CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA - FABRIC YO-YO GREETING CARD

Author Lois Winston recently attended Bouchercon 2012. While there, she took part in two craft rooms where authors of crafting mysteries teach craft projects to readers. Since fabric yo-yo crafts will be featured in the upcoming Revenge of the Crafty Corpse, the third book in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries series, Lois taught classes in making a fabric yo-yo greeting card. Now, you can make one, too. -- AP

Materials: 6” circular piece of lightweight cotton fabric, 3/4” - 1" diameter button, sewing needle, DMC Perle Cotton, DMC Memory Thread, Beacon Adhesives Zip Dry paper glue, wax paper, 4-1/2” x 6” piece of colored paper, Yarn Tree greeting card and envelope.

Directions for making Memory Thread stem and leaves: Cut one piece of Memory Thread 17” (twice the length of the short side of the sheet of directions.) Using this piece as a guide, cut another piece of Memory Thread four times the 17” length. Fold the longer piece in half, then in half again. Working from one end to the other, tightly twist the four lengths of Memory Thread together. Fold the twisted length in half, forming a “V”.

For the stem, fold the 17” length of Memory Thread in half, then in half again. Center over the “V” of the twisted length. Twist the stem pieces together, starting at the “V” and working to the opposite end.

To form the leaves, coil the ends of the Memory Thread.

Assembly directions for card: Apply a thin line of glue around the front edge of the colored paper. Center behind the card cutout. Apply a thin line of glue around the edge of card flap that folds behind cut-out section. Press flap in place. Place wax paper over the card and weight down.

Apply small dots of glue to back of stem/leaves. Remove weight and wax paper from card. Position stem/leaves on front of card. Place wax paper over the stem/leaves. Weight down Memory Thread until glue dries.

While glue is drying, make fabric yo-yo flower.

Directions for making yo-yo: Hold the fabric circle with the wrong side facing you. Fold 1/4” of the raw edge toward the wrong side of the fabric. Using the quilting thread, begin the first stitch underneath the fold of the hem to hide the knot, then sew a running stitch around the circle. When you reach your starting point, and the circle is completely hemmed, pull the thread tight to gather the fabric. Smooth and flatten the yo-yo so the hole is in the center. This is the right side of your yo-yo. Sew the button over the center hole of the yo-yo. Knot the thread and snip excess.

Glue the yo-yo to the top of stem.