Flower Brooch Project by A Bit of Stitch
These flower brooches are made from silk organza or cotton organdy. The different sized petals are made in the hoop then stacked together to form a flower. The centers can be anything you choose a beautiful button, unusual beads, bits of fuzzy trim or even a small sparkly pin!
Materials You Will Need:
- Flower Brooch designs from A Bit of Stitch
- ½ yard of flower petal color silk organza or cotton organdy
- ½ yard of leaf color silk organza or cotton organdy
- Thread to match
- Sew-on bar Pin Back
- Ornate jeweled buttons ¾” to 2” in size
Suggested Tools:
Small curved bladed, very sharp scissors. (The best scissors for this project are from the Scissor Man at: www.tools-gadgets.com see Embroidery Nips.)
Helpful Tips:
All the designs fit in a 4x4 hoop. To maximize the number of flower petals you can get from your fabric, do not cut out the flower petals until you have finished making all you wish. Just re-hoop the fabric placing the designs as close together as you can without overlapping. A half-yard of fabric makes a LOT of flower petals!
Polyester organza is not recommended for this project as they fray easily. Silk organza has a nice crisp feel and holds the finishing satin stitch edge very well.
Directions for Brooches:
Hoop two layers of leaf color fabric or flower color fabric. Stitch the leaf and flower petal designs. You will not need to use stabilizer. Fine cotton thread makes a nice finished edge on cotton fabrics. Rayon or polyester embroidery thread works well on silks. Use the same color and type of thread in your bobbin as your top thread.
When you have finished making as many leaf and flower petal parts as you wish carefully cut them out. The little curved snips listed above make this job fast and easy. Cut as close as possible to the edge without cutting through the edging. If you make a mistake and clip the threads, a small drop of Fray Check will fix it.
Stack the flower petals in a pleasing arrangement, largest on the bottom, smallest on the top. Tack together with a few small hand stitches on both sides of the center of the flower, but not directly in the middle. Cut or poke a small slit into the very center of the flower petals, going through all of them. Slip your button shank into that hole, pulling it through underneath. Hand stitch the button in place on the back of the flower petals.
Place a leaf (or two as desired) over your hand stitching and stitch down following the circle in the center of the leaf design. Place a brooch pin over the stitching, and sew into place securely. Remember to check the placement of the brooch pin before stitching into place so that your flower brooch hangs correctly when pinned on.
You may use as many flower petals and/or leaves as desired. The mum and the flower make a very nice flower brooch using six petals, two of each size. Beading in the place of a button makes a lovely center, as do other trimmings such as fringe or looped ribbon. Feathers can be added between the flower layers for more interest.
Flower brooches are not just for your lapel -- Back a pair of pretty flowers with shoe clips and wear them on your shoes! Or construct a garden on a pretty straw handbag. Sew some on a linen guest towel using the center design included in the design set. (Complete directions for this method of application are included in the set.) No matter where you put they are sure to bloom!
Resources:
www.orientalsilk.com see Mulberry Silk for silk organza
www.thaisilks.com
www.denverfabrics.com
G-Street Fabrics see www.gstreetfabrics.com for locations
These directions may not be reproduced, copied or distributed without prior permission from Evy Hawkins at A Bit of Stitch. Thank you.
