How to Make Yo-Yo Quilts With a Clover Template
Yo-Yo quilts are a long-standing tradition in quilting and were quite popular in the 1930 Depression era as quilters discovered a way to effectively use up their quilting scraps. Yo-yo's are easily made over a round form, usually made of cardboard or plastic by the sewer themselves. Yo-yo's are little round rosettes made by gathering fabric around these templates. The Clover company has developed a new yo-yo making template that makes the job easier and lets the quilter create neater, more circular, tidier puffs.
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Things You'll Need
- Clover yo-yo template
- Scraps of cotton fabric
- Scissors
- Hand sewing needle
- Sewing Thread
Instructions
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1
Separate your Clover Yo-Yo Template into two halves; a disk and plate. Note that on the disk containing the cutout hole you will find a bump on the outside edge and on the dull side of the plate you will find a line. The ridge and the line match for snapping the two halves of the yo-yo maker together.
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With the yo-yo template separated put a piece of cotton fabric over the bottom disk. remembering that you should see the right side of the fabric through the hole in its center. Flipping it over so you are looking at the back of the fabric, find the ridge on the bottom disk. Align the line of the top plate with the ridge in the bottom disk and snap the halves together with the fabric sandwiched in the middle. Trim fabric approximately 1/4-inch from the edge of the template.
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3
Thread your hand sewing needle with general purpose thread. Knot the single strand. Note the small half-circle openings encircling the edge of the template. Holding the excess 1/4-inch fabric to the back to make your hem, bring your sewing needle up into any one of those openings, from the back of the template and the rear of your fabric. Come up on the right side of what looks like a smiley face, and go back down on the left side of that same face. Repeat around the entire perimeter.
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4
Finish the running stitch when the circuit is complete, leaving the sewing needle on the right side of the fabric. Separate the plate from the disk. Gently pull the fabric from the template, taking care to not disturb stitching. Pull up the gathers while making sure to keep the circular opening in the center. Pick up the tip of each pleat around the circular opening with your needle to close up the circle with a tidy look. Make a small knot to secure. Bury the thread in the fabric and cut the end of the thread close to the fabric.
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The Clover yo-yo templates come in a variety of shapes although the circle is the traditional one. Full quilts are made by joining the individual yo-yo puffs together with small invisible stitches and then stitched on top of a backing fabric to support their weight. Yo-yo quilts are not quilted and are considered decorative. Individual yo-yo's are also used as embellishments on top of traditional quilts, on clothing, and household items.
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