Going Yo-Yo

I threw a birthday party for my 2-yr-old nephew, Nathan, yesterday.  We had the whole family over and everyone chipped in.  Mom brought balloons, sister did the cake, lil' bro brought soda and Nathan's ma & pa provided the food. All that was left were the decorations and favors -- a far easier load than anticipated.  However, I'm afraid I may have gotten all of the credit.  So, this being my one public forum, I'd like to thank everyone for the help!  Happy Birthday Nato! -- and all of my love to your mom & dad!

On a different note, Laura has posted some new photos of her home, including the bedspread curtains I was telling you about.  She'll be stuck in bed for the next number of days, so send her well-wishes and some links to fun stuff (she has the company of a laptop with wi-fi).  Have I mentioned that Laura is great?  Laura, Laura, Laura.

And, lastly, after a number of requests, I've added a Yo-Yo Tutorial to my sidebar.  Yo-yos are among the simplest things to sew, so the tutorial is quick and easy.  There are, however, some helpful tips about stitch length, and the beginnings of a project gallery at the end -- I'll add more yo-yo projects in as I complete them. 

But...the...best...part...is...
that I was able to use one of my own fabrics in the tutorial.  And, not in a sneaky, you-can't-really-see-what-I'm-talking-about kind of way, like the last teaser.  Instead, there's a nice, crystal-clear peek at one of my polkadotty paisleys (in brown), so go check out the tutorial!

Oh, and no, the green polkadot is not mine. <!-- ckey="5CC96513" -->

Comments

[Lisa G]

Thanks for the great tutorial...so very clear. I love your fabric! Can't wait till it's available.

[princesspumpkin]

Weird! A couple of years ago my mum brought back a stack of bags from a tribe she visited in China with these yo-yo things sewn on them. It's apparently the special craft of that area... and they're exactly the same as your yo-yos!

[Sewzanne]

Thank you for the how to :)
I was able to see a sneak peek at your fabric line at a recent trade show.
:DROOL: It is AWESOME

[caroline]

Thank you so much for the tutorial - so clear and easy to follow. Sorry, but the picture of your fabric is a tease because we can't buy it yet!

[Tanya]

I'm looking forward to trying this out! Thanks so much for a very clear (and beautifully photographed I might add) tutorial. I also wanted to point out that on the new season of Project Runway, one of the contestants (Angela) has used yo-yo's in several of her designs. It hasn not always been to critical acclaim, but last week she won the challenge with an outfit using yo-yo's as embellishment on the buttons and neck of a jacket. Who knew!?

[Ruth singer]

Yay! I've been making lots of yo-yos (of Suffolk puffs, as we British call them). You can see them here http://mantua-maker.blogspot.com/2006/08/suffolk-puffs-obsession.html

Lovely fabric, too. Don't suppose it will make it over here?
ruth

[Sister Diane]

What a brilliant tutorial! Great photos, clear instructions. I was just at a quilt museum over the weekend, and saw a wonderful vintage yo-yo quilt, and wondered how they were done. Thank you so much for putting this together. I adore your yo-yo flowers, too!

[hannah]

heather this is so wonderful, and your fabric is so beautiful! thank you so much for this wonderful tutorial and i am so looking forward to that big release date!

[June]

Thank you so much for the tutorial; it is clear and nicely written with great photos. Your fabric is marvelous!

[HVM]

Yay! Another tutorial! Can't wait for your fabric to be available!

[lera]

do you EVER stop?? your tutorials are great! you amaze me.

[kelly]

fantastic tutorial! thanks so much for adding this. And - the fabric? fantastic! can't wait to touch it in person!

[tulip]

Beautiful tutorial Heather, as always! You really have the nicest site. I design for a living and you are certainly an inspiration. :)
Can I ask what camera you use for your pictures? Your photos always come out so lovely. I'm at tuliptoe (at) gmail (dot) com if you want to drop me a line. Or just reply in here! I always read your comments too!

Thanks again for sharing your talents!

[Veronica TM]

Thank you for the great tutorial! And your fabric is beautiful!

[Michelle]

Lovely tutorial. Thank you.

[Mary]

Wow, super Tutorial and I actually have circles cut out already, I've been dying to make these - nice timing!
Great fabric, I'll definitely be buying it when it comes out.

Thanks,
Mary

[Posidriv]

Thanks for the tutorial! I've used it when decorating a pencil case today, and it's so fun to make those Yo-Yos!

[Mary]

Great tutorial and great fabric...can't wait to see it in the stores.

[Rebecca]

Your fabric is lovely! When and where can we get ahold of it?

[Megan]

Utterly gorgeous fabric, it will fly off the shelves.

[Alison]

Thank you for another great tutorial! I am looking forward to seeing your line of full line of fabric!

[sunshine]

thank you for doing this I am in a yo-yo swap on another site. It has been so nice to refer people to your site to say "there is a good tutorial go to...". Thank you my three litle girls have been making them too 8, 7 and 5 years if they can make them any one can.

[Andrea]

Thank you for the tutorial! I've been thinking of making a yoyo quilt and your tutorial was just the little nudge I needed to get started. Very clear directions. Sewing isn't always intuitive to me so I appreciate when I can find instructions - even if it's just to validate that I'm on the right track.

P.S. I flat out adore your Freshcut line of fabrics. I've never made a bedsize quilt before but I think I'm going to have to branch out and make one now.

[ILikePaperCutting]

Beautiful blog and same goes to the things you made.