If you’ve been around CraftTestDummies a while, you know I’m a huge fan of Yo-Yo makers by Clover. (Read my review of the heart-shaped yo-yo maker here.) This year I saw that they came out with the “shamrock” shape and I had. To. Have. It.
Like the other yo-yo makers, the Shamrock Yo-Yo Maker set consists of a template and a tray, which pop together. You put your fabric, right side down into the tray, then pop in the template piece. You trim away the excess fabric to about 1/4 inch, then sew through the guide holes all the way around.
I gave this puppy a try, and I have to say- there IS a learning curve. The first time I tried it, I sewed the fabric to the template. Now, this is more complex then just a heart or circle, so you DO have to pay closer attention.
The second try, I got all the way around without incident. (Closer trimming helped immensely.) Now, this template is very different in that there is a center gather that needs to be done before you pop the template out. (You can see it on the picture above.) OK, got that accomplished, popped the template out, then started gathering….and SNAP! Goes the string.
(Note to self: always wax the thread and use quilting/upholstery thread.)
THIRD try…OK, breathe…. waxed thread? Check. Excess fabric trimmed? Check. Gather in the middle? Check. OK! Gathers pulled….slowly….and knotted…and- hey! It kinda looks like a lumpy-flower-thingy.
As you can see from the side view above, it’s also really thick- about 1/2 inch or so. I think this limits is uses- for example, I wouldn’t put this on a hairclip or a card- it’s just too lumpy.
Maybe I need to pull it tighter? Fuss with it more? I’m not sure. I’m willing to give it another try-or two- but to be honest, I’m going to put it aside and make my shamrocks from the heart-shaped one instead.
Bottom line- while I love my other Clover yo-yo makers, this one wasn’t worth the effort. Feel free to leave YOUR opinion, though…I’m always open-minded!
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MissCraftyFingers says
haha, i bought this shamrock yoyo template too and have the same problem with you. 🙁 grrr i should have bought the regular yoyo template instead. lol