I threw a birthday party for my 2-yr-old nephew, Nathan, yesterday. We had the whole family over and everyone chipped in. Mom brought balloons, sister did the cake, lil’ bro brought soda and Nathan’s ma & pa provided the food. All that was left were the decorations and favors — a far easier load than anticipated. However, I’m afraid I may have gotten all of the credit. So, this being my one public forum, I’d like to thank everyone for the help! Happy Birthday Nato! — and all of my love to your mom & dad!
On a different note, Laura has posted some new photos of her home, including the bedspread curtains I was telling you about. She’ll be stuck in bed for the next number of days, so send her well-wishes and some links to fun stuff (she has the company of a laptop with wi-fi). Have I mentioned that Laura is great? Laura, Laura, Laura.
And, lastly, after a number of requests, I’ve added a Yo-Yo Tutorial to my sidebar. Yo-yos are among the simplest things to sew, so the tutorial is quick and easy. There are, however, some helpful tips about stitch length, and the beginnings of a project gallery at the end — I’ll add more yo-yo projects in as I complete them.Â
But…the…best…part…is… that I was able to use one of my own fabrics in the tutorial. And, not in a sneaky, you-can’t-really-see-what-I’m-talking-about kind of way, like the last teaser. Instead, there’s a nice, crystal-clear peek at one of my polkadotty paisleys (in brown), so go check out the tutorial!
Oh, and no, the green polkadot is not mine. <!– ckey=”5CC96513″ –>

Thanks for the great tutorial…so very clear. I love your fabric! Can’t wait till it’s available.
Weird! A couple of years ago my mum brought back a stack of bags from a tribe she visited in China with these yo-yo things sewn on them. It’s apparently the special craft of that area… and they’re exactly the same as your yo-yos!
Thank you for the how to 🙂
I was able to see a sneak peek at your fabric line at a recent trade show.
:DROOL: It is AWESOME
Thank you so much for the tutorial – so clear and easy to follow. Sorry, but the picture of your fabric is a tease because we can’t buy it yet!
I’m looking forward to trying this out! Thanks so much for a very clear (and beautifully photographed I might add) tutorial. I also wanted to point out that on the new season of Project Runway, one of the contestants (Angela) has used yo-yo’s in several of her designs. It hasn not always been to critical acclaim, but last week she won the challenge with an outfit using yo-yo’s as embellishment on the buttons and neck of a jacket. Who knew!?
Yay! I’ve been making lots of yo-yos (of Suffolk puffs, as we British call them). You can see them here http://mantua-maker.blogspot.com/2006/08/suffolk-puffs-obsession.html
Lovely fabric, too. Don’t suppose it will make it over here?
ruth
What a brilliant tutorial! Great photos, clear instructions. I was just at a quilt museum over the weekend, and saw a wonderful vintage yo-yo quilt, and wondered how they were done. Thank you so much for putting this together. I adore your yo-yo flowers, too!
heather this is so wonderful, and your fabric is so beautiful! thank you so much for this wonderful tutorial and i am so looking forward to that big release date!
Thank you so much for the tutorial; it is clear and nicely written with great photos. Your fabric is marvelous!
Yay! Another tutorial! Can’t wait for your fabric to be available!
do you EVER stop?? your tutorials are great! you amaze me.
fantastic tutorial! thanks so much for adding this. And – the fabric? fantastic! can’t wait to touch it in person!
Beautiful tutorial Heather, as always! You really have the nicest site. I design for a living and you are certainly an inspiration. 🙂
Can I ask what camera you use for your pictures? Your photos always come out so lovely. I’m at tuliptoe (at) gmail (dot) com if you want to drop me a line. Or just reply in here! I always read your comments too!
Thanks again for sharing your talents!
Thank you for the great tutorial! And your fabric is beautiful!
Lovely tutorial. Thank you.
Wow, super Tutorial and I actually have circles cut out already, I’ve been dying to make these – nice timing!
Great fabric, I’ll definitely be buying it when it comes out.
Thanks,
Mary
Thanks for the tutorial! I’ve used it when decorating a pencil case today, and it’s so fun to make those Yo-Yos!
Great tutorial and great fabric…can’t wait to see it in the stores.
Your fabric is lovely! When and where can we get ahold of it?
Utterly gorgeous fabric, it will fly off the shelves.
Thank you for another great tutorial! I am looking forward to seeing your line of full line of fabric!
thank you for doing this I am in a yo-yo swap on another site. It has been so nice to refer people to your site to say “there is a good tutorial go to…”. Thank you my three litle girls have been making them too 8, 7 and 5 years if they can make them any one can.
Thank you for the tutorial! I’ve been thinking of making a yoyo quilt and your tutorial was just the little nudge I needed to get started. Very clear directions. Sewing isn’t always intuitive to me so I appreciate when I can find instructions – even if it’s just to validate that I’m on the right track.
P.S. I flat out adore your Freshcut line of fabrics. I’ve never made a bedsize quilt before but I think I’m going to have to branch out and make one now.
Beautiful blog and same goes to the things you made.