All about yo-yos

Much to my surprise, I've had a lot of questions about yo-yos--what they are, how to use them, but no one has asked how to make them. Hmm...

Anyway, I have no proof, but I think yo-yos were another product of the Victorian era, those lovely, idle ladies who were looking for yet another way to decorate with fabric. The early ones were probably made of silks and velvets, like the crazy quilts.

Yo-yo quilts are not really quilts in the traditional sense. The yo-yos are sewn on top of a backing fabric which shows through the yo-yos. Sometimes, the yo-yos are stitched together without a backing and used as a coverlet.

This would be an example of yo-yos used as a coverlet, just imagine that the expanse of your bed is covered with these, with a white or ivory sheet underneath.



Now, imagine that you wanted a more dramatic backing. You could sew the yo-yos to a darker fabric, or maybe a rose color in a little girls room. Imagine how feminine these would look done in pastel florals, sewn to a pink background.



In the 1970's this craft became popular again. I've seen them made into sleeveless vests worn over turtleneck sweaters. I've seen them covering throw pillows. If you dig through your memories, I'll bet you can remember a grandmother or aunt that had these pillows. Lately, I've seen them made into purses and used as a brooch or decoration on a purse. And of course, there are animals. And clowns.

Camera bags and yo-yos

It's been a busy week for sewing.

My new camera doesn't have a case. I haven't bought one because I like to carry it in my purse, and a bag large enough to fit the camera won't fit in my purse. It isn't really a problem-I'm very careful with my purse, because I'm use to having a camera in there. The lens has a cap, but I was worried about the viewing screen getting scratched. I know it wouldn't be a catastrophe, but there is no point in taking chances.

So, I bought some gorgeous quilted fabric and made my own.



It is not quite as firm as I expected--it probably could have benefitted from some interfacing, but the inside of the quilted fabric was just so pretty that I wanted it to show. If I had used 2 layers of the fabric, it would have made it too bulky. So, this will work just fine.

Just look at that gorgeous inner fabric.



I still need to put some sort of closure on it, but it fits nicely in my purse and will keep it from getting scratched.

And for Yoko, we have yo-yos! Do these colors look ok? Because if not, I can easily adjust them. I'm using mostly primary colors, but if you'd rather, I can put in more pastels or florals.



I meant to make more butterflies today, and I did actually get more cut out, but machine time just didn't happen. Maybe tomorrow.