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Finished Yo-Yo
Ups and Downs of Making a Fabric Yo-Yo
Fabric yo-yos are one of the easiest embellishments to make for your special project. They are also a great way to use up some of those scraps that you have stashed away. Also, they are a fun thing to do with your child to create a new look.
The yo-yo pattern is a basic circle. Your circle pattern needs to be twice as wide as you want your finished yo-yo plus a 1/4″ seam allowance. Once you have determined the size of your yo-yo pattern, draw and cut it out on a piece of heavy stock card paper or use plastic template material found in quilting supplies. Use a compass to make your circle or trace around something you might have on hand, (a drinking glass, a CD, a tin can) or purchase a yo-yo maker or a quilter’s template for circles. Here I used a roll of packing tape!!
Next trace your pattern onto the wrong side of your fabric. Some fabric choices that work best for making yo-yos are cotton, light weight denim, flannel, wool, light weight corduroy, and felt. Remember, you will be gathering up your fabric circle to form the yo-yo, so it is best to use lighter weight materials. Cut out your yo-yo with scissors or a rotary cutter. Remember, if working with a child you might have to do the cutting.
Now you will be folding in your 1/4″ seam allowance onto the wrong side of your fabric with gathering stitches. You can usually just eyeball your 1/4″ seam allowance, however, if you want to insure your seam allowance is consistent, you can sew a line of stitching 1/4″ from edge of circle and then fold in on that stitch line. I like to knot one end of my gathering stitch at the beginning and I strongly recommend using a heavy/strong thread for this step. I have had great success with Dual Duty by Coats and Clark. Also, keep in mind that short gathering stitches will create a larger, more open center on your yo-yo and longer gathering stitches will make tighter center. Something to keep in mind when determining what look you want for your finished yoyo.
To begin the gathering, pull the knotted end of thread out about 3-4″ and continue gathering from the other end until you have it as tight as you want. Once gathered, tie a tight square knot (right over left and then left over right) with your thread for a secure closure. Flatten and smooth out your finished yo-yo. Sew on buttons in the center for flowers, make a smaller yo-yo and sew on top of the larger yo-yo for a dimensional effect, make streamers with yarn or threads to hang from the yo-yo itself, let your imagine run wild.
Yo-yos make wonderful appliques (add fabric stems and leaves for flowers), decorate a headband, use them for pins or pocket accents, or add them to your jeans for a fun look too, the idea list is endless.
HAPPY CREATING!!
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Sewing Knit Cuffs Picture Tutorial
With cooler weather somewhere around the corner, you might be thinking of sewing some pj’s for the little ones or maybe a pair of “comfy” pants to lounge around in the house. Adding ribbed knit cuffs to a pattern or even to an already made piece of clothing is not too difficult.
I particularly like to add them to pajamas to help keep you warmer and I think they are a lot more comfortable than elastic around the wrist or ankle. You can convert any pattern that calls for elastic at the wrist and make yourself a ribbed cuff in its place.
Measure your wrist and/or ankle and add 1″ to that figure. That calculation will be your width measurement when cutting out your ribbed knit fabric. The length measurement is kind of a personal preference thing – I like to have a finished cuff measure 3″ long, so I will cut my length measurement 7″ long. This 7″ allows for my cuff to be folded in half ( 3 1/2″) and then allows for a 1/2″ seam allowance. So whatever your desired finished cuff length is, double that measurement and add 1″ to it for a 1/2″ seam allowance.
Now that you have your width and length measurements, cut out a paper or pellon pattern to use on the ribbing fabric. You want the fabric ribs to be going vertical on the cuff with the stretchiest part going horizontal which will be placed along the sleeve or pant edge. You will need one fabric pattern piece per sleeve or pant leg and cut out 2 of each.
With right sides together, fold your cuff pattern together with the width end measurements touching. Sew a narrow 1/4″ seam using a stretch stitch. Now serge along that same seam or use a narrow zigzag stitch or overcast stitch if you don’t have a serger. Fold in half, wrong sides together (seam lines matching). You actually have a cuff ready to be sewn to your garment.
Sew your sleeve or pants together according to your pattern directions, no need for hems or elastic if you are adding the cuffs. To insure your cuff is evenly spaced around, you will want to mark off your sleeve/pant as well as the cuff into fourths. Place a pin at the sleeve/pant seam, place another pin at the opposite side of the sleeve/pant, then find center between those two spots and place two more pins one on the top and one on the bottom of the sleeve/pant. You now have four evenly spaced pin placements to use to match your cuff. You will do the same thing on the cuff, place a pin at the seam, one directly across from it and then find center on top and bottom of cuff. Place right sides together matching your pins. Now you are ready to sew the cuff to your sleeve or pant leg.
Sewing the cuff to the sleeve/pant itself can be a little tricky because you will need to stretch the cuff but not the sleeve/pant fabric. You will keep your sleeve/pant wrong side of fabric against your sewing machine. The right side will be inside and you will place your cuff inside the sleeve/pant garment for stretching the cuff while your sew. Match your pin placements with right sides together.
Beginning at one of the matching pin placements, begin sewing a 1/2″ seam allowance. Stretch the cuff while you sew so that the second pin placement on the cuff matches to the second pin placement on the sleeve and continue around matching all four pin placements with each other and joining stitching line. To give your seam a clean finished look, you can serge the seam or stitch with a narrow zigzag or overcast stitch on the edge.
After you have sewn in your cuff, I like to add a decorative stitching on the outside to help hold the serged seam in place. I sew from the wrong side, holding down the seam and making sure the fabric underneath is smooth and flat.
Turn your sleeve right side out and you now have a wonderful cuff attached that will keep cool air out and help sleeve to stay in its place and not fall down over your hand. I like to add cuffs to pant bottoms too for the same reasons. If sewing for a child, you can add a little extra length to your pant pattern to allow for growth and the cuff will help to keep that extra length from dragging on the floor.
HAPPY CREATING!!
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crochet circle pattern
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Crochet Designing Tips – Working in the Round
When designing a crochet project that will end up being a circle or needing a round bottom (“working in the round”), there are a few simple guidelines to follow so you don’t end up with a wavy coaster or a little bowl!!
Remember, when working in the round, you must increase on each round so that your circle will lie flat. If you increase too many times, you end up with a ruffled look and if you don’t increase enough, your circle curls in on itself looking like a bowl. The wonderful crochet world has developed a “simple” guideline to help you keep your increases in proportion with the growing diameter of your circle.
The suggested beginning circle for a SC (single crochet) design would be 6 stitches. The beginning circle for a HDC (half double crochet) would be 8 stitches, for a DC (double crochet) begin with 12 stitches, and for a TR (treble crochet) it is best to begin with 18 stitches.
Once you have crocheted your beginning circle and joined with a SL (slip) stitch, place a marker so you know that is the start of your round. Now for the next increase round, you will work two stitches of your choice into every stitch that forms your circle.
Again, join with a SL stitch, move your marker and get ready for your third round. For this round, you will increase by working two stitches into every other stitch.
Repeat with your SL stitch, replace your starting point marker and begin your fourth round increases by working two stitches into every third stitch. Your fifth round increases would be working two stitches into every fourth stitch. Continue increasing in this pattern until your circle is as large and round as you want it to be.
By staggering your increases in the above fashion, the diameter of your circle will grow evenly and have a nice finished look.
Experiment with various types of yarns and different sized hooks to achieve a wide variety of crocheted circles.
Just imagine all the fun ways to use your circles — add them to clothing, make unique jewelry, update an old pillow or sweater or just use them alone as a wonderful coaster for that special cup of tea or coffee!!
- TIP: Crochet 4 CH (chain stitches), join with a SL stitch and within that circle begin your SC – 6 CH for HDC – 10 CH for DC – 12 CH for TR.
HAPPY CREATING!!
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