Linda Brown, Sue Dittler, Sandy Miller, Lucy Ricardo, and Carole Thommen Edited by: Sharon Reilly Teena Livsey
YO-YO s especially ornament balls By: Lucy Ricardo Supply list: Scraps of fabric 1 ½ circle template 1 ¼ straight pins Very strong thread (30/3 GIMP) or hand quilting thread Decorative beads (check to ensure pins will go through bead) 4mm. works Single eye pins (find in the jewelry section of craft store) Styrofoam Ball (not recommend for smaller that 3 diameter) Sewing needs and thimble Yo-Yos are one of those orphan techniques included in the quilters library. Basically it is a circle of fabric, gathered into a puff and used in a variety of ways. It can be an add-on attractive 3-D touch a common use is as a center in appliqué flowers. Many yo-yo s can be sewn together to make a colorful bedspread. (An award winning quilt at Mid-Atlantic a few years ago had an outer border of yo-yo s). The quilt show ribbons for Mountain Comforts were based on very large yo-yo s. Yo-Yos are a wonderful way to use up scraps especially very small scraps. They are easy to make while riding in the car or sitting in guilt guild meetings. Of course once you ve made a few hundred of the little things, a project is needed, thus the ornament balls. 1 ½ diameter fabric circle (drawing for illustration only NOT A Template) Cutting and Assembling Instructions: 1. Using the 1 ½ diameter circle template, draw shape on the right side of the fabric. 2 of 13
2. Cut out the circle leaving a ¼ turn-under allowance. Circle size 1 ¾ after cut out. This helps pad the finished yo-yo. 3. Using a very strong thread, hand stitch around the outer edge of the circle turning under on the drawn line. Hide your knot in the fold and pull the thread through to the right side to begin stitching. Stitch using a medium size (1/8 to ¼ spaced) gathering stitch. Do not try to use your finest quilting stitch, there will be too many gathers to pull up and the finished yo-yo will not lay flat. 4. Space your stitches so the needle for the last stitch comes up on top. Draw up the yo-yo by pulling the thread while holding your thumb in the middle. This helps keep the turned down edges in place. Then take your thumb out and hold over the center while drawing up tightly. Adjust the gathers if necessary. 5. Pull the thread through to the back of the yo-yo. Take about 3 back stitches to fasten the thread securely and bury the thread end inside the yo-yo. 6. Cover the Styrofoam ball with the little yo-yo s. Start with one and attach to the ball with a bead and long stick pin. Moisten the stick pin with a little glue to help it adhere when the ball is hung. 7. Go around the center yo-yo making a ring of overlapping yo-yos until the ball is covered. 8. Overlap the yo-yo s as you fasten them onto the Styrofoam ball using a bead with a pin in its center. Start with a single yo-yo and build a ring around ball. Add more overlapping rings until the ball is covered. Insert the jewelry single eye pin into the last yo-yo and thread a hanging cord in through the hole. 9. Run a hanging cord through the stick pin knot and enjoy your ornament! 3 of 13
Fast Fun Pinwheels in Candle Mat By: Linda Brown Supplies List: This method works well with charm packages but any 5 square will do. This is a perfect use for your scraps. Appropriate matching thread 3 coordinating Fat Quarters (to complete as candle mat) Cutting and Assembling: 1. Cut two 5 inch squares of contrasting fabrics. 2. Put the 2 fabrics, right sides together. Sew ¼ seam around all 4 sides. 3. Cut on diagonal in both directions, this will give you four squares when pressed open. 4. Press each square to the dark side. 5. Sew 2 sets of square together, arranging as indicated in the accompanying illustration. Press this seam open, but you can press in opposite directions if you prefer. 6. Sew 2 sets of 4 squares to make Pinwheel. 7. Sew a ½ border from coordinating fabric to your assembled pinwheel. 8. Sew a second 2 ½ border to the pinwheel and borders assembled in step 7. 9. Add 13 inch square of cotton batting and a 13 inch square of backing. 10. Quilt as desired. 4 of 13
Mini Flap Purse By: Susan Dittler Supply List: ½ yd. main fabric: outer bag body & shoulder strap ½ yd. complementary fabric: bag lining and flap lining ½ yd. batting Fusible interfacing or fusible batting 2 ½ x 42 inches Cutting for 2 sizes: 8 x10 and 7x9. (7x9 shown in parentheses) Outer bag: Cut 2 pieces 8 ½ X 11 inches (7 ½ x 9 ½) each of main fabric and batting. Outer bag flap: Use a leftover block, embroidered piece, or other decorative fabric to make a front flap fabric piece to measure 8 ½ X 8 ½ inches (7 ½ x7 ½). Lining: cut 2 pieces lining fabric 8 ½ x11 (7 ½ x9 ½). Flap lining: Cut 1 piece 8 ½ X 8 ½ (7 ½ x7 ½) inches each from lining fabric and batting. Strap: Cut 1 piece main fabric 2 ½ inches X 42 inches, and 1 piece fusible batting or interfacing ½ inch X 42 inches. Assembling: Use ¼ inch seam allowance throughout unless otherwise noted. 1. Place batting pieces to wrong side of outer bag and outer bag flap pieces. Quilt as desired. (Quilting flap is optional.) Photo 1. 2. Mark top edge of bag flap with a pin. Place flap and flap lining right sides together. Stitch down one side, across bottom and up remaining side edge, leaving top edge open. Photos 2 & 3. # 2 #3 3. Remove pin and turn right side out; press well. Topstitch 1/4 inch from side and bottom edges. Baste across top edge, close to raw edge. Photo 4 5 of 13
4. Place the 2 quilted main bag pieces right sides together. Stitch down 1 side, across bottom, and up remaining side leaving top open. Photo 5. Turn right side out and press. Photo 6. #5 #6 5. Press strap in half lengthwise, wrong sides together; open and press edges to center crease. Press interfacing or batting inside strap next to center crease. Press in half again and stitch down length of strap on each side. 6. Match raw edges of strap with raw edge of bag back, right sides together, positioning a scant ¼ inch away from seam on each side. Photo 7. Check to make sure strap won t be twisted when pulled up. Stitch strap to back, being careful not to catch front of bag in seam. #7 7. Match raw edges of bag flap and main bag, right sides together on top of strap layer (bag back). Pin and stitch across top, making sure you re only stitching through bag back. Set aside. Photo 8. #8 8. Press ¼ inch to inside (wrong sides together) on 1 short end of each lining piece (bottom). Place lining pieces right sides together, matching pressed under edges. Sew along each long edge creating a tube. Photo #9 9. Leaving lining tube inside out, slide tube over bag/strap/flap assembly so raw edges match. Align side seams of tube and bag. Pin, then sew all the way around the top edge of the bag/lining. Photo 10. 6 of 13
10. Gently pull lining over the top of the bag, turning lining right side out and leaving lining on opposite side as bag. Stitch pressed under edges close to edge and press lining. Photos 11/12. #10 #11 #12 Tuck lining into the bag. Press top edge of the bag getting it neat and even. 11. With flap and strap extended above bag body, right sides out, topstitch ¼ inch around bag body, below the top edge. Photo 13. Press bag, pressing flap to front of bag. #13 7 of 13
Easy Quilted Casserole Carrier By: Carole Thommen Supply List: 7/8 yard of outer fabric 5/8 yard of lining fabric 5/8 yard of Insul bright 2-2 D rings. Cutting Instructions: From Outside Fabric - Cut one 24 square, cut one 4 strip the width of the fabric. From Lining Fabric Cut one 21 square From Insul-Bright Cut one 21 square (You could also use cotton quilt batting such as Warm & Natural or similar batting.) Assembling: Place the 24 square of outer fabric wrong side up. Layer the 21 square of Insul Bright centered on top of the fabric, and the 21 square of the lining fabric, right side up, centered on top of the Insul Bright. Pin to hold in place. Using a walking foot on your sewing machine, quilt parallel lines across the entire 21 lining square or free motion quilt the 21 square. Trim the quilted center, if you need to, and square up the entire piece, leaving l ½ of the outer fabric extending beyond the quilted center on all sides. Fold each of the four outer edges toward the center to just meet the quilted edges of the lining. To miter the corners measure 1 ½ from each corner and mark with a pin or a washable marker. Using painters tape or sewing tape, (about 4 ½ ) place top edge of the piece of the tape from one mark to the other, on one corner, extending the tape beyond the fabric at each edge. Fold the corner, meeting the sticky ends of the tape, and aligning the folded fabric edges. Stitch along the edge of the tape to miter the corner. Trim the corner above the stitching to ¼. Repeat on the remaining three corners. Then, turn the corners down, and pin the side edges over the quilted center to form the binding. Topstitch around the folded edge of the binding. 8 of 13
As an alternative method, a simpler version, you can cut all three pieces the same size, (outer, lining, and batting you can also use a cotton batting such as Warm and Natural in place of the Insul Bright). Place the fabrics right sides together with the batting on top of the layered fabrics. Stitch around the edges using a ¼ seam, leaving an opening on one side to turn the carrier right side out. Clip the corners, and turn the carrier right side out. Slip stitch the opening to close. Press. Free motion quilt a little to hold the layers together, or stitch from corner to corner, and stitch around all four sides, about ½ inside the edge of the binding. Or you could make it a mini quilt; 18 or 21 square, and bind as you would a small quilt. To make the Strap and loops: Using the 4 strip, cut the width of the fabric, meet the raw edges the length of the strip, right sides together, and stitch a ¼ seam along the edge. Turn the stitched tube right side out, and centering the seam on the underside of the tube, press. Stitch along each folded edge of the tube, about ¼ from the edge. Trim off one selvedge end of the strip, and cut one 27 long piece for the strap, (a 25 piece for the 18 carrier), and cut two ½ long strips for the loops. The short strips will hold the D rings. Turn under ½ on each raw end of the 27 strap. Press. Position the strap on the lining side of the carrier, on the diagonal, from one corner to its opposite corner. Stitch each end of the strip to the carrier, stitching a small box, then stitching an X inside the box to stitch the handle securely. Slip a D-ring over each short strip, fold loops in half, meeting the short ends, with the cut edges on the underside. Position these short strips on the remaining two opposite corners of the carrier, stitching them on the same way you did the strap. To use the carrier, place your dish in the center, under the long strap, then put the strap folded end through each D ring. Done! 9 of 13
Folded Dahlia Pillow By: Sandy Miller Fabric required: 8 6 x6 blocks of 7 different colors (layout light to dark or reverse dark to light). Also, really pretty in two colors 4-6 x6 blocks of a light and 4 6 x6 of a dark for best results. One 18 x18 background piece can be one of the 7 colors or not. If making a pillow, you will need 18 by 24 for envelope back of pillow. If you buy ½ yard and cut your 18 front background piece, the remainder works well for pillow back. Step 1: Fold background piece in half, press, fold in half again, press, fold two more times, press, open up and use press lines for guide. Fold each 6 x6 square in half and press. Fold in half again. Open up one time, with fold at top. Stack all squares, ½ each apart, fold lines at top, using your mat for accurate measurement. 10 of 13
Line up center fold along fold in background, start stitching from outside to center and backstitch at center. Fold right side to center. Add next stack to next fold line and sew. Fold left side to the right. Now for the fun part, fold left side top square down to fold and crease. Unfold and bring fold down to crease. Flip to right like photo below. 11 of 13
Repeat on the right side stack. Bring top square down to fold, open back and bring fold down to crease, flip to center just like left side. Fold next square in half. Flip folded square to center. right side, fold and flip to center. Repeat on the Continue down the stack, folding square and flipping to center, alternating sides, pin at bottom. Flip unfolded stack on the right to the left and add another stack as before. Flip stack to the right and fold as before. 12 of 13
Bind raw edges with coordinating fabric or rick rack or lace to finish. Sew front to backing piece to make a pillow or use as a chair cushion top or side to tote bag. HAPPY STITCHING! 13 of 13