• Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

The Ruffled Purse®

Discover the Joy of Sewing

  • Learn to Sew
  • Blog
    • Sewing Projects
    • Sewing Knowledge and Skills
    • Sewing Clothes
  • Shop
  • About

Make a Yo-Yo Christmas Garland

November 14, 2020 By Nicki Leave a Comment

This post may contain some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission which helps keep my blog up and running but it won't cost you a penny more)! Click here to read my full Disclosure and Privacy Policy..

23shares
  • Share It

Whether your Christmas tree has a theme or it’s a cheerful collection of memory-filled ornaments, it may be begging for a handmade yo-yo garland.

A few years ago, our Christmas tree was ornament heavy, so I decided to take all my Raggedy Ann ornaments and put them on their own tree.

From the very first year as its own tree, the Raggedy Ann ornaments have been accompanied by a red-bead garland. But something was brewing in the back of my mind. I realized this year, my Raggedy Ann Christmas tree needs a yo-yo garland.

Making a yo-yo garland is the perfect sewing project to combine with TV watching. You can enjoy your show(s) and be productive at the same time.

You may even consider binge-watching Hallmark Christmas movies while working on the yo-yo garland and you’ll feel your holiday spirit grow!

Table Of Contents
  • Selecting the Fabric
  • Deciding the Yo-Yo Size
  • How to Make Yo-Yos
  • How Many Yo-Yos to Make
  • How to Make a Yo-Yo Christmas Garland

Selecting the Fabric

The first thing to think about is the fabric you want to use for your garland.

The fabric doesn’t have to be Christmas themed, it can be anything you want it to be.

Scraps work great for this project and so does almost any type of fabric. The fabric you select should be able to hold the shape of the yo-yo after it is made. Keep away from anything too thin and floaty.

While I call it my Raggedy Ann Christmas tree, Raggedy Andy is on many of the ornaments, too. So for my garland, I stuck with mostly red, white, and blue fabrics because those are the main colors of the ornaments on my tree.

Deciding the Yo-Yo Size

There isn’t a ‘right’ size to use for the garland. But there are a couple things to keep in mind.

  • The smaller the yo-yos the more you’ll need to make the garland.
  • If you make the yo-yos too big, they could look funny on the tree.

For my Raggedy Ann yo-yo garland, I ended up making 2 sizes:

  • Yo-yos that were 1.25 inches wide. (The circle template has a diameter of 3-inches.)
  • Yo-yos that were 2 inches wide. (The circle template has a diameter of 4-inches.)
    Built with ConvertKit

    How to Make Yo-Yos

    Before you can get started on a yo-yo Christmas garland, you need to know how to make yo-yos.

    You can watch how I make fabric yo-yos in the video below.

    You can also read the full post on how to make them by clicking on the blue button below the video.

    Learn how to make fabric yo-yos in just a few minutes

    Making yo-yos is a simple process and doesn’t take long to master. Once you make a few yo-yos, you’ll be able to start churning them out without thinking about the steps. Before you realize it, there will be a large pile in front of you.

    How Many Yo-Yos to Make

    The number of yo-yos you’ll need is going to vary depending on how big your tree is and how close you want the rows to be when the garland is spiraled around it.

    Not really knowing how many yo-yos would be needed for my tree I filled a pyrex dish until it was full.

    It ended up being 185 yo-yos with approximately the same number of both sizes.

    To give you a reference, after they were all sewn together, my yo-yo Christmas garland was 8 yards and 14 inches long.

    Once you have a pile of yo-yos, you’re ready to put them all together!

    How to Make a Yo-Yo Christmas Garland

    pull thread until edges meet

    How to Make a Yo-Yo Christmas Garland

    Yield: A yo-yo garland for holiday decor
    Prep Time: 2 hours
    Active Time: 2 hours
    Total Time: 4 hours
    Difficulty: Easy
    Estimated Cost: Under $5

    Learn how to make garland from fabric yo-yos. This is a fun sewing project to work on while watching holiday shows.

    Materials

    • Circle templates for the yo-yos
    • Fabric for the yo-yos; can be scraps
    • Polyester thread

    Tools

    • Pencil or other marking utensil
    • Scissors
    • Hand needles with a shorter shaft to make the yo-yos
    • Hand needles with a longer shaft (like milliner's needles) to connect the yo-yos

    Instructions

    Make the Yo-Yos

    First, you will need to make the yo-yos. Once you have a pile that you think will be enough, you're ready to begin connecting the yo-yos together.

    Connect the Yo-Yos

    1. Cut a length of thread 15-18 inches long. Thread it through the needle and tie a knot at the end.
    2. Insert the thread through the center hole of one yo-yo and out through the edge of the same yo-yo. The needle should go between the fabric layers of the yo-yo. insert needle through hole and out fold on edge
    3. Put another yo-yo on top of the first one with the center holes facing each other.
    4. Use the ladder stitch and go back and forth a couple of times in the same spot. use ladder stitch to connect two yo-yos use the ladder stitch to connect 2 yo-yos use the ladder stitch to connect 2 yo-yos use the ladder stitch to connect 2 yo-yos
    5. Pull the thread gently but firmly until the edges of the yo-yos are right next to each other.
    6. Insert the needle into the edge of the 2nd yo-yo and out through its center. Pay attention and make sure the needle doesn't go through the front or the back of the yo-yo. insert the needle through the edge insert the needle through the center hole
    7. The 2nd yo-yo now becomes yo-yo one. Repeat steps 2 - 6 connecting the yo-yos until you have about 8 inches of thread left. push the needle to the other side
    8. To tie off the thread, you want it to be coming out of the center of a yo-yo. Stitch a couple gathers together and create a loop. Poke the needle through the loop and pull until it is secure. Take a second stitch looping the thread and pulling the needle through. (I show how to do this in the video below around minute 3:40.)
    9. Push the needle through the yo-yo to 'bury the thread' and cut off any access thread.
    10. Cut another length of thread and continue until all the yo-yos are sewn together.

    Notes

    The prep time includes making the yo-yos. This will vary depending on how quickly and how many yo-yos you'll need. The same goes for the time to make the garland.

    Polyester thread is strong, smooth, and durable. Other types of thread can be used, though.

    The longer milliner's needles are also called straw needles. The length of the needles makes it easy to connect the yo-yos.

    Recommended Products

    As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    • CLOVER 235 No. 3-9 Gold Eye Embroidery Needles, Pack of 16
      CLOVER 235 No. 3-9 Gold Eye Embroidery Needles, Pack of 16

    How much did you love this project?

    Follow me on Pinterest for more sewing inspiration and education.

    Project Type: Hand sewing / Category: Sewing Projects

    Let’s Connect

    My main goals are to support, empower, and inspire you to discover the joy of sewing.

    Need help or have questions on this project, pattern, or tutorial? Send me an email at nicki@theruffledpurse.com and we can work together to get it figured out!

    Make sure you sign up for Snappy Scissors, my FREE newsletter sent directly to your inbox for ongoing sewing inspiration and education.

    Also, like or follow The Ruffled Purse® on Facebook. This is another way to stay up-to-date on the fun things going on at The Ruffled Purse.

    You can even follow me on Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube! 😊

    Nicki’s work has been seen in:

    Check out Nicki’s Summit classes at The Makery and in The Ruffled Purse Shop.

    Looking for more sewing education? Here are a few other posts you may like:

    Sew a Round Pillow Cover with Fringe Trim

    Read More

    Have Fun with DIY Face Masks

    Read More
    tic_tac_toe_board

    How to Sew a Tic-Tac-Toe Board

    Read More
    Pinterest image of a bowl of fabric yo-yos
    23shares
    • Share It

    About Nicki

    Nicki Hibbits is the writer behind The Ruffled Purse blog. She has spent almost all of her adult life either sewing or thinking about sewing. After 28 years as an elementary school teacher, she has combined her love of sewing with her teaching expertise to support, empower, and inspire others to discover (or rediscover) the joy of sewing.

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Hello, I’m Nicki!

    Welcome to The Ruffled Purse® where you can discover (or rediscover) the joy of sewing! I want to inspire you to use sewing to bring to life creative ideas as well as a way to solve everyday problems. With sewing, you can create wonderful things for yourself, your home, and others. About me...

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Recent Posts

    • How to Fix Crotch Holes in Jeans
    • Easy-to-Sew Blouse Pattern
    • Make a Yo-Yo Christmas Garland
    • Double-Fold Quilt Binding: A Beginner’s Guide
    • Applique Tools to Make Sewing More Enjoyable

    Safety Disclaimer

    Use caution when working with sharp tools and objects including, but not limited to, scissors, needles, pins, and rotary cutters.

    Read and follow safety instructions in the sewing machine instruction manual.

    Do not use the sewing machine as a toy. Close attention is necessary when the sewing machine is used by or near children.

    © 2017-Present Nicki Hibbits. All rights reserved. Legal Disclosures.

    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkPrivacy policy