I love having little things to spice up my wardrobe occasionally, and how much better can it get than when it costs next to nothing and only takes a few minutes?

This month's tutorial shows you how to make the cutest shoe clips ever, from vintage fabric. Since it only takes scraps, it's great for using up leftovers!

 

You will need:

scraps of fabric (I used vintage)

needle and thread

2 vintage buttons per pair of shoe clips

2 shoe clip findings (get them at your local craft store or online)

circle form (I used a large sour cream container lid)

scissors

pen

 

1. The first step is to fold your fabric with the right sides together and lay your circle form on top.

Remember that yo-yos will always be half the size your original circle is. So if you want a 2 in. yo-yo, cut a 4 in. circle.

 

2. Trace around the form:

 

3. Cut out your circles, holding both pieces of fabric together so you can cut both at once. Don't worry if the edges aren't perfect – they'll be tucked out of sight.

 

4. Now with the wrong side facing, fold the top edge in just a little bit.

Your thread should have a knot in it for security. Stick the needle in through the layer you're holding down.

 

Make the needle go in and out at about 1/4 in. gaps, holding down the edge. When the needle is full of fabric, pull it through and continue. This is gathering the edge into a circle and neatly hemming it at the same time.

 

Here's mine half done:

 

When the edge is all gathered around, pull on the thread to tighten it. Now it looks like a saggy pouch.

 

Next, tug it around the edge to flatten it, making sure the gathered hole is in the center. Sew it down with a stitch or two to keep it in place. There's your yo-yo!

 

5. To finish it, sew the button on the top (it's a great way to showcase a fancy special button)…

…and sew the clip on the bottom (flat side).

 

Repeat steps 1-5 for the 2nd shoe clip.

 

Styling

But you can't make just one! The possibilities are endless. These are addicting. I can see why there were yo-yo crazes in the 1930s that even went so far as making bedspreads out of 2 in. yo-yos! I made 2 more pairs of shoe clips, and all 3 of them together took just an hour.

 

Here's how they look on some of my shoes.

 

 

 

 

The next time I make myself a skirt or dress, I'll make a pair of these out of leftover fabric so I have a matching touch for my shoes!

 

Handy Tip

If you find they hurt your feet clipped just inside the top, use them on buckles of mary janes, or on any sort of strap detail your shoes might have on the toes, like the red flats above. They stay on securely and won't hurt you.

Of course the possibilities for these are much more than shoe clips. Glue them to headbands, sew them to bags, hats, or lapels – sew pin backs to them and pin them anywhere and everywhere! I've seen lovely jewelry made with fancy fabric and smaller yo-yos sewn together into a bib necklace. Just a brief search on the internet is enough to overwhelm you with people's creativity and these little circles of fabric. But hopefully this will get you interested in the fabulous yo-yo!

 

Till next month!

~Kristen – Verity Vintage Studio

 

Look for my new tutorials posted sometime during the first full week of every month. Hairstyles, crafts, repurposing, etc.