Making Yo Yo's

 

It was such a beautiful day in upstate New York today that I sat out on my porch and made some yo yo's.  Yo yo's, for those of you who don't sew, are little flowers made from fabric.  (I am always amazed at how many of my friends don't know what a yo yo is!)

Although you can just cut out a circle shape using a cup, I like to use the Sizzix Big Shot with the scallop circle die cuts to make mine with.  That way it is easier to know where to sew your stitches and they come out so much more uniform.  I sew and up and down one stitch in each little scallop.

Once you have sewn around the circle, gently tug on your thread to gather the stitches together.  Keep tugging until they all come together in the center.  Then secure them with a few stitches sewn back and forth.  I am making these orange and brown yo yo's for a zippered pouch.  (More to come on that once I finish it!)

This is a pic of the end table (or coffee table) cover that I  made.  I laid out the yo yo's on a cookie sheet so that I could carry it around with me while sewing them together.

 Making yo yo's is addicting.  You can't stop at making just one!  

What sort of things do you like to do with them?

Baby Items

I had a baby shower to go to for a friend of mine who is expecting her first baby.  She doesn't know the sex of the baby, so it made it hard to pick colors for the gift!  I made her this framed poem and decorated it with greens, tans, peach and yellows.

I found this poem in an Abbey Lane Quilt book and thought that it was so beautiful.  Every time I read it, it makes me cry!

I made her the shower card to match the framed poem.  Then I realized that I had added more orange and brown to it!  I'm not sure if they are baby colors, but it just evolved that way!

My friend is "green" and wants to use cloth diapers and wash cloths instead of wipies.  So I made her 12 washcloths from flannel and terry cloth.  I cut them out 8 1/2 inches and after they are sewn, they measure 8" square.  Then I made up a couple of bibs with the same colors.  It's so hard to guess the colors if you don't know if it's a girl or boy!

I also made a little owl plush toy.  I added some ribbon to attach the links to add toys.  The top link can be attached to a stroller or other so the baby can't drop it.  I found the owl pattern in Baby Essentials Made Easy book that I found in JoAnn's.  I hope she likes them, even if they are weird colors!