How to Make a Yo-Yo Quilt With Batting

Sew one yo-yo into the center of each quilt square.

A yo-yo quilt looks like dozens of yo-yos strung together in columns and rows. Most do not have backing or use batting, but you can create your own version of the quilt by customizing and making any idea your own. The number of yo-yo’s depends upon the size of your bed, the s yo-yo size and the size of each quilt square. If you use 4-inch squares with 3.5-inch yo-yo’s, you will need approximately 450 squares and yo-yo's for a single bed, 525 for a full-size, 590 for a queen or 676 for a king-size bed.

Things You'll Need

• Compass
• Pencil
• Paper
• Pins
• Fabric
• Batting
• Scissors
• Serger
• Iron
• Needle
• Thread
• Buttons
• Sewing machine
• Ribbon
• Quilt binding

Instructions

1. Use a compass to draw a 7-inch circle pattern on a piece of paper. Cut out enough circles for your quilt top. You will need the same number of 5-inch squares and an equal number of 3.5-inch cotton batting circles. Use your paper to make patterns for the squares and batting circles and cut these out.

2. Sew your squares together with .5-inch seam allowances. Your twin quilt will have 18 rows and 25 columns, 21 rows and 25 columns for the full, 23 rows by 26 columns for the queen and 26 rows and columns for the king.

3. Take a 7-inch circle and overlock around the edge. Fold the overlocked edge to the wrong-side of the material and iron flat. Use a needle and thread and sew a running stitch through the top side of the circle and the overlocked edge. Turn the circle wrong-side up, with the needle and thread still attached, and place a batting circle in the center. Pull the running stitch until the outside edge folds into the middle of the circle around the batting. Place a few stitches into the center of the yo-yo to keep the shape before knotting the thread off and cutting the yo-yo free. Repeat for each yo-yo.

4. Place one yo-yo in the middle of each 4-inch square. Sew a button into the center of each yo-yo and square combination, using the button to secure them together.

5. Turn the quilt top right-side together with the quilt bottom and the cotton batting layer. Sew the top, batting and bottom together with a .5-inch seam allowance, leaving a 2-inch gap in one side to turn the quilt right-side out. Turn the quilt right-side out and sew the gap closed. Press the edges flat.

6. Weave a very narrow ribbon between the yo-yos, connecting all of the yo-yos in each row with a single ribbon. Pin the ribbon into place, catching the edge of each yo-yo at some point along the edge. Machine stitch along the ribbon, catching a small segment of each yo-yo with your stitches. Pin the quilt binding into place and stitch it around both sides and the foot of the quilt.

References

• Dormia Mattresses: Mattress Dimensions and Bed Sizes by Dormia
• Quilter’s Cache: Yo-Yo Quilting