yo-yo obsession (and for the record, bajizillion IS a word...)

Not this kind.

Photo via andykessler.com

this kind.

Photo via Hello my name is Heather.

I went a little crazy cutting out circles.  See, I found a tutorial on Heather Bailey’s blog on how to make yo-yo’s, and I’ve been wanting to try it for a while.  Yo-yo’s are adorable.  And versatile.  You can put them on headbands, necklaces, pins, purses, wall art... you can dress up practically anything with a yo-yo.  So, after seeing how easy it is to actually make them, I decided to go to town.

I cut out about 50 bajizillion (which is way more than bazillion or bajillion) because I figured that a) I would need about 20 bajizillion just to practice on and b) I’d probably become addicted and want to make a ton.

I used a CD, the top and bottom of a cup, and the top of a small bowl to make four different sizes of circles out of each fabric scrap.

Then I just followed Heather’s instructions...

Sew a gathering stitch around the circle, and pull the bobbin thread on one end of threads to gather it up.  

I couldn't figure out why mine looked so weird... until I went back to Heather's tutorial to link up to it, and noticed that I did not, in fact, follow her instructions.  I missed a step.  I didn't fold the edge over as I stitched:

My yo-yo’s needs a little bit of work, as you can see.  I can botch even the easiest of tasks!

So I can’t show you what I’m planning for these little beauties yet.

But, while I was playing around with circles, I came up with another flower for mini’s hair.  Because she doesn’t have enough hair bling yet.  If you’ve got at least 5 same-sized circles laying around, you can make a Pretty Petal flower, too!

You’ll need:

5 same sized fabric circles

a needle and thread

a button or some such embellishment

a plain clip of some sort (I used a duckbill clip)

hot glue gun

a sewing machine (optional)

So, you’ve got 5 circles.

Fold them in half, wrong sides together.  They're tacos!

Now, sew the taco closed around the curved part.  (If you don’t want to thread or unfinished edge to show, you can fold right sides together and leave a hole by the bottom corner to turn it right side out, then hand sew the hole.  I like the thread and frayed edge, though.)  

Repeat.

You’ve got five fabric tacos now.

You’ll want to start at one end and fold the taco up, according style.

Now, holding it closed at the bottom (or straight edge), sew across the bottom with your machine.  (you could also hand stitch this).

When you have done that to all 5, you’ve got 5 petals.

Hand sew the petals together at the bottom, starting with two and then sewing one petal to the bunch each time.

Now you can hand sew your button on - or in my case, hot glue it on.  Normally I would sew it, but you wouldn’t be able see the cute little word, “smile” if I had sewn it.

Now just take your clip, which you have covered with ribbon, and hot glue your flower on.

Cute, right?

It was so easy, I thought I’d show you another kind too.  This is my favorite kind of flower to make for mini’s hair.  It’s a Bohemian Puff Flower.

You need:

a strip of fabric about 6 inches by 15 inches or so

a sewing machine

a hot glue gun

a button

a clip of some sort

You take a strip if fabric,

and fold it in half, wrong sides together.

Now, sew a gathering stitch down the open side

gather it up

and knot the threads at both ends.

Fold one end of the ruffle over 

and hot glue it down.

Spiral the ruffle around and rumple the other end of the ruffle down into the middle section (yes, that’s “rumple” - a very technical, sophisticated sewing term) and hot glue it in a bunch.

(see how it's rumpled there in the middle?)

Now, hot glue the sprialed ruffle along the sewn edge in the shape you want.

What I love about this flower is that it’s all puffy and fat and kind of floppy.  It looks a little “bohemian” to me.  (But maybe I’m crazy...)

Now, you can sew on your button, right in the middle.  For mine, I put the fabric through the button and tied it in a double knot, then sewed that onto the flower through the fabric on the back of the button.

Hot glue it on your clip (which you, of course, covered with ribbon first).

Now you’ve got two super cute flower barrettes!  You can never have too many, right?

And, just to show that I have been busy crafting and not just sitting around cutting out circles, here’s some cute little creations I made for my sister, sister IL and mom, all using rolled roses, as seen here.

So I’m obsessed with flowers and yo-yo’s alike.  But it’s a good obsessed, right?  Tell me you cut out 50 bajizillion circles when you make yo-yo’s, too.