yo yo . . . woo hoo

Fantastic news. . .
On Friday night when I went to the Mennonite Central Committee. . .
Relief Sale. . .
I found the the jackpot. .
hidden underneath a stack of quilts on a drying rack.
Peeking out from underneath. . I caught a glimpse of this. .
and I lifted the other quilts to have a peek. .
keeping my hand on it at all times.
I lifted if off the rack ..
and noticed that my find was drawing a good bit of attention. . .
I held it possessively protectively. . .
while I made the decision that took all of 10 seconds.

A yo yo quilt is not really a quilt in the true sense of the word. . .it is more of a coverlet. . .without a backing. You can check here for more information on it. . .
The quilts gained popularity in the early 30's through the 40's. . .
The fabrics appear to be from my childhood era. .
I have no idea how old it is. . .the fabrics are all cotton vintage. . wonderful old prints.
The ladies at the booth .. .smiled when I brought it to them to purchase. .
they knew. .that I knew. . . that I had found something very precious.
They said it had been donated. . .and they considered putting it on the auction as they do the many quilts that are made for the sole purpose of raising money for impoverished people around the world.
They decided to put a $100 ticket on it. .

Several years ago at the MCC sale. . .
I picked up our night tables. .
old hospital bed tables. . .
brought them home. . .
gave them a bath ..
and
set them beside our bed.

I imagined immediately this coverlet. . .fitting in the room. .
perfectly.
The coverlet. . has a total of 2160 yo yo's.
I made one yo yo .. it took me 5 minutes.
If I would make 2160 yo yo's . . .it would take me 180 hours.
Do the math .. .I got a good deal.

It needs a wee bit of mending.. . .
but really the dear soul that made this. . .
took very good care of it. .
it gave it a bath. . .
and . .
hugged it to myself. . .
noted to put Bea's name on the underneath side. .
for she helped me find it. .
and it will belong to her next.

How do you make a yo yo?
Do you have these things?


Put your canning lid on a lovely piece of cotton fabric.
Draw a circle around it.
Cut it out.
(so far a 1st grader can do it)

Fold over the edge while making small basting stitches.

Pull the threads to pull it into a circle. .
There. . .now you only need to make 2159 more. . .and then sew them together. .
and you can have a coverlet too. .
Have a wonderful day my friends. .
I'm off for my walk. . .
with a smirk.

Comments

  1. it is funny that i seem to only recognize a treasuer through others eyes. i may not of grabbed at that, but now that i see it on your bed, it looks great. super find!

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  2. I have always been fascinated by the yo-yos - whether in coverlets or in other uses. You snagged a fantastic deal! Lucky you!

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  3. At first sight, the yo yos reminded me of the scrunchie hair "elastics" our girls used growing up. I have never heard of or seen this type of quilt, but thanks for the instructions - I think I am feeling inspired (been so long since I've felt inspired that I don't know for sure if that is what it is!) Your new quilt fits beautifully into the decor of that room.

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  4. Good eye Lovella! It really is a beauty and goes well in that room...
    Happy Fall to you!

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  5. Marvelous find! God blessed you real good.

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  6. I love finding those treasures that one would never think to look for and so come unexpected.. waiting..as if they knew we were coming ! This one had your name on it ! I'so glad you found it and it is perfect on your bed!

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  7. very, very cool. i went to europe's 14th quilting exhibition on saturday. there are some pics on my blog with lots more to come. enjoy!

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  8. Don't you just love to get treasures like that! It looks perfect in your room.

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  9. Great find Lovella! I have made these yo yo's but 2160?? I don't think so! Yes you got a great deal and it looks so very nice on your bed..

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  10. That is amazing...Good on you. You did well, especially to recognize something like that.
    I found two rag quilts that I needed to walk from and then came back when no hands were on them...It became scarry for a minute because everyone was touching them.
    But then I darted and now am the proud owner.

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  11. That quilt holds a story of a lady or group of ladies that spent many hours working on a project from start to finish. Possibly it was a gift for someone special, or she just wanted something pretty for her bed or sofa. Anyhow, it has made its way to a woman who will enjoy it and pass it on to someone who will remember the story of this treasured find. It is perfect for your home and looks great on your bed. You just may have to have Terry make you a quilt rack for Christmas so you can have several places to display it. Kathy PS Maybe us MGCC gals should all make yo-yos this year and then make a blanket to sell at the sale next year. We just might get lableled a bunch of 'yo-yos' but that's OK with me 'cause we are having fun.

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  12. I got a "real live" glimpse of this beautiful quilt when I met Lovella at the sale. Like someone said, "it had your name on it" and It's beautiful on your bed! I'm trying to understand how that hole gets in there when you pull it together. Now, if this were a piece of dough, I could probably imagine it . . .

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  13. What a treaure you found! I was nearby finding treasres of my own...and would have surely gone for that yo-yo quilt had I seen it. It looks beautiful in your romm. Enjoy!

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  14. I loved seeing and hearing about your new quilt! It's beautiful. I'll have to show Rachel. Maybe she would like to make yo-yo's!

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  15. It is a find, and you did get a steal on it! The fabrics are very 1930ish, and it would be facinating to know the history of the quilt. My grandmother made a quilt from all the dresses my mom wore as a child. I grew up tracing the 1030 era designs, and still have a soft spot for that look. Perhaps that is the story of this quilt too. Or perhaps if the fabric is heavier, then the fabric was from flour sacks. In any case, it did take a lot of time, and it is wonderful that you appreciate not only the beauty but the moments of a woman's life that were spent to create such beauty.

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  16. Priceless, Lovella, I just started quilting a few years again and this quilt took many a hours. Looks great on your bed. This Yo Yo quilt would be fun on any bed.
    Thanks for sharing your beautiful quilt with us.
    Alvina

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  17. Oh, MY!!! you have a good find! Is there not a label on the underside? Now, all people who make quilts put labels on them. Apparently it makes them that much more valuable ~ as can be seen if this quilt had a date on it.
    Enjoy! I may be a bit envious! :)

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  18. Absolutely gorgeous, what a find.

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  19. Oh my! This is a "quilt" I might actually enjoy making....it looks so simple, although time consuming. Hmmmm.

    Congratulations on your find. It looks wonderful on the bed. I've seen these before but did not know how special they are!

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