One of my favorite crafty memories was learning how to make my very first simple stitches. With just a needle and thread, I learned the basics of hand sewing. Once you’ve tried that, sewing anything is within reach.
I recently tried the fabric yo-yo maker from Clover. I’d only tried making these cute fabric decorations without a template, but now that I’ve tried this, I can’t put it down. They come in all sizes, from tiny to jumbo. The template is perfect for sewers of all ages to try a new technique and add them to all kinds of projects, like this headband!
Materials
Instructions
| 1. The yo-yo maker comes in two pieces, so you can separate them easily once you’ve finished your creation. Start by popping the two pieces apart and placing your fabric, right-side down, into the template. |
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| 2. Next, align one of the lines on the template insert with one of the tabs on the outer rings. This will make sure the two pieces are lined up correctly. Trim the excess fabric, but not too short. About a quarter-inch height works well. |
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| 3. Cut a long piece of thread and knot the end. It’s time to start sewing! Start on the back of the template and pull your needle up through the top in one of the slits on the right side. Put your needle down through the left side of the slit, making sure to go through the remainder of the excess fabric. |
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| 4. Move around the template repeating the stitches. Your stitches should look like this on the under side. |
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| 5. Once you’re done sewing, pop the inner ring out of the bigger ring. Carefully remove the inner ring from your fabric. |
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| 6. Next, carefully pull the long end of your thread and watch the fabric gather. The thread is tough, but be gentle as you pull! Once the yo-yo is gathered, tie both ends of your thread together and trim off the excess. Fluff your yo-yo to give it shape and a yo-yo look! |
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| 8. With your hot-glue gun, apply a liberal amount of glue to the headband and attach the yo-yo. With all the different size templates available, you can layer multiple yo-yos on top of each other and top off with a button, as I did – or keep it simple by gluing one onto an over-sized barrette, shown below. |
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