Making Fabric Yoyos

At last, a crafty post! My crafty brain must be slowly coming to life :)

I've been thinking for a little while of ways to embellish my zipper pouches, and yesterday morning I got up and thought - hmmmmm, fabric yoyos - it took me a while to remember the name of these funny little round things! I think I've picked up on their use from some of my American bloggie pals and they certainly seem to originate from the USA, seemingly used to decorate patchwork quilts and cushions, etc in the first half of the twentieth century. Yes, I have done a little homework because I always like to know where things originate from, particularly where crafts are concerned.

There are lots of tutorials on the internet on how to make them - they're very simple and I didn't buy a special template or yoyo-maker, I just cut out a circle of fabric using the lid of a container, turned in the edges of the circle and sewed all the way round. Once you pull the stitches tight you're left with a little puff ball, which when flattened leaves you with your yoyo or 'Suffolk Puff' as they also seem to be known as - Voila!

I added a little pearl button in the centre of this one as I was left with a little hole (rightly or wrongly!). I believe you can alter the length of the stitches to alter the gathering, and size of hole - well, I suppose that would be obvious if you think about it!! I think they have a very 'retro' look and reminded me very much of 50s or 60s styling - a bit like the crochet revolution they seem to have come back into fashion recently. I'm liking them, they're quick and easy to make - Yoyos a go-go!!

Here's some (not very good!!) images of how I made mine - it was a little early in the day, with poor lighting, but you'll get the gist!:

Following a tip on one internet tutorial, I knotted my thread but left a tail at the end so that you could tie the two threads together when you finish stitching right round - knot the two threads together a few times and tuck inside the yoyo (tucking the seam inside too). I used quite a small seam allowance as you can see in the pics.

Happy Yoyo-making :)