barbara brandeburg

Little Yo Yo Primer

I told you I was addicted to making yo yos!  I wanted to use jelly roll strip leftovers to make tiny 1" yo yos and I found that making them by hand was faster than using a Quick Yo Yo Maker.  

1.  Use another jelly roll strip to find the right width, then cut off a square.

2.  Trim the corners to make a circle.  It doesn't need to be perfect, but you'll get better with each one.

3.  Roll over a generous 1/8" hem and stitch around the perimeter with 3/8" stitches.  Over lap your first set of stitches with your final stitch.  

4.  Pull gathering thread tight, then knot off your end in an inconspicuous spot.

5.  Run your needle and thread straight out through the bottom, then cut thread off flush with the bottom of the yo yo.  Wiggle the yo yo to  sink the thread ends into the center, to hide the stitch.

6.  Fluff and primp to make a, cute-as-ever, little mini yo yo.  How nice is that?

Yo Yo Fun Time

My very first yo yos.  This is so addicting while watching TV.  These are 1" with the new and improved gizmo. It's a Clover Quick Yo Yo Maker and they come in various sizes.  Check your quilt shop or sewing center – notions or quilting department.

Stop the Press....er Foot

Had to stop midstream and show you a pro tip for pressing the little openings you leave for turning an item inside out.  This method will keep the opening from getting all stretched out, and also allows you to press back the raw edges much more accurately than if you do it after turning.  Did that make sense?

1.  Lay flat on ironing board and press the top seam allowance back, along the opening.

2.  Flip it over and repeat on the opposite side.

3.  Turn right side out and press flat. Tidy, crisp, perfect!!  Woo hoo. It's all ready to hand stitch shut, or be closed with machine top-stitching, according to your pattern instructions.  

Cheer

There now, it's feeling cheerier already.  No more news.  Go away Tom, Katie, Charlie, Sean, Bill, all of em.  Who needs the news? We need to sew a little gift, make some comfort food, and play with the little ones. These are the things that give us real joy and good cheer!

Home Companion

Well if we can't have Home Companion Magazine anymore, at least we can sew something out of Mary Engelbreit's darling new fabric line.  I'll start working on this one tomorrow.

Mary, Martha, and Marie?

This is sounding like a bible story post! Well, finally...we got some rain in Northern California.  It's like a little SEW button going off in my head that makes me get to work.  It's time to pop in a good DVD, put on a pot of soup, and make some Marie Callendar corn bread and honey butter.  Secret Life of Bees will be my movie of the day while I snip and stitch.

What a delight to be receiving my complimentary Martha magazine!  But, I miss my Mary.  So sad to be losing Home Companion.  I've had enough of the doom and gloom news lately, but this one really puts me over the edge.  Mary Engelbreit, come baaaack! 

Button Bag

Sneek Peeks!  The Button Bag pattern will be out in about two weeks. One jelly roll makes four bags, so it's a perfect girlfriend or sister gift.  It whips up in a jiffy, too! Have a fun weekend everyone.