Hobbies And Interests
History
The wooden toy yo-yo influenced yo-yo quilts in shape and name when the toy was introduced in the Philippines as much as 100 years ago. But it wasn't until 1920, when the toy yo-yo first came to America, that the yo-yo quilts also became popular, according to the Alaska State Museum. Yo-yo quilts popularity spanned two decades, from the '20s to the '40s. Yo-yo wooden toys, on the other hand, only enjoyed the popularity from the '30s through the '40s.
Significance
One reason yo-yo quilts are compared to yo-yo toys is because of their shape: a round circle. Yo-yo quilts are made of many small round circles of material, gathered at the fabric's edges. Each individual circle (yo-yo) is sewn to other yo-yo pieces, creating a three-dimensional effect on the quilt. You can join yo-yo pieces together to create designs other than circular ones on your quilt.
Benefit of Pattern
Quilting can be a cumbersome activity because of the large amount of fabric you need to handle while making a quilt. Manufacturers created quilt racks to help quilters holding up this abundance of material, so quilts can work on quilts more easily. But yo-yo pieces make it easy for quilters to work a yo-yo quilt anywhere. Quilters can create the yo-yo piece individually or sew two or three pieces together.
Craft Challenge
Yo-yo quilts look beautiful on your bed, but creating these detailed designs require you make each yo-yo the same size. You can cut exact-sized fabric pieces or you can use a yo-yo maker (a round tool) to form the shape. The last step in creating this piece is the most challenging because you have to work with your hands to shape the piece into its finished yo-yo look.