Sunday, March 08, 2009

Flowers of Yo


















Clover has these neat yo-yo makers - easy, yes...but don't get too freaked by their printed instructions. I purchased the small flower one at the store last week and realized that today would be a good day to try them out. Side note: it has been raining for two days and I needed some signs of spring, even if those signs were fabric flowers...my first two are in this photo. Small print cottons, batiks are pretty.

















Here's the package it comes in, with the two parts, disk and plate.
















You start with a circle approximately 4 1/2 inches around. Place the wrong side of the fabric on top of the plate, then snap the disk into place on top of the fabric. As you can see from the photo, there are little notches and what looks like curvy cut-out sections. Knot one end of a piece of strong thread and as you fold the fabric down, you make stitches through the disk and the plate (next photo-back side). Go all the way around, finishing where you started, having your thread next to your knot.












Take another shorter piece of thread, knotted, and stitch through the center, starting from the back side. Finish as above.
















Pop the disk out, then gather the center stitches and secure with a tight knot. Grab the ends of the outer stitches and pull tight, adjusting your gathers as you go around. Pull out the petals when you're done, and again after securing your stitches. It will be small...the finished size is about 2 inches around.













Sorry about the color on this photo, but it gives you an idea of what it looks like. The yo-yo is much prettier, especially with a pearl in the center.

1 comment:

Susan Lenz said...

Hi!
I just sent you a return message to a recent comment you left on my blog. I checked your email address and cannot imagine why the message bounced back to me immediately....but....I've copied and pasted the message here....hoping you get it!
Susan
Hi!
I've been meaning to respond to your message....almost "lost it" in my totally slammed "In Box"! Off the top of my head, I can't think of anything I'd really like to do with a nicotine patch....but that might be because I honestly don't know what one actually looks like. I'm imagining a sort of band-aide. I've never even had a puff of a cigarette! Steve never smoked either.

There are so many times I just shake my head....half disgusted....because I'm basically the "good girl"....too afraid to really risk disappointing others, too afraid of getting into trouble, too afraid of being "wrong". When I look back at my life, I know that the major reason I never went into art earlier was over my fears. I was too afraid to risk grades lower than....say 97%. One can control most academic classes. One must only study long enough, hard enough, and be "perfect" to score all As. One cannot guarantee an A in a visual arts class! How totally pathetic!

Anyway, I did want to let you know, however, that I truly value your message. It truly stimulated a unique line of inquiry. Why hadn't I included something about "quitting" smoking? I added a smoker to the "wish list" after all! Well...perhaps this was because I was meant to do a very special piece. It must have been in my subconscious. Your message triggered it!

Both my in-laws are dead now. They were older than my parents. In fact, my father-in-law and my maternal grandmother were born the same year...1918! Anyway, both smoked....chain smoked, really....for most of their adult lives. Both quit....totally cold turkey about eight or ten years before they died! It was amazing. They didn't quit at the same time...but they quit the same way. Each one simply said, "I'm quitting" and did. Once the decision was made, it was done!

I've talked about this with my husband Steve and we are now looking for a photo or two for me to use. Both my in-laws were very proud of having quit. Both would have liked being part of my art series....I feel it in my heart. They are going to become my Decision Portrait for "quitting"!

Thanks so very, very much for triggering this!
Susan