YoYo Quilt Update

I finished mending the piece of yoyo quilt that I found at the antique mall.

Here is what it looks like now:

It is laying on our bed, which is a queen-sized bed, if that gives you an idea of the quilt's size.

Isn't it pretty? I had to fill in some places where yoyos were missing, so I tried to choose fabrics that were old-fashioned. My mom helped me out by providing material from her well-stocked scrap bin (she is a quilter). Thank you, Mom!! She even gave me some scraps which were cut from old shirts and dresses of my great-grandmothers. That makes the fabric extra-special to me. Not only is the history of the person who made this quilt sewn up in it, but now mine is as well! I also had to reconnect quite a few of the yoyos, but that is a very quick process. I found it both relaxing and rewarding to repair this piece of the past. I have been so blessed by the opportunity to do this.

YoYo quilts are so interesting...this one has a colorful variety of fabrics from many periods in it.

Ladybug showed an avid interest in sewing while I was working on some yoyos one night, so I gave her two of the yoyos I removed from the piece (I took out two that were orange because it is not a color I use in my decorating) and she stitched them together to make a tiny coin purse for her daddy. What fun! He took it with him on his recent trip out of town and I'll bet it makes him smile whenever he pulls it out of his coat pocket...

These are mostly newer fabrics, but they look old.

I am working on making more yoyos out of old-looking fabrics so I can add to the section of quilt I have. I have decided that I am going to add to it until it is an oval shape large enough to cover my dining room table. Once it is done, I am going to ask Hubby to buy me a piece of glass with finished edges to fit over the table to protect the yoyos...I imagine it will be a bit pricey, but it can be my Mother's Day/birthday gift, if he likes. It will be very special to be able to see the fruits of my labor (and whoever else worked on this lovely piece) displayed in an area we use multiple times every day. I do so dislike having nice things packed away where you never see them and can't really use and appreciate them. I am much more of the philosphy that if you can't enjoy it and use it, then why not pass it on to someone who can...at least, I am trying to get there (just don't ask to see inisde my garage...as I've said before, I am a work in progress!)

I have decided that I do find a simple pleasure in sewing, though I don't have as much time to do it as I'd like. The idea of making a WHOLE quilt from scratch still intimidates me, but the idea of fixing up old ones is nice and is a good fit for me right now. I think I might post a yoyo tutorial sometime in the future because making yoyos is SO simple, if you like sewing and have never done it before, you will likely find you LOVE it, too. There are so many ways to use yoyos...you can add them to potholders to dress them up, you can make table runners out of them, you can use four of them and some fabric underneath to make coasters, and I imagine the other possiblities are endless. I wonder what I might find if I Googled it? I will have to do that sometime. Check back in a week or two for that yoyo tutorial and maybe some links to ideas for using yoyos to make all sorts of crafty items!

Here is a link to my previous post on the yoyo quilt: A YoYo Quilt Story.

If you have any posts about quilts you have worked on, please leave me a note and a link!

Blessings,

Heather