I made this yo-yo quilt when I was in high school. That makes it about 45 years old now. Yikes. How could something I made be that old? Anyway, My Great Auntie Pearl had started this quilt and gave it to me to finish. She had about a 1/4-1/3 of it completed. I spent every extra minute I had making yo-yos and sewing them together. My mom borrowed my grandmother's quilt frame and we attached a yellow sheet to the frame and then layed the yo-yos on top. I hand tied the center of each and everyone of those yo-yos to the sheet. Even though we did all of that I am still finding places where the stitching has broken between the yo-yos. I'm sure glad they're tied. In some places that's what's holding it all together!

Vonnie, that looks so impressive on a bed! Thanks for sharing. :D

I so wish I had started making quilts when I was much younger, I'm never going to have time to make so many as you have, ok just how many yoyo's is there. I bet you lay in your maidens bed and counted them.......lol its a wonderful quilt :wink:

Yvonne it is a beautiful quilt. YOu have every reason to be proud of it. ???have you thought of using a very sheer fabric over the top and quilted down to help keep all those yo-yos in place?

I love yo-yo's. When I was about 10 years old, my friend and I made a bulging shoebox of them. I'll bet it got lost over the years. My mother (85) still lives in the same house, so perchance it may be hidden somewhere there, but I doubt it. What I'd give for them now! I love your finished project. Try to just reinforce the ones that come loose, and treat it gently. It's beautiful! Sara

What a treasure you have Yvonne!!! That is an awesome quilt :D :D

WOW!!! Precious quilt - hang on to that heirloom. Wonderful!

Oh my, that's just incredible! Never in my lifetime will I ever get to do a yoyo, but I sure can appreciate all the hard work that went into that, and I'm so glad some of you have the patience to stick with it! It's just beautiful. :) I don't think I'd ever have the patience to do one.

LOVE IT......

Yvonne, my mom did two baby quilts from yo-yos but I've never seen one that big, I love it.

Wow!!! That's beautimous! What a nice job! Its too early for me to be able to think of more adjectives but I rally like it.

Oh my gosh girl, how long did it take to make and tie all those yo-yos? It's so gorgeous, you talented lady you! I was thinking earlier this morning that I should do a baby quilt yo yo, since I know I'll never get to do a large one. (I know my limits)

Have you thought that it might be the thread you used to attach the yo-yos? You might try a piece of light or matching tulle over the whole thing, quilt it onand save all that beautiful work?????

I just love it, you've inspired me again!

Those yo-yos aren't going anywhere. Trust me! The threads that are rotting are the ones I used to sew the yo-yos together. In order to repair the threads I would have to pull and tug to turn the yo-yos around and I think that would do more harm than good at this point.
Remember now, I tied each individual yo-yo to the sheet. That's what's saving the quilt. We used a crochet thread and I tied granny knots in the center of every yo-yo. The quilt is used very gently and I think it'll be fine for many more years to come.
I don't really remember how long this took to make, I was a teen-ager and worked on it in the summers and vacations. Time was of no importance in those days! :lol: Ah, for the 'good old days!'

I think that you should put out a request for all of us to do a half dozen yoyos and send them to you. That would get you a big supply in a hurry and your quilt will be done in no time at all. I'm game if you give us what size to make them in. :D :D Cathy M

Your quilt is fantastic have never seen so many yoyo in one place before. I never thought of doing one but that quilt has change my mind

Just a quick story about yo-yos. When my daughter was about 9 she and I decided to make Christmas that year. All her gifts from me were either sewn, crocheted or knitted. It was a sparce time for us, so we decided to make a yo-yo chain to decorate the tree. We had many a good time sitting around making yo-yos, but you have to understand I was a young mother and had already lost my own mother, so there was no one to ask how to do this. We went out one night and got a tree from Frank's Nursery, for only $5. While there we discovered some red wooden beads on clearance! Decided those would look great on our yoyo garland. That night, I made popcorn and we sat on the floor with our bag of yoyos, red beads, popcorn and fishline. We ate more popcorn than we strung, but we did get our garland finished. As we sat there we could hear the needles of the tree hitting the gifts underneath. Turns out our bargain tree wasn't such a bargain after all. Finally the time came to hang the garland on the tree. Much to our surprise it weighed down the branches and caused the ornaments to fall off. Not to be disuaded we picked up the ornaments and replaced them and went to bed. In the morning, she had to dig her gifts out from under all the pine needles and the garland had come off the tree! No one had told me you didn't stuff the yoyo's with stuffing!!!! :lol: We stuffed them so full they were like balls. LOL

That's a precious story Ms. ( :wink: ) Boo! I love that you stuffed all those yo-yos!!! That gave me a much-needed laugh for the day. Memories like that are so wonderful to bring to mind now and then. :)

Sweet memories, Boo.
You know those yo-yos are pretty heavy all alone. That bedspread is no lightweight, that's for sure.
I decided to make a yo-yo tree for a Christmas t-shirt one year. Tthe front of that shirt was so heavy I got rid of it after one season! It was cute though but it sure sagged!

Loretta,
The light weight fabric sounds yummy but then I got to wondering if it would have too much give to it. I have seen a few yo-yo quilts at our fair and they didn't attach them to a backing. I wonder how long they hold together without a backing for support. Hmm. All I can say is try it and see what happens. Yo-yos are fun and a great carry along project.

wow.. that looks really great!! :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Very impressive!!! I love it!

Beautiful respond on the yo yo quilt, one of you girls said they made yo yos with freazer paper and iron it could you tell me how to do this i,m very new to this yo yo thing but i love making them, I have some things i,m making for xmas i will show them if i can figure out how to post them on this site can any body tell me how to do this. Thanks a lot for all the imformation. Love the yo yo quilt chersh that that is a keepsake. ME

I'm speechless! It does bring back memories of grandma though,she had made tons of them but never put them together. When she died,someone cleaned out her house,everything went.

Hello,
Could someone tell me how to make yo yos using frezzer paper thank you ME

ME,
I have not the foggiest clue as to how to use freezer paper while making yo-yos. When I made mind I used a cardboard template to make my circles. I'd trace the circles onto the fabric and then cut them out with scissors. Next I would turn under a small hem and hand stitch a running stitch all the way around the circle. Once all the way around I'd pull the thread tight, gathering the circle into the yo-yo and then tied a knot. When I had enough yo-yos I'd stitch them together. Easy! I look at the new plastic yo-yo makers and I say, "Why?" You really don't need much to make these babies!

Yvonne,
Thanks for the responds that is what i,m doing right now but one of the girls mention the freezer paper and i don,t remember which one it was maybe she will respond to me yet i will wait and see Thanks a lot anyway.
ME

My SIL told me of a woman who made her kitchen curtains out of yo yos. She said they were the prettiest curtains she had ever seen. I make a few yo yos a week but I will probably be dead long before I get enough to make a quilt.LOL

It's so beautiful!!! So much work but so lovely to see the finished product.

youngest daughter requested yo yo quilt when I first started to quilt:about 12 yrs ago..I worked on yo yo's for nearly a yr..made a king size quilt..beautiful...but have a problem with the weight...can anyone think of another way to secure it? What about quilting on top of quilt to fabric.. think it possible? Please help..the quilt is in a tub..and should be seen.

Very nice :thumbup:

love your quilt. my king size quilt doesn't have a backing on it. but the throws that I'll be make will have a backing on them. I don't have a quilt frame. I was hopeing that I could make one from PVC pipes.

What a wonderful family heirloom you have made!

Your quilt is just beautiful! A work of art!!!

Thanks for looking and commenting on my yo-yo quilt. It was a fun quilt to make and it has a lot of special memories for me.

It's so nice to see these old topics come up again after a few years. This post is 4 years old. I often wonder if anyone, besides me, goes back to look at the older pictures. They are so many beautiful quilts here to not go back and re-look!

Have a great day!
Yvonne

I love it and am really glad this old post came back up!! I joined an online 'yo-yo along' a few months ago but only have about 300 of the 1000 I need, but your post has given me new incentive to get back at it. If you already have the circles cut out it makes a great travel project and is quite the conversation starter I have found!

Phew you made me exhausted just looking at it. What incredible work you did. I have made yo-yo's and put a few on quilts I made for my niece's but just 28 on each quilt
as an accent. You have a priceless quilt.

Lowell ;)

Your yo yo quilt is beautiful!!! I have yo yo's in the making too....I start, so a bit, stop, wait a bit, pick them up and do them again......going camping next weekend....will bring them along and get busy with them. You have inspired me to so something with them!!!

Wow...quite an accomplishment for such a young lady! I love it.

Oh my, hours & hours & hours of time and work went into this quilt!! It is unique!

What a beautiful quilt and with so much history - it makes it so special. Thanks for sharing!