Tutorial--Attaching A Fabric Yo-Yo by Sewing Machine

**This tutorial is intended for personal use only.**

I would like to show you how I have been attaching fabric yo-yo's to my projects with this tutorial. I have been doing it this way for over 25 years. When I first started attaching yo-yo's to projects, it was always difficult to keep the ends from flipping up or if I tacked them down, the stitches would always show. Instead of hand-tacking a finished yo-yo to a project, I use the sewing machine to do the initial anchoring. (You can also hand stitch the initial anchoring too). This tutorial will show you how to do this and then turn it into a lovely pincushion in the end.

This is my first tutorial so please be gentle. Here goes....

The first step is to cut one 5-inch fabric circle. This will be for the yo-yo in this project. Also, cut two 5-1/2-inch circles. This will be the top and bottom of your pincushion. They can be both from the same fabric or one each from a contrasting fabric.

Please note: A 5-inch fabric circle will make a 2-1/4-inch yo-yo.

Since the yo-yo will end up being 2-1/4 inches, trace a 2-1/4-inch circle in the middle of the fabric yo-yo on the wrong side. It should look like this:



Place the right side of your yo-yo circle to the right side of the top of the pincushion circle with the yo-yo side facing up. Pin in place. It should look like this:



Use your sewing machine to stitch completely around the circle you just drew.



Now, take needle and thread and hand sew the yo-yo using a 1/4-inch running stitch. Make sure to turn the raw edges in 1/4-inch as you sew. It will look like this:



If you'd like to give your yo-yo some body, this is the time to place some fiberfil in the center. It should look like this:




Pull the thread tight and knot off. This is your completed yo-yo attached to your pincushion top. This yo-yo isn't going anywhere. It won't lift up on the edges or shift and become lopsided.




To make the pincushion, pin the upper pincushion circle to the bottom pincushion circle, right sides together. It will look like this:




This is what the back of my pincushion looks like:




Stitch by machine around the edge using a 1/4-inch seam. Be sure to leave a 1-inch opening for turning. It should look like this:




Turn right sides out and it will look like this:




To complete your pincushin, stuff with fiberfil or your preferred stuffing and handstitch the opening closed using a slip stitch. You can stop at this point and you will have a lovely pincushion. As you can see, I went a little further as my pincushion has a handsewn ricrac embellishment, a button center and also has been tufted. Embellish as you please and most of all, have fun.




I hope this tutorial has been helpful. Many people have asked me how I get my yo-yo's to look so neat on my projects and it was always hard to explain it to them. Now, my friends, you have the inside scoop and complete with pictures to boot. Enjoy!

Aloha!

**This tutorial is intended for personal use only.**

Another Day, Another Year

Well, it was bound to happen. Over the weekend I added another year to my age. My birthday wish from hubbie was for a quiet and peaceful day to do whatever I pleased. My request also included that nobody ask, "What's for breakfast...lunch...or dinner?" Hubbie brought in take-out as I really didn't feel like getting dressed up and eating in a restaurant. A break from cooking was one of the best gifts ever. I also received a lovely bouquet of yellow lillies and red roses from my son and his girlfriend.

I am happy to report that I have a new and speedy computer. No more waiting on anything anymore. The old one was so slow it would frequently come to a complete halt. It was very frustating. My son is a computer genius. He can build computers from the ground up and he built this one for me. Whenever any of our family or his friends have computer issues, he is the one they call. He's a very smart young man and I'm so happy to have him (for more reasons than building computers for me, of course...LOL).



On to today's pin...It looks very similar to the tufted pins that I recently completed. They are alike because of the general shape of their petals. The main difference, though, is how the leaves are formed. The fabric is folded toward the center which leaves a little gap down the middle of each petal. It was fun experimenting. I topped it with a faric yo-yo and a button.



This is a sneak peek of my next project. Do you have any idea what these crazy looking objects will be? I hope to show you some completed pieces real soon.

Have a nice day and thanks for stopping by.
Aloha!

Mouse and Chirpy

About nine years ago this furby walked into our lives. We found him one morning tucked in the corner beneath our front door after a night of heavy thunder and lightening. He was so tiny and only about 8 weeks old. His soft mewing is what alerted us to him. It broke my heart to think of what this little boy had endured overnight. Today, he refuses to go outside and he's still petrified of thunder and lightening. He's grown into a handsome cat and a precious family member. He's smart too. He can shake your hand and sit on command. Hubster gave him the name, Mouse.




We acquired a peach face love bird from my nephew a couple of years before Mouse came into our lives. We aptly named him Papaya because his feathers are the colors of a ripe papaya. Somewhere along the way we started calling him Chirpy, probably because of his incessant screaching, I mean, chirping. He's a very loveable and smart bird. Unlike the stereotypical cartoon characters, Tom and Jerry, Mouse and Chirpy live harmoniously with each other. They even hold their own conversations, a back and forth banter of meow, chirp, meow, chirp... It really makes one wonder what they're saying to each other. Perhaps it would go something like, "I'm going to eat you," "No you're not!" Eeeeeks!



I know you were hoping for something other than flowers, weren't you? Well, I hope I haven't let you down too much. This pin is a cluster of ume and kanzashi blossoms surrounded by 3 tiny green fabric leaves. It's barely 2-inches and such a dainty little beauty.

Have a fabulous weekend, won't you.
Aloha!

Progress...

Drumroll please. Finally, there is some progress to report. I have been digging in my heels and really working at finishing the tufted pins. It looks like my goal of completing all of them by Sunday is going to happen. I am very pleased.




On another note, I love Toaster Strudel. It is really heavenly to a sugar craving fiend like me. Waiting for it to cool down a bit would have been the wiser thing to do but I couldn't help myself. The result, a burned and blistered upper palate. All of that hot, gooey sugar was the culprit. Drinking hot tea with a burned palate is no fun either but since I'm a tea-a-holic, I couldn't help myself. And it burned it even further. But I'm not going to let that stop me one little bit. No, no, no, not me. I'm already planning what I'll be having for lunch.

Have a really sweet day, everyone.
Aloha!

A Trio of Angels

Hark! Hark! Look at this angelic trio of fabric yo-yo angel pins. I believe I've mentioned my love of fabric yo-yo's several times. I bet you were hoping it wouldn't be another flower, huh? Well, your wish has come true. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.



Since we're on the subject of yo-yo's...here is a fabric eyeglass case that was just pleading for a yo-yo embellishment.






And last but not least, here is a handbag that I made and absolutely adore. I plan to make many more for myself in the coming year. After all, a gal's gotta have a matching handbag for each outfit she owns.

Progress on the tufted pins are going well. I will post a photo of my progress tomorrow.

Have a super day!
Aloha!

Painted Whimsy

This is another pin from the archives. Yes we're back to flowers once again. This
time a pot of roses made from small wooden shapes. If you've noticed that I seem to favor flowers, you'd be right. At one point I painted all kinds of things. Always with a very simple and uncomplicated style...easy and whimsical, always whimsical.


Since we're on the subject of painted flowers, take a look at some pots I painted. I know it has nothing to do with my declaration of February as pin month, but I thought you might like to see it since it is tied in with painting. I painted flower pots for my craft fairs for quite a few years. They are heavy to lug around and require a large amount of storage space so I decided to put it on the back burner for a while. I haven't been back to it in years.

Wishing you all a very creative day.
Aloha!

Angel Pins

Since I'm happily immersed in tufted flower goodness and probably will be for the duration of this week, I would like to share a photo of some pins that I made a while back.
By this time, I'm sure you all have been wondering if I make anything other than fabric flower pins. Surprise! The answer is...yes I do. You are looking at my ribbon angels. The base is made from plastic canvas. Thin satin ribbon has been woven through the grid to create it's body and wings. Although a little time consuming, they are very rewarding to make. Just looking at those chubby angelic faces make me want to pinch their rosy cheeks. Hope you enjoy seeing them. Now, back to the dungeon, err, I mean craft room to continue with those flowers.......

Aloha!