How to Sew Heart Shaped Yoyos

Yoyos have been a part of the American quilting tradition for years. Many crafters use the traditional round shape in home décor as well as an accent on scrapbooking and paper projects. With a new twist, you can sew heart-shaped yoyos to add to your handicraft projects.

Things You'll Need

• Fabric swatches
• Heart-shaped template
• Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
• Needle
• Thread
• Buttons

Instructions

1. Purchase a heart-shaped yoyo template or make your own from a piece of cardboard or plastic. The template needs to be about twice as big as you want your finished yoyo to be.

2. Gather some small fabric scraps. Heart-shaped yoyos made of fabric are a good way to use up scraps of cotton material. Have your other fabrics close by before you start the project.

3. Cut out the heart-shaped yoyos. You can cut several out at a time if you stack the fabric swatches and use a rotary cutter on a mat to cut them.

4. Make a 3/8-inch fold around the heart shape. Finger press it in place.

5. Thread the needle. Starting at the V-shape on the left side of the heart, sew a running stitch about ¼-inch in from the edge to the lower point of the heart. Leave a two-inch tail of thread. Do not tie it off. Sew a running stitch around the right side of the heart from the V-shape to the lower point. Once again, leave a tail.

6. Take both tails and pull the heart shape into the yoyo form. You should not pull the threads too tight or they might break. Tie the tails together.

7. Insert the needle behind the V-shaped portion of the heart. Pull the needle through to the front. Insert the needle in the V again and once again pull it out the front. This defines the V.

8. Sew a button on the yoyo over the hole formed by the gathers. To raise the button for a 3-D effect, wrap some thread under the button and around its thread to form a shank.