YoYo How To

They now have yoyo making tools. Here is a stack of mine, though I see my littlest one missed being photographed. It is the size down from the green one. The yoyo makers are made by Clover and you can get them here at Periwinkle Quilt Shop in Grosvenor Mall on 8th and probably in some other places, too. Clover also makes oval, heart, flower, butterfly and shamrock shaped yoyo makers.

I used to just trace circles on fabric, cut them out, stitch, gather and secure. Easy enough without a tool but I find I do like the tool. You snap your fabric into it and then just free-hand cut the circle shape after that. The stitch guides are no-brainers and it means your yoyo's will come out exactly the same size and shape every time. Otherwise, the size and the whether they gather tightly or not depends on how closely you make your stitches.

So far I've only tried the orange tool, it being the most "usual size" of yoyo's. Once I finish using it for my 30's fabrics, I'll try some other sizes.

The photos below are of the front of the yoyo tool with the fabric snapped into it, the back, and then a gathered yoyo waiting for me to secure a knot.

Easy peasy. Though, instead of following the enclosed instructions, I recommend watching a yoyo video to get you started. I mucked a few up before I finally searched out a video. This video from Australia is good, too. The finishing method is slightly different and, at the end of the video, you will see ALL of the various yoyo makers and yoyo's made with each of them.

Now that I've tried some yoyo's, though, I need to finish appliqueing all of the squares for Hannah's quilt. I have 10 to go.