a wildcards tutorial: fly, fabric frisbee, fly!

Snow? Goodbye. Cold? So long. Wind? Please leave now. We wanna go OUTSIDE!

Spring is appearing in bits and pieces here in northern Utah. We can stare at our snowcapped mountains while the tips of tulip leaves pop up at our feet. During winter’s final flurries, I wanted to cozy up and make something fun for my two boys to play with outside. During spring’s start-ups, we’ll have something fresh and fun to enjoy.

Enter a fabric frisbee!

You can use this frisbee outdoors or in, actually… we’ve tried it both ways. My advice when using it indoors? Set a rule for low-flying only. Then hope for the best.

This little frisbee is a cinch to stitch, and promises no black eyes or goose eggs when it hits you directly in the face (and you can bet with a six- and two-year old flinging it around, it will). The rope encased inside gives it a sturdiness that will guarantee high-flying feats. Outdoors only for the feats, of course.

Let’s get started!

 

fly, fabric frisbee, fly! tutorial

What you’ll need:

• two coordinating fat quarters--one lighter, one darker


• large scrap of fabric for the background square and background letters


• circular template (such as a pot lid or plate)


• ruler, scissors, and glue stick


• length of ¼"-wide rope (two feet, just to be safe)


• safety pin


• needle and thread for hand-sewing

NOTE: I used 100% quilting cottons because they're what caught my eye in my stash. But I think you could use just about anything you have on hand—flannels, denim, or even fleece could be fun. In fact, when I make a second frisbee, I think I’ll try denim for even more durability.

From the lighter fat quarter, cut two 7 1/2" circles. (The circle size need only be approximate.) From the other fat quarter, cut one 5" square. Round the edges of the square, if desired.

Find a font you like and print out the word “FLY” in an extra-large point size. Since sizes vary from font to font, you’ll have to experiment a bit to find the right size. Spaced out, the letters should fit at least 1/2" inside the 5" square edges when the square is turned on its side to make a diamond shape. Cut out the letters from the paper and trace them onto the first fat quarter fabric. Cut the letters out just inside your drawn lines.

NOTE: As you can see, there is a second black square in the photo above. I had planned to sew it onto the back of the frisbee, but I removed it to make the design simpler. Please ignore it for our purposes.

ANOTHER NOTE: Try to choose a font that doesn’t feature an “L” that looks more like a “C.” You know, if possible.

Place your fabric letters onto the background fabric you’ve chosen. Using your glue stick, adhere them to the fabric, spacing the letters at least 1/2" apart.

Cut around the letters, leaving the background fabric about 1/8" wider than the original lettering.

Before you arrange your pieces on your circle, cut one 5 1/2" square from your background fabric, rounding the corners if desired. (I tweaked the design in process and didn’t photograph this step earlier; my apologies.) Now, arrange your pieces on one of the circles: first the 5 1/2" square, then the 5" square, then the letters. Using your glue stick, adhere all the pieces in place.

Sew the 5" square to the circle using a 1/4" seam (it will automatically sew the 5 1/2" square to the circle at the same time). Sew the smaller, darker letters to the circle using a 1/8" seam. Finally, pin and sew the two circles together, leaving a 1 1/2" opening at the bottom for turning. Because it’s hard to see the stitching on my black-and-white fabric, here’s a look from the back side.

Turn the frisbee inside out. Insert a long, blunt tool (such as a knitting needle or a capped pen) into the frisbee and push out the seam around the outer edges of the circle so it lies flat.

Wash and dry the frisbee using normal cycles so the edges fray up. Press.

Sew a 1/2" seam around the frisbee. This creates your casing for the rope.

Grab your 1/4"-wide rope and cut it to about two feet in length.

Insert a safety pin into the tip of the rope, making sure to thread through all plies of the rope if needed.

Push the safety pin through the casing opening. Gather fabric onto the safety pin; then pull the fabric past the pin and onto the rope. Continue pushing and pulling the rope through the casing until the safety pin comes out the other side of the casing. Distribute the fabric around the rope until the frisbee lies flat.

Overlap the ends of the rope, making sure the point of overlap snuggles up closely inside the casing. Sew through both layers of the overlapped rope; then backstitch to the beginning of your stitching. (Pin the frisbee fabric away from the rope if needed for sewing.) Cut the long ends of the rope close to the stitching. Push the rope back into the casing.  Turn the raw edges of the opening under 1/4" and whipstitch closed.

Now you’re done.

I’m not sure why, but a poem seems fitting at this juncture.

 

It’s easy to wash,

it's easy to dry.

Head out with your littles

and make that frisbee FLY!

Okay, maybe it’s not a POEM… not in the fancy sense of the word. We’ll call it a rhyme.

Not worth a dime.

No rhythm or time.

So bad it’s a crime.

I do it all the time.

 

Cheers, crafties!

(P.S. If you're looking for cool new stuff to make out of secondhand stuff, check out my book ReSew. If you click through, thank you!)