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When they finally appeared, many people thought they were unnecessary, impractical and even scandalous
Dip into your fabric stash (or scraps) and stitch a spring fabric flower brooch with textile artist Gemma Nemer. It’s a fab stash buster project that turns sewing offcuts into something beautiful.
These little blooms are a doddle to make, and since each petal is hand-stitched with treasured fabric, you’ll want to accessorise everything! Add your fabric flower brooch to lapels, spring footwear, or even your new tote ( you can learn how to make a tote bag with our free tote bag pattern).
Gemma’s made her fabric flower brooch with floral fabrics that are fit for spring and summer, but why not make some festive and autumnal versions? Get your Christmas fabrics and Autumnal colours out and make yourself some fabric flower brooches for every season.
You’ll need to raid your button stash to find the perfect middle for your fabric flower brooch. Plain buttons, gems and even knotted up embroidery thread work well.
If you can’t find a button that suits your fabric brooch, never fear. We show you how to make your own buttons. Simply find some buttons and cover them in matching fabric – no extra spending needed! This fabric flower brooch really is the best stash-buster project.
If you’re new to the world of hand stitching, we have a guide to all the embroidery stitches you’ll need, as well as a complete guide to sewing for beginners. Have a read of those articles before you start your fabric flower brooch, and you’ll be set to start sewing.
You’ll need:
- Fabric
- Needle and thread
- Button
- Glue gun
- Brooch back
- Small piece of felt
How to make a fabric flower brooch
Step 1
Use a jam jar lid or draw a 7cm (2¾”) card circle as a template. Draw around it five times on your five different fabric pieces and neatly cut them out.
Step 2
Take one of the circles and fold it neatly into a quarter. Repeat with the rest of your circles. Now you have five petal quarters. Thread your needle and cotton about 50cm (20″) long, doubled over with a big knot (a different colour has been used here so you can see it).
Step 3
Using a running stitch, sew along the rough, curved edge of your petal quarter. You should only need around 10 stitches per petal quarter. Repeat with all five petal quarters. All your petal quarters will now be strung on your length of cotton.
Gather your petal quarters from both ends so they are as close together as they can be, with long ties at both ends.
Step 4
Then simply tie both ends together with a double knot and trim the ends. Be careful not to tie your ends too tightly or they will snap. When you have tied your flower together, equally space out the petals. You will have a small hole in the centre of your flower – don’t worry at this stage, it will be covered later.
Step 5
Now cut a 4cm (15/8 “) and a 2cm (¾”) paper circle. Draw around them on the felt piece and cut out. Stitch your brooch back onto the largest felt circle. It’s best to choose which way up your flower is going to go before adding the back.
Step 6
Stitch or glue your button to the flower. Next, glue the smaller felt circle over the open brooch pin to cover the stitching. Finally, glue your large felt circle backing to the back of the flower. Try using a glue gun for this. For different effects, you can try experimenting with flat petals or pointy petals.
And that’s it! Fabric flower brooch complete
We hope you’ve loved this project. It’s a great way to use up scrap or leftover fabric.
Try our cute bunny sewing project
For more fun sewing projects, make sure you check out our free rabbit sewing pattern – it’s super simple and very cute.
