I’d forgotten all about those little fabric yo-yos that Nana pieced together to make a bedspread, years before I was born. Forgot them, that is, until last weekend’s community yard sale. One of our neighbours sold a pair of vintage pillow cases appliqued with dainty flowers made of gathered fabric circles — the set was snatched right up in no time. And no wonder —
As the talented Heather Bailey says,
Fabric yo-yos are fun and super easy to make! A highly portable project, you can make yo-yos in various sizes to embellish a favorite t-shirt, a purse or a ponytail elastic. Go nuts and make a whole bedspread by sewing your yo-yos end-to-end, as was popular in the 1930s & 40s.
To make a yoyo — just cut a circle of fabric that’s twice as big as you want the yo-yo to end up, then turn the raw edge under by ¼-inch with a simple in-and-out running stitch. Carefully pull on the thread ends to gather up the circle, and tie it off. Squash the yo-yo flat — and there you have it!
Heather’s done up a nice how to make a yo-yo tutorial with step-by-step photos, and even a couple of shots of the fabric yo-yos in action as folksy faux flowers.
It’s all stirred up a few fond memories of Nana’s old bedspread (I wonder what ever happened to that?) and now I’m starting to think in terms of new covers for the throw pillows on the porch wicker… so very pre-war retro, all sweet innocence and charming summer romance…
