A Bit of Yoyo History – More Yoyo Uses

Along with the table matts and ornaments I showed you last week, I like to make flowers out of the yoyos.  Just the shape and texture of a finished flower gives it the look of a flower.

Sometimes for the center of the yoyo I will put a button but also a smaller yoyo.  The big yoyo is 2 inches in diameter, the center yoyo is ¾ inch. 

The yoyo flowers in the first picture above are actually pins.  Just sew (or glue) a small safety pin or a jewelry pin you can buy at a craft shop to the back.

Besides pins, you can use yoyo to embellish other items of clothing.  I like wearing pins, so the only yoyos I have on clothes is on a sweatshirt jacket I made many years ago. 

Most of the time when I make yoyos I do it the old fashion way but cutting a circle, stitching the edges and then gathering the stitches, (Next week’s blog will be a tutorial on how to make a yoyo), but there are yoyo maker out there that help people make yoyos.  There are various size round yoyo makers and some that are shapes.  I have two heart yoyo makers (when you have a blog and a business entitled Heartfully Cheryl you have to have heart shaped yoyos.).

I use the heart shaped one in various ways which I will show you but a favorite has been embellishing my hat.  Living in Texas you have to have a hat at times but you don’t want just a plan one.  I have two sizes to the heart yoyo makers and I used both of them here.

Now since we usually talk about yoyos in relation to quilts, how can yoyos be used in quilts.  One way I used them is to make designs.  The heart and the peace sign are my two favorite designs.  I arrange them on fabric, take a little glue stick to temporary keep them in place and then applique them down.  The wall hanging pictured use my tiny ¾ inch yoyos.

Here is how I used the heart yoyos in a wall hanging.  This is called When Peace Shines, Love Blooms.

And yoyos are a great way to give texture and interest to a solid area.  Santa would look great with just a piece of fabric for his beard, but the yoyos give it a little texture.it is hard to see in this picture but there are read and green yoyos along the rim of his cap as well as a yoyo for the cap tassel.  

And who says a wall hanging has to remain square or rectangle.  Here is a heart shaped wall hanging with yoyos hanging from the edge.  There are 3 little round yoyos with a heart yoyo at the end.

So, you see you don’t have to just make a yoyo quilt to have fun with yoyos.  You can use them for all kinds of things and in all kinds of ways.  Next week will be a tutorial on how to make a yoyo (the old fashion way).  I hope this gets you yoyoing.

© 2021 Cheryl Fillion