Fabric Yo Yo Flowers

You will need:

- fabric

- needle and thread (strong thread...I'm using embroidery floss

- circle template and pen

- scissors

Now I am by no means a "seamstress", so don't expect me to use any fancy sewing lingo or terms. That being said, if I can do this technique with little to no sewing background, it should be no problem for you either!

Step One: Trace your circle onto the wrong side of your fabric. I like to use the latest technology in templates...a cream cheese container and roll of masking tape.

Look...there's a circle!
Now, I'm going to let you know right now that the inside of a roll of this particular brand of masking tape is too small. You flower will not turn out. It will look goofy and you will shake your head! Trust me...I'll show you in a moment! Your circle needs to be twice as big as you want your flower to be.
Step Two: Fold down all the edges. The other tutorial I read about this called this by a word I have never heard before, and I will not repeat it here. The fold can be very narrow. It will look bumpy...let me rephrase...mine looked bumpy and it turned out okay, do don't worry if your edge is bumpy.
I ironed my edges because then they kind of stay put when you start to stitch them.
They don't have to be ironed completely flat. Once you start stitching you need to hold the edges down and maybe refold, but it's not a big deal.
Step Three: Now start stitching. This is my example of what not to do. My stitches are too far away from the edge. They need to be much closer. You can space them close together or farther apart. This will change how it gathers (far apart = tighter gathered).
This is a picture of my masking tape flower...see how tiny it is? Please don't ask me why Blogger flipped every single one of my pictures today. It is now only mildly annoying. And I can't fix them in Picasa, so...anyways...
This is my good example! See how circular my circle is? And how close my stitches are to the edge! Do this!!
Step Four: Once you have completed stitching along the edge, you can start pulling on the end of your thread. Make sure your yo yo starts folding back in on itself. You want it to be fairly flat on the back. If it doesn't do it automatically, guide it along before you keep pulling.
The finished yo yos. See the terrible one on the right? Aren't you happy to be able to learn from my mistakes!?
I'm just finishing the layout now...I'll be back later!

I'm back...it has taken me three days to post this, but here is the finished layout...finally!

and some detail shots of the yo yo...which looks pretty slick if I do say so myself!!

and I really like the addition of this button strip...not sure where I picked these up, but this is the way buttons are sold at fabric shops...all on one strip of card. this is a super fun and easy way to add a row of buttons to your layout!

 

later...