Hand-Sewn Small Things.

There is something just so satisfying about hand-sewing. It's meditative to focus on each little stitch being made, coming together to form the final result. 

I also love small things. Little decorations and embellishments are the icing on any project I work on.

From this is born my obsession with Clover Needlecraft's yo-yo and flower makers.

Small yo-yo in progress. Made from echino double-gauze.

Now, it's no secret yo-yo's and fabric flowers can be made without the aid of anything at all. Purists may even scoff at my addiction to these tools, and frankly, I cant really disagree with them. However, Clover's products make it so easy to create the perfect stitches and gathers for these projects making them easy and relaxing enough to do while watching a movie (I associate hand-sewing with Jane Austin movies) or even while in class (yes, yes, I admittedly do this more than maybe I should).

Clover also knows how to design an attractive product:

How could these not cheer you up? L to R: Large Sweetheart Rose maker, Large Shamrock yo-yo maker, and large and small yo-yo makers.

At first, I had no idea what I would possibly do with a bunch of fabric circles, but now I am enamored with the possibilities of these products. So far I have put yo-yo's on headbands, roses on hair ties and combs (What? I love hair accessories!!!), and am making some to put on cardigans and shirts. My boss at Hart's Fabric, who introduced me to this obsession, even features them on an amazing quilt with wonderful results.

L to R: Large shamrock yo-yo, large regular yo-yo's, and large sweetheart roses. 

So there is one of my latest obsessions. If you love hand-sewing and small things as much as I do, then you should check these products out! They have a bunch of cute shapes and sizes to play with: Clover's yo-yo page.

Stay Tuned for Alchemy Tea's next entry: Adventures in screen-printing!