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If you’re new here, “Something is Better Than Nothing” is a micro blog series where I share what’s going on in my sewing room this week, no matter how small and unfiltered. I hope to encourage you to celebrate your little “somethings,” too, because something is better than nothing. Happy sewing, Mama!
Here’s something that happened in my sewing room this week:
Making Fabric Yo-Yos On the Go
So, technically, this didn’t happen in my sewing room…but that’s kinda why it’s magic!
We recently got a new sectional for our back deck. We didn’t have any furniture there before, so it feels like we suddenly have a whole new living space!
I’ve really enjoyed sitting out there while Jack naps and Pippa plays and turning a stack of scraps into yo-yos. I use a Clover yo-yo maker, and they come out perfect every time!
Pippa loves to help with my yo-yos. She’s 3 years old, so I don’t let her handle the needle just yet (although I don’t think she’s very far from learning with heavy supervision and assistance). But she loves to choose which fabric I use next and pop the discs apart. She’s tried a time or two to pull the thread to gather the yo-yo together. For more ideas about how to get little kids involved and learning to sew, check out my blog on 7 safe ways.
I made a portable yo-yo-making kit and keep it together in a small clear upcycled packaging bag. I’m pretty sure bath toys came in this bag? No, it was tiny dinosaurs. Wait, was it a set of paints? Point is, you probably have one of these lying around.
Materials to Build Your Own Portable Yo-Yo-Making Kit:
- Clover yo-yo maker (comes in 4 sizes)
- Stack of scraps large enough for your maker size
- Small scissors
- Needle
- Thread
- Small box or bag to contain it all and take on the go!
If portable sewing sounds good to you, I also wrote a guide for building a portable kit for sewing 9 patches that you can download by subscribing to my newsletter. These kits are great to have on hand to get a little sewing done when you’re outside, on the bleachers, or even on the road.
Yo-Yo Project Ideas
I’ve been collecting ideas on a Pinterest board, but I don’t have a plan for what I’m going to do with all of these yo-yos yet.
One idea I had for just a few pairs of yo-yos is making a memory game for Pippa. She is obsessed with finding matches right now – colors, numbers, socks, you name it, she’ll find a match for it! – so I thought I’d stitch a yo-yo onto one side of a neutral felt square, make a matching partner, do this for maybe 5-10 pairs, and make a little bag for her to keep them in, too. I will definitely show you when I try this out!
Ideas for using up yo-yos from around the internet:
- Yo-yo Modern Art Piece from Racheldaisy Dodd
- Coverlet from Purl Soho
- Embellishing a Quilt from Martha Jane Creations
- 4th of July Decor from Jann Olson
I hope to make several different yo-yo projects eventually. Until then, I’ll just be out on the deck, kicked back, enjoying the breeze, stitching and pulling up a million yo-yos! Haha, just kidding, I have a 9-week-old, remember?! In all seriousness, I probably made 3 in the last week, so this could take a while…
Pin for later:
