you, thank you!


Have a great weekend.

Aloha!!



TUTORIAL--HOW TO ATTACH A FABRIC YO-YO BY SEWING MACHINE


***This tutorial is intended for personal use only.***

I would like to show you how I have been attaching fabric yo-yo's to my projects with this tutorial. I have been doing it this way for over 25 years. When I first started attaching yo-yo's to projects, it was always difficult to keep the ends from flipping up or if I tacked them down, the stitches would always show. Instead of hand-tacking a completed yo-yo to a project, I use the sewing machine to do the initial anchoring prior to gathering the yo-yo.

This tutorial is designed to show you how to create a 2-1/4-inch completed yo-yo. You can increase the size and make them the size of a bowling ball or larger if you wish.

Here goes...

The first step is to cut a 5-inch fabric circle.

Please note that a 5-inch fabric circle will make a 2-1/4-inch yo-yo.

Since the yo-yo will end up being 2-1/4 inches, trace a 2-1/4-inch circle in the middle of the fabric yo-yo on the wrong side. It should look like this:



Place the right side of your yo-yo circle to the right side of your project with the yo-yo side facing up. Pin in place. It should look like this:



Use your sewing machine to stitch completely around the circle you just drew. You may also hand stitch around the circle if you prefer.



Now, to close the yo-yo, take needle and thread and hand sew using a 1/4-inch running stitch. Make sure to turn the raw edges in 1/4-inch as you sew. It will look like this:



Pull the thread tight and knot off. This is your completed yo-yo attached to your project. This yo-yo isn't going anywhere. It won't lift up on the edges or shift and become lopsided.



Quick, easy and no dealing with the dreaded hand tacking left to do at the very end of your project.

Enjoy!

18 comments:

Pat said...

What a great idea. Thanks for sharing.

Pat said...

Thanks for stopping by. I will enter you in the drawing. I have been to HI only one time. It is beautiful. I have a friend that lives in Mililanitown. Is that anywhere near you?

Marit Johanne said...

I love all the beautiful flowers and yo-yos you are making. They are so cute, and so many! I think I willl try your tutorial one day.

Elly D said...

This is a great idea! I just wish I'd seen it sooner, lol. Before I tried hamfistedly to re stitch the yoyos on my Rabbit Patch quilt. I will know for another project. thank you for sharing..
I love your blog and glad I stumbled on it... Elly

Unknown said...

Hi Lettie, Wow! I am just getting caught up on all my blog reading and my oh my you have been extremely busy. Thanks for sharing your yo-yo's and the quilt you made with them. Beautiful!! Also, I love the flowers that you have made, they are wonderful. Thanks for the tutorials!
Have a great weekend!

annemarie said...

Lettie - Your quilt is to die for - simply out of this world - so cheery and fun!!! I still have my eye on your owl - is it your own pattern or one available to buy by mailorder? Your talent still amazes me.

sweetiepie said...

Lettie - I love the quilt! You do such beautiful work! Thanks for including the neat tutorial. I can't wait to see your new yo yo projects! Thanks for sharing. Joyce in Iowa

Arlette said...

Hi Everyone!!! (waving madly)
I hope your weekend is going great. Thanks for stopping by my blog today.

Anne, I found a tutorial for you on how to create an owl. It's similar to the one that I use.

http://moonstitches.typepad.com/photos/tutowlrial/030726.html

Have a fabulous Sunday.
Aloha!

Arlette said...

For some reason that link didn't work. Try this one...

http://moonstitches.typepad.com/photos/tutowlrial/index.html

Anonymous said...

Lettie, thanks so much for the tutorial and the great quilt! You are definitely an inspiration.

Rowena said...

Coming from an amateur's point of view, that rag quilt actually looks difficult (and time-consuming)! You never fail to amaze Lettie...what talent!

Mom2fur said...

Oh, my gosh, that just jumps right out at you. It's gorgeous! I can't imagine the hours of work that go into something so beautiful.

Hey, I'm doing an ABCs of creative blogs and I wrote about you this morning--you are my "P" blog! Hope you can stop by for a visit.

Darlene said...

That's the cutest rag quilt I've ever seen. It's absolutely adorable.

Marilyn Robertson said...

What a fantastic way to stitch a yo yo down! Thanks for sharing it!

Stephanie D said...

Love the bright colors and the scattered yo-yos on it! Great idea. I haven't tackled a ragged edge quilt yet, but am thinking about it. Was this one flannel?

Netter said...

You know, its because of your yo-yo tutorial that I found your blog and all the pretty things you make!

I just want to wrap myself up in that rag quilt and sink into a peaceful slumber. ZzzzZzzzZzzz.

Anonymous said...

I just found this tutorial after googling, and I'm all into the "twirly skirts" now and sewing them for my daughters... these will be great embellishments for them! Thanks for the great practical "stay in place" tip!

Kathy I said...

How did you create the yo-yo flowers with the leaves, i.e. the ones you attached to your rag quilt? Did you attach the yo-yo's on the quilt via machine or by hand? Thank you!