Debbie Colgrove, Licensed to About.com
Use your fabric scraps to make yo-yos while you watch tv or wait in the car. Then transform those yo-yos in to a safe fun yo-yo clown project for a great toy! You'll find free directions here.Materials:
- Fabric Scraps
- Strong Thread -- Button and Carpet Thread for assembly
- Yarn
- Knitting Needle or Tube (Size 13 or approximately 1/2" diameter)
- Stuffing
- Scrap and fusible Web for Clown Mouth
- Optional -- a 3" to 5" doll making needle
How to make a yoyo
Holding the needle thread, pull the thread to gather the circle.
Cutting:
- Yo-Yos
- Cut 18 -- 9" circles for the body (Corelle luncheon plate size)
- Cut 84 -- 4 1/2" circles for the arms and legs (Champagne Glass Rim Or the Clover Large Round Yo-Yo Tool)
- Cut 5 -- 2" circles for the hat pompoms
- Cut 1 -- 2 1/2" circle for the nose (top of shot glass)
- Cut 2 -- 1 1/2" circle for the eyes (bottom of shot glass)
Head
- Cut one 9" circle for the head
- Cut 1 -- 9" circle for the hat
- Hands and Feet
- Cut four 4 1/2" circles
Sew the Head
- Turn under the edge of the head circle and sew a running stitch as if you were making a yo-yo BUT before closing the circle, stuff the circle into a discus type shape.
- Pull the thread to close the circle on the back of the head. Knot and tie off well. The closure area will be hidden with the clown "hair" before you are finished.
Sew the Face
Sew the Clown Face
Debbie Colgrove, Licensed to About.com
- Use straight pins to place the eyes, nose and mouth.
- Sew the eyes and nose in place using a blanket stitch, bringing the thread to the pieces from the back of the head and knotting off at the back of the head.
- Cut a mouth shape from a scrap of fabric with fusible web on the back side.
- Fuse the mouth in place and sew a blanket stitch around the edge.
The Yarn Clown Hair
Clown Hair Details
Debbie Colgrove, Licensed to About.com- Wrap yarn around a knitting needle. (Size 13 or approximately 1/2" diameter)
- Hand sew chain stitches to hold the yarn together.
- Remove the "hair" from the knitting needle and arrange it on the head working from around the face to the back of the head.
- Hand sew the hair in place, stitching from the chain stitches to the head.
- Fill in the head with "hair"
- Sew and knot securely! Unraveling yarn would be a strangling danger.
Joining the Body Yo-Yos and Head
Body of Yo-Yo Clown With Arm Attached
Debbie Colgrove, Licensed to About.com- Stack the body yo-yos in the desired pattern.
- Thread the needle with a long length of thread and knot leaving a thread tail after the knot.
- Starting at the bottom, with the gathered part of the yo-yo facing the bottom of the stack, insert the needle into the center of the yo-yo, stacking yo-yos on the needle.
- Continue stacking the body yo-yos until you reach the top yo-yo. Turn the top yo-yo over so the gathering is facing the top of the stack where the head will be attached.
- Pull the thread tight and knot off in the center of the top yo-yo.
- Sew the head on securely by sewing around the bottom of the head attaching it to the to yo-yo.
- Knot off occasionally as you sew on the head so that it will stay attached if any part of the thread were to break. Reinforcement is essential to prevent any choking hazards.
- At the side of the head, guide the needle back down through the stack of yo-yos.
- Knot off and guide the needle to the other side of the yo-yo, aligning the needle with the other side of the head and guide the needle up through the yo-yos to the side of the head. Knot off.
- Repeat at the front and back of the head so that there are five threads going through the body yo-yos.
Clown Arms
Attaching the Arm
Debbie Colgrove, Licensed to About.com- Turn under the edge of a hand circle and sew using a running stitch as you would when sewing a yo-yo.
- Stuff the circle and then draw the thread to close the stuffed circle.
- Knot securely!
- Stack the Arm yo-yos using 21 yo-yosd for each arm.
- Starting with the gathered side of the bottom yo-yo facing the hand,sew the hand to the center of the bottom yo-yo.
- Guide the needle up through the center of the arm yo-yos, turning the top yo-yo so the gathered side of the yo-yo is facing up.
- Knot securely.
- Sandwich the top two arm yo-yo around the second body yo-yo at the side of the body.
- Sew the arm yo-yos to the body yo-yos.
- Sew the top body yo-yo to the top arm yo-yo, hiding the stitches inside the body yo-yo.
- Knot the thread under the arm attachments.
- Guide the needle down through the arm yo-yos .
- Knot the thread at the top of the hand.
- Guide the needle up through the arm yo-yos so there are three lines of thread attaching the arm yo-yos.
- Repeat for the second arm
Clown Legs
Clown Legs
Debbie Colgrove, Licensed to About.com- Turn under the edge of a foot circle and sew using a running stitch as you would when sewing a yo-yo.
- Stuff the circle and then draw the thread to close the stuffed circle.
- Knot securely!
- Stack the leg yo-yos using 21 yo-yos for each leg.
- Starting with the gathered side of the bottom yo-yo facing the foot,sew the foot to the center of the bottom yo-yo.
- Guide the needle up through the center of the leg yo-yos, turning the top yo-yo so the gathered side of the yo-yo is facing up.
- Knot securely.
- Sew the top leg yo-yo to the bottom body yo-yo, to one side of the center of the yo-yo.
- Secure well, knotting after every couple of stitches.
- Guide the needle up through half of the body yo-yos.
- Knot off on the body yo-yo and go down through the body yo-yos to the leg.
- Knot off again.
Clown Hat
Clown Hat Construction
Debbie Colgrove, Licensed to About.com- Fold the 9" circle in half with the right sides together.
- Gently roll the half circle in thirds.
- Slip stitch the overlapping outer fabric to close the hat.
Clown Hat Decorations
Debbie Colgrove, Licensed to About.com- Finish the bottom edge of the clown hat with a machine sewn satin stitch or by enclosing in double fold bias tape.
- On the top of the hat, sew three yo-yos together,sewing through the center of the yo-yos, sandwiching the top of the hat to form the top pompom.
- Stagger the other two pompom yo-yos on the front of the hat and sew them in place knotting securely inside the hat.
- Gently stuff the hat to help it hold it's shape.
- Place the hat on the clown head and sew in place, knotting after every few stitches to securely hold the hat in place. So cute
Ms. Genie,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the YoYo clown .
I think it will sell as well as the sock puppies.
As I am sure you are aware Mrs.Carano is a little under par.I went over to check on her and ended up going to her workroom to pick up some scraps for her.
Mrs.Carano made an order for our supplies , we are going to work in the craft shop ,she is moving all her commerical equipment there and we all can work in one place .
It is best , delivery, workspace all in the same place.Her dad told us today at the meeting there are going to be changes made and there are a lot of positions to be fill .I told him I wanted to be head of the craft making and shop , he said you got it lady . Nice man .
Now to make the first 3 YoYo Clown dolls to put in the girft shops at the hotel.
Della
Dear Della
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the clown and congratulations on your new position. It's great when you can do something you really like and do some good in the world at the same time.
It was an inspired idea to make a centralized workshop for everyone.They will always have the materials they need at hand and you can keep track of all the crafts.
Mr Carano is a brilliant businessman. He will make your organization run like a well oiled machine. He knew you were right for the job. Don't be afraid to go to him with any questions.
I would love to see a picture of your first clown. If you take a picture of it, Mrs Carano will put it on the Maxy blog so I can see it.
It was very nice to hear from you Della...Keep up the good work...Your friend, the Genie