Many times when people think about yo yos, a small plastic circular object that has a string attached may come to mind. But these kind of yo yos, my friends, are a totally different breed. They are the kind you sew. My grandmother is the master of these little circular pieces of fabric (scrap fabric, if you may) that she sews up into rosettes, attaching them together to make a wonderfully unique quilt. So how does one actually make these quilts? Read on.
First, find some fabric you would like to use to make the yo yos. It can be a variety – different colors, patterns, etc. Next, decide how large you would like the yo yos to be. Once that is determined, make a circular template that is twice as large as the predicted size of the yo yos, as well as adding on an extra half inch.
Place the template on the fabric, and trace around it lightly; leave about a half inch between the circles on all sides. Proceed to cut those circles out of the fabric approximately one fourth of an inch past the line. Thread a needle and knot the end of it. Sew a seam into the circle of fabric by bringing the thread from the “outside” (the side you want to show) to the “inside” (the side you don’t want to show) while folding over the fabric on the line.
When the entire seam is sewed and you have reached your starting point, tug on the thread to bring the circle into a rosette. Leave a hole in the center of the yo yo. Secure the yo yo by doing a couple of backstitches and knotting it for even more strength.
The final thing to do with the yo yos is to sew them all together. Arrange them into a row, experimenting with how you would like them to look. If you have all different fabrics that were used, they can be pretty mismatched along the way which leads to a very unique looking quilt. If you used a specific number of different colors and patterns with an intended look in mind, go for it! It will look double fantastic!
Once the yo yos are aligned, gather the sides together and use whipstitches to sew them together. Use some backstitching at the beginning and end to secure the two together. Keep repeating this same thing to attach them all together to make a quilt. It can be as large or as small as you like. I believe my grandmother uses close to 2000 yo yos in one quilt. But, like I said, they can be as large or as small as you like.
The yo yos can be attached to a large piece of fabric which is then put together with batting and made into a blanket of sorts. They can also be kept free from that and used as a quilt or cover just as they are – attached with some fabric backing. Yo yos can also be used as an accent on clothes, bags, pillows, small things for children.
