2.01.2010

Do You Yo-Yo?


The 2008 HGTV Dream Home in Islamorada, Flordia was simply mouth watering for me.  There was not much about this house that I remember not liking.


The beautiful kitchen with sand-colored countertops and the creamy white cabinets - oh I so could cook here.



The comfy living room



with a view to die for!



The beach-cottage feel of the master bedroom





Oh and the second floor porch!



Yes.  I could see myself spending many hours out here sewing.  Oh heck, I would just push my machine right out here and breathe the fresh air of the salt water.

But it was this......



the tropical themed guest bedroom that caught my eye.



No it wasn't the lime green wall color or  the shell prints;



nor was it this sweet chair tucked in the corner under the window that was guaranteed a breath taking view.

Nor was it this sweet retreat that would give bubble baths a whole new meaning.



It was THIS



The yo-yo quilt!


This quilt took my breath away!  All those lovely colors just pop right off of that classic black.

So where did it come from?
Who makes this lovely 1920's reproduction eye candy of a quilt? 
Is it affordable?


It is their beautiful "rosette quilt" that took my breath away and has inspired me to never forget how lovely this would look in my guest bedroom.  Well if I had one. 

Affordable?  Well for some but being the quilter I am; I have myself convinced that I can make this for far less than $750.

So at my recent quilt retreat with my dear girlfriends it became the "breakfast" conversation.  One of the girls sat and made yo-yo's as we enjoyed our morning cup of joe gazing out at the lake and then it began; "oh let me tell you about this quilt I once saw" I said to her, and the "challenge" began.

So for the next twelve months we challenged one another to see who could make the most yo-yo's. 

The first Saturday of each month when we all get together we will keep a chart of our progress; promising to encourage each other that we too can have our very own "lovely" to pet and look at for a life time.  To be brave and daring!

A simple little mindless sewing as we watch television, waiting at the airport or enduring long road trips (as a passenger of course).  We should in no time have about 2000 of these sweet little puppies made to assemble our own kaleidoscope of color.

So my question to you is ~ "do you yo-yo?"
"Are you brave and daring?"
"Are you up to the challenge?"

If so please feel free to join along with us as we are sure to be making an adventure of a lifetime.  There are promises of fabric flying, needle pricks, words rolling off our tongues and hair pulling.  NOT from each other; but me.  I'm competitive and I want this quilt BAD!

So at the end of twelve months I will either "a" have a beautiful yo-yo quilt to share with you or "b" I will be a neurotic mess, with bandaged fingers, a glazed look in my eyes and hair that looks like the rats had a mariachi band stroll through it.  My dear sweet hubby will be ready to have me committed and yelling "why didn't you just buy the dumb quilt!". 

Yep; the next twelve months are guaranteed to be adventurous!
So come along; let's play.  Make some yo-yo's for a project of your choice; be brave & daring!!

Dressing for combat and ready to get my yo-yo on!
Sharon



19 comments:

  1. My grandmother made a yo-yo quilt once, and it was beautiful. I haven't been brave enough to try one yet, but I might one day!

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  2. I have yoyos on my blog today. How to make and use for decoration! I don't think I'm up to the whole quilt kind of yoyo project yet!! ;)

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  3. We all know my feelings on YoYo's!!!! But what made me chuckle - is that prior to having a son of our own, Joe & I would always say we were putting our son "Ethan" through college. If someone checks the name stampled on most of our furniture that's where it came from! Too cute - can't wait to see the boxes of YoYo everyone make.

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  4. Coincidence. I have challenged myself to make a yoyo tablecloth after I had seen one in a movie. I have some fabric put aside for it; a clover yoyo maker bought, but I haven't just sat down and begun. I do love that quilt I see in htat picture too. Any tips you would care to share as you go along would be appreciated...should I cut squares and trim or cut circles? stuff like that....
    Shelley

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  5. Oh most definitely! Next Monday I will do a tutorial on how I am making mine. I will have monthly posts to update you on our status, projects of inspiration and requests for pain killers (lol). We would love for you to join us; "company loves misery". Seriously, we would love to see your progress. If you would like your blog posted on my sidebar so we can keep tabs on you and keep you inspired just send me a note.

    Happy sewing!

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  6. i can make 1 yoyo per month. mainly because if my girls even catch me sitting down, they'll do something that'll require me to stand right back up.

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  7. I'm not quite that ambitious. I plan on making the yo-yo Christmas trees for gifts this year - not quite ready for 2,000 yo-yo's. However, I can't wait to see what all the finished quilts will look like.

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  8. I started a yo-yo quilt with lots of fabric scraps but it became a table topper instead...I got impatient I guess. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment...come back soon. Sandra

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  9. I do not yo-yo, but my sister does and is working on some sort of throw as we speak, I don't think it is going to be as big as a quilt though.

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  10. Sharon, I can't wait to see yours when it's done. What fun to have a group to encourage one another. Y'all may turn into a bunch of yo-yo's before it's all over! laurie

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  11. What a beautiful home! I could almost smell the warm salt air. I am pretty sure my blood pressure dropped just looking at the pictures.
    Love your yo'yo idea! Good luck and may your fingers survive!

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  12. Good luck to you on making your yoyo quilt! Wonderful idea

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  13. I use to make yo-yo's by the dozen! I hadn't seen this dream home, so thanks for the tour. We live in Tyler (East Texas) and the year we moved here, 2005, the HGTV Dream Home was here. So fun to walk through!
    Brenda

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  14. I love making yo=yos! They are addicting because you can take them anywhere!

    Have fun - you'll love it!!

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  15. I confess, I am a prolific yo-yo maker. Every time I sew, all the leftover fabric ends up as yo-yos. I use them on almost every quilt I make. Once I even made a coverlet like the one in your post but on pink background. Took me over a year of making yo-yos while waiting on my kids to come out of school to be driven home. It was beautiful! But, alas, it was stolen or lost during a move. Believe me, I shed tears over that.

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  16. Hi Sharon! Ahhh, yes, I do YO YO every now and then. Makes me think of the Osmond song, "just like a yo yo." When I was a young bride I made yo yo's and stuffed them with a cotton ball and made them into a wreath. Those were on our first Christmas tree and given as gifts. Ahhhh, the simple life. :)

    I LOVE this Dream Home! Can you just imagine?
    My favorite was the one in Tyler, Texas...near Brenda. I wanted that one so bad and just new I was going to win it. ha.

    xo
    Becky

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  17. Thanks for coming by my blog. Happy Pink Saturday! What a retreat ... and that quilt challenge? That's some combat going on! I'll have to come back and see more of your blog + I want to know more about the yo-yo quilt. I haven't done any quilting, but I'm thinkin' maybe I should put on my combat gear and give it a whirl? ??? I'll be back. :) Jenn <><

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  18. I love Yo-Yo quilts and am working on finishing up one right now!! It has taken me forever because I could not work on it in the summer as it was too warm-ha! Loved your Pink Sat post, too. Kerrie

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  19. Sure is a dream home!!~ I saw your poppie pic and I had to click on it, because I just did my kitchen with some poppies and one is just like this pic LOL!!~ I just posted a home tour on my blog would love for you to come check it out....

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Thank you so much for visiting! Your comments mean so much to me and I enjoy hearing from you!
~ Sharon ~