Yo-Yo Rosettes a Small Bit of History

Recently I have become addicted to making Yo-Yo Rosettes and now making them into barrettes, hair clips and ponytail holders. So of course I just had to know where they originated. It has been so much fun reading their history.

The word Yo-Yo comes from the Filipino word for “come-come” or “return”, and that it was very popular in the 1930-40s.  In the 1920s a man named Pedro Flores brought a Filipino Yo-Yo to the United States. A businessman named Donald Duncan bought the Filipino Yo-Yo Company around 1928. In 1932 Mr. Duncan received a trademark for the word Yo-Yo.

Yo-Yos were popular because women could carry the little circles of fabric with them and make Yo-Yos whenever they had a free moment. 

I vision ladies sitting around in their wonderful Victorian chairs with gas lights or lanterns, chatting about their simple lives and using their scraps of fabric to create these lovelies.

How many hours do you suppose they spent cutting small circles of fabric, then hand stitching them to create beautiful quilts with their rosettes?

Maybe one day I will take up the challenge and create a wonderful quilt that can be handed down.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Carly