Yo-Yo Project

Remember the yo-yo's from this post? I finally took photos of the finished project so that I can share it with you!

It's a yo-yo coverlet! I made it to hang in my living room. It was such a fun and easy project. Seriously easy. Anyone can make one of these...and actually, you could get your whole family involved, taking turns making yo-yo's. No sewing machine required. You don't even need to purchase fabrics if you don't want to. Use fabric scraps or cut up some old clothing, curtains or bed sheets. I found the idea and tutorial on The Purl Bee blog. They show you step-by-step, with photos, how to make the yo-yo's and sew them together.

I chose to make larger yo-yo's for my coverlet, about 3 1/2 inches wide using the Jumbo Yo-Yo Maker by Clover. I love their yo-yo makers - they really do make the process super easy! My finished coverlet size is 27 x 45 and consists of 104 yo-yo's. Sounds like a lot doesn't it? It isn't really. You can make them pretty quickly and they don't take much concentration - so you can work on them while chatting or watching TV.

The blog post at the Purl Bee mentions being inspired by the quilts of Gees Bend. I just so happen to have the book, The Quilts of Gees Bend, and poured through it for my own inspiration. I was actually inspired by the quilt that is on the book's cover. If you ever get a chance to look through that book, you should - so inspiring - the quilts and the women who made them.

This is the quilt I replaced with my yo-yo coverlet. I made this quilt seven years ago. While I still love it, the time had come for a change. Now we're actually using this quilt for warmth...or at least we will once it gets cold here.

Preparing the coverlet to hang on your wall is pretty easy. Generally, with a quilt, you sew a strip of fabric to the back that serves as a sleeve for a piece of wood to slide into. I thought I would do the same for the coverlet, but realized I wouldn't be able to create a sleeve narrow enough to hide behind the yo-yo's that would fit my wood strip. I ended up just stitching the wood right to the yo-yo's. It will be kind of a pain to remove and reattach when I wash the coverlet...but honestly, how often will I wash it? Certainly not often enough, which was proven when I took down the other quilt to hang this one - lots of dust built up. Ick. (Just keeping it real.) Besides, it really only takes about five minutes to sew the wood piece to the back of the coverlet. It takes just a couple stitches per yo-yo. Wrap the floss around the wood and pass it through the back of each yo-yo and tie off. It doesn't look real pretty, but will be hidden once you hang your coverlet.

You can find thin, lightweight strips of wood and dowels at most craft stores. I picked this one up at Michaels for under $1. You can find picture hanging hardware at lots of stores. I probably picked these up at Target. I found the package in our junk drawer. 

Let me know if you have any questions, and if you decide to make one of your own I'd love to see it!