Thursday, September 1, 2011

yo-yo pillows- AccuQuilt tutorial


I was so excited to get my AccuQuilt Go! baby fabric cutter. The minute I got it, I knew what I wanted my first project to be. 

I knew I would be using the circle cutter to make me some yo-yo's.
I kinda have a thing for yo-yo's, they make my heart go pitter patter. 

I've been dying to make some throw pillows for my boring bed and I love how these turned out, they remind me of something Anthropologie would make. 

If you want to make your own you'll need to make a pile of yo-yo's too. 

To be honest, I got the machine just for the circle cutter and it did not disappoint. I was able to cut out 8 layers of fabric at a time. I had all my circles cut within a minute. Seriously, I spent more time finding a needle than it took to cut out all my circles. I don't know if you've ever cut circles before, but I'll take this route any day. 

Yo-yo's are incredibly easy to make and are the perfect on-the-go project. Throw all your circles, a needle and some thread into a zip-lock and you can work on them wherever you are.  

To make a yo-yo fold over the edge a little, and run a long stitch around the circle. 

Like this. 

When you get back to the beginning, pull on your thread. 

Once you get a tight gather in the center, pull the thread through the back and tie a knot. 

Keep making yo-yo's until you have enough to lay out any pattern you want.

I used a little stitch in the back wherever the yo-yo's touched. 

For the pillow I did a simple envelope back. 
For a 12" x 16" pillow, I cut a 13" X 16" panel for the front, and two 13" X 12" panels for the back. I finished the inside edges of the back panels and hemmed them. Then I laid the front panel right side up and the back panels right side down, on top, lining up the outside edges.  There should be an overlap of several inches. 

Stich around the outside and finish the edges. 

When you turn it right side out you'll have an opening to stuff your pillow in. 
But, because of the overlap it will stay nice and closed. 

My bed could still use some more pillows, but this is a huge improvement for now. 

For a couple more yo-yo ideas I had, you can go HEREHERE and HERE

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17 comments:

Momma Button said...

They're so cute! Thanks for the tutorial!

Jess@craftiness is not optional said...

I was thinking yo yo's too, when I picked out the circle die. I loove how fast it is!

Erin said...

i love yo-yos too! your pillows turned out great. i love that you chose solid white for the yo-yos, paired with the brown (silk?) it looks very sophisticated.

Pink Princess said...

Love the pillows, such a pretty color. NEVER made yo yo's before...{SHOCK} but might try this :) Love pillows so....who knows haha

Anonymous said...

Those turned out so cute! I would love to have one of those Accuquilt cutters to cut out the circles! What a great project. They look pretty on your bed.

Marianne said...

Your pillows are gorgeous!

Genevieve said...

Gorgeous Idea! I love yo-yo's too! As soon as I get enough scraps, I'm totally trying this idea! I wonder if you could do something similar with the yo-yo's for pillows with a matching quilt, like for a teenage girl's room? Thanks for the inspiration!

Unknown said...

I love this idea! what kind of fabric is that?...looks shiny in the pic. Thanks for the tutorial. my email is
jkbarrows@hotmail.com

Unknown said...

love it, love. I have the circle die too and CAN'T WAIT to make yo yo's! :)
love
k

Candace @ Candace Creations said...

Love these pillows!
I would love it if you come link this up at Scrappy Saturdays @ candacecreations.blogspot.com

Alison Wills said...

Cute pillows and great tutorial!!! The Go baby fabric cutter is going to the top of my want list!! so cool!

Ali
http://just-a-bowl-of-cherries.blogspot.com

Amy said...

The pillows turned out great! I really like them!!!

Amy

Sam Findlay said...

I love these pillows, they look gorgeous!

Alison @ Oopsey Daisy said...

These are ah-MAZ-ing! Love that fabric, and the yo-yos are too cute!! I featured you today!

http://www.oopseydaisyblog.com/2011/09/wednesdays-wowzers-yes-its-really-thursday.html

Bethany @ A Fish Who Likes Flowers said...

These are so pretty!

Katie said...

This = awesome! I'm so making these! Love how your pillows look! And thanks for the tut!!

Caroline said...

I love this! May I have your permission to feature this tutorial on www.sewcanshe.com? Please drop me a line to let me know. caroline@sewcanshe.com

Thanks!

Caroline

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