Heart-shaped Yo-yo

(right-click on any image and choose "View Image" for a larger view)

The principle behind the heart-shaped yo-yo is the same as for the round, oval, and square yo-yoa. There is a slight difference here, however, in how the fabric is gathered.

Decide how large you want your yo-yo to be and make a heart template twice that size. (You can scroll down the page for the link to a file with hearts in several sizes.) Trace the heart onto the wrong side of your fabric and cut out. Clip the concave point (the “V”) at the top of the heart – about 3/8”.

Thread a hand sewing needle with quilting thread or two strands of regular sewing thread. Knot the end of the thread. You will start sewing at the top of the heart. In this case, sewing takes place in two directions: from the top left all the way down to the point of the heart (in the photo, indicated by the red arrows), and then from the top right all the way down to the bottom point (indicated by the green arrows in the photo).

After stitching the heart, do not cut the thread. Pull both threads gently until the fabric edges gather in the center, pushing the gathers with your fingers to help shape the heart. In this case, it is difficult to end up with a small hole, because of the number of gathers. In any case, secure the threads and knot them off, but do not cut the threads yet.

Rethread both threads onto the same needle. Push the needle out through the top of the heart, take a tiny stitch and come back down. Pull the thread to form the V shape of the heart. Secure the threads knot off and cut them.

Work the gathers to make the yo-yo flat. If you like, cover the hole with a button or decorative bead.