Wednesday, October 9, 2013

How to Make a Stacked Yo-Yo Christmas Tree Ornament

Sewing these cute ornaments is a fun way to decorate your Christmas tree.  This is what they look like right after you finish a brand new one.  After awhile, the yo-yo's will stretch out a bit.

This is what the ornament will look like after it's been hanging on the tree.  Many blog followers have see this photo on my other blog.  With requests, I am sharing on how to make these.

Items Needed:
~ 1 -  4 1/2 x 22 inch piece of cotton fabric in holiday print
~ Thread (used to sew each yo-yo)
~ 1/4 or 1/8th inch ribbon, color of your choice, approximately 5-6 inches (depending on how long you want the ends of the ribbon to be)
~ scrap (food box) cardboard, or poster board
~ Compass
~ Hand sewing needle

~ 6- 8 inch length of heavy thread (for sewing the bell on, we used quilting thread)
~ 6-8 inches (or longer) silver or gold thread
~ 1/2 inch jingle bell
~ Glue gun and glue stick
~ Scissors and pen or pencil
~ optional:  tacky glue


1. Create templates.  Use the compass to draw circles of these sizes, onto the cardboard or poster board.  Cut them out.  Quantity is on the left, and size is on the right (below):

   1 - 1 1/2 inches
   2 - 2 inches
   1 - 2 1/2 inches
   1 - 3 inches
   1 - 3 1/2 inches
   1 - 3 3/4 inches 




2.  Use the previously cut templates, and trace each one onto the wrong side of the fabric.  


Cut them out using scissors.




3. Using thread and needle, hand sew each piece of scrap fabric into a yo-yo (see note).  Thread the needle, knot the thread, and sew a running stitch around the wrong side of the fabric.  Gather the thread to pull the material into a yo-yo, and knot your thread.  If you are new to sewing yo-yo's, there are more tutorials on the internet. 



 
Note:  When sewing the largest circle, place the extra 2-inch cardboard circle inside before finishing it.






4.  Using thread and needle, sew the jingle bell to the bottom of the largest yo-yo.  If you prefer, you can also secure the bell later by adding a dab of tacky glue between the bell and the yo-yo.  You can sew the bell on by running the needle completely through the cardboard and fabric, or simply catching a bit of the fabric.  Attach the bell to the flat side, not the gathered side.  Cut the thread after knotting (see small note in #5 before cutting thread).




5. To assemble, heat the glue gun with a glue stick, and place a thin layer between each yo-yo (just inside the edges), with gathered sides up, placing them on, in order of the next smaller size.  You end up with the very smallest one on the top.

Note:  To keep your ornament from stretching out too much, you can also use the excess thread (instead of cutting after knotting) from the bell, up through all of the yo-yo's and knot at the top after gluing them together.




6. Using your ribbon, form (or tie) a small bow.  Using silver or gold thread, attach the ribbon to the top of the smallest yo-yo.  I simply sewed the bow on, knotted and cut the thread.  I then ran another piece into the top, pulled it through halfway, removed the needle and tied the cut ends into a knot.  Trim the ends of the ribbon to the length you prefer.


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