Fabric Brooches
Whether you’re a sewing novice, a complete creative beginner or a making whizz there is an option for everyone. This blog post tells you what you need for sewing or no sewing a fabric brooch and how to make them. If you’ve completed a no sewing fabric brooch you could always dabble in a little embroidery to decorate afterwards!
These instructions are very loosely based on inspiration from Alex McQuade’s Stitched Fabric Brooches book. I’m not really a brooch wearer but I love to add these to bags. I like being able to make adaptions to projects so that everyone can have a go.
Materials
Just because we are working with fabric doesn’t mean you have to sew. Below you will find the materials you need to make fabric brooches whether you are opting to sew or not to sew.
What you need for both options:
- Fabric/ felt – some thicker materials are better to be able to give your brooch some stability/ rigidity. Scraps are perfect for this mini project. You could always recycle old clothes etc.
- Button
- Brooch fixing
- Fabric scissors – I have scissors that I only use for fabric. It makes it much easier to cut fabric and less frustrating! I have this set of three that make me smile every time I use them. I give my daughter (aged seven) sharp fabric scissors for projects like this. I’m always there to supervise but I feel that it’s much safer for her to use sharp fabric scissors rather than a pair that are more blunt that may not cut the fabric well.
Sewing option additional:
- Embroidery thread/ thread
- Needle
- Thimble (optional)
- Pliers (optional)
- Pins (optional)
The optional thimble and pliers are very dependent on the thread and fabric you have chosen. Some combinations needs a little extra oomph to be able to get through. My thimbles are vintage and belonged to my Nan and her Mom before her. It gives me such great pleasure to be able to use these items. You can often find vintage sewing items in charity shops.
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No sew option additional:
You can get glue guns very cheaply nowadays. However, if they are an item you plan on using frequently I’d highly recommend paying extra and getting a cordless one. I love the BOSCH brand cordless glue gun. It gives you much more control and I feel they are safer than corded glue guns that can often fall and the cord gets in the way. My daughter Floss, with supervision, can use the cordless glue gun and also people with hand difficulties find these easier to use.
Instructions
- Pick a button for your fabric brooch
- Decide on a shape for your brooch. A simple circle works really well but you could do a heart or a flower etc. It’s totally up to you.
- Choose 4 or 5 different fabrics – think about the sturdiness of your brooch. You will want some fabrics that will hold their shape well to give the brooch a more solid structure. It’s important that your back fabric piece is sturdy. ADVANCED OPTION: you may like to use some lace trimmings between some of your layers. You will need to gather these between your fabric layers. You may want pins to hold the trimming in place before you sew or glue.
- Cut out your largest shape – this will be the maximum size of your brooch.
- Using your button as a template to start cut out the same shape in each of the different fabrics getting slightly bigger each time but no bigger than your largest shape you cut out first. You can always pin the previous piece of fabric to use as a template to cut out your next one. ADAPTION: If you are doing the no sew option you can glue the button or previous fabric on before you cut out the next piece of fabric to help make it easier to cut around.
- Stack each of your fabrics and your buttons on top of each other. The shapes will go from button on top then smallest fabric to largest underneath.
- SEWING – if you are sewing, use a needle and thread to sew all the fabric together by attaching the button and all fabrics. You may find a thimble and a pair of pliers helpful if the fabric is thick/ dense.
…no sew
- NO SEW – if you are not sewing then use a glue gun to attach each layer together by placing a circle of glue in the middle of each layer and slowly building your brooch. Try to leave the edges without glue so you have the option to add embellishments later (you never know you might be tempted to go with a blanket stitch). Start with the button and work your way down your layers.
- Attach your brooch fixing to the back of the brooch. Position the brooch fixing just above the centre of the brooch. You can either sew or glue.
- Optional: embellish your brooch. You can use embroidery techniques such as French knots or edge fabric with blanket stitch (I love this YouTube tutorial below) to add more to your brooch. You could cut out/ die cut small additions to either sew on or glue to your brooch. There’s lots of different embroidery stitch ideas here.
Just Have Fun
You don’t need to make something perfect. Just have fun! My daughter and I love getting creative and just having a go. Here’s our brooches that we made below. Are they perfect – no. Did we love making them – totally!
Floss went for a no sew option using the cordless glue gun. I went for a combination. I stitched on my button and attempted to do a blanket stitch. Whilst making the fabric brooch I was having a really tricky health day and my hands were very shaky. After persevering with doing a blanket stitch I used the glue gun to attach the brooch fixing!
Health Challenges
It’s so important when you have health challenges to be able to find ways to make projects easier for yourself. Once upon a time I would have felt like a failure for needing to glue on the brooch fixing rather than sewing. Now I know it’s a strength that I can find ways to be creative whatever the challenge.
Looking for another project? You might like our sock puppet project which can be a great first sewing machine project.
As always, I would recommend adult supervision with activities and take care to ensure the items you are using are suitable for your child in both age and development. The views expressed are my own. If I have been sent a product for review then I will state this is the case; my review will be my honest opinion.