Zipper felt brooches

Tomorrow, 10.30am – 12.30pm at Inkwell, Chapel Allerton, £6 each. We’re making Zipper heart brooches ready for Valentines day next week (yep, it really is that soon).

For those who can’t be with us, here’s the instructions…

1. Draw your simple design onto paper..

 

2. Pin the paper onto a piece of felt

 

3. Take your zip and trim off the fabric edge, leavng the metal or plastic teeth.

 

4. Whip stitch the zip into place, making sure the thread fits tightly between the teeth.

 

5. pick out the paper centre, use a needle to get into tight areas.

 

6. Needle felt small bits of felt to the centre of the brooch.

 

7. Keep going until the brooch is filled.

 

8. Add buttons, brads or other embellishments

 

9. Turn the brooch over and sew the brooch pin onto the felt.

 

10. Cut out the brooch and draw around it onto another piece of felt. Cut this second felt piece out.

 

11. place the second piece over the first and mark the two pin ends of the brooch. Make a small cut where you have marked and place the second piece over the first, pulling through the pin ends.

 

12. Blanket stitch around the edge, making sure you stitch through both front and back felt pieces.

 

13. Pin the brooch on and enjoy!

There are many designs on the internet, have a google around, some are simple, others very intricate. There are also other ways of making the brooch, mostly by using a glue gun, but the thought of young people loose with glue guns scared me a bit (plus I only have one) so I came up with a way of making the brooch without hot glue dripping from little hands!

What’s next…

Saturday 22nd February, 10.30am, Inkwell, £6 Spinning.

No, not spinning on a bike (that’d be very interesting to see) we’re going to make our own little drop spindle and do a bit of spindle spinning, making our own wool. We only have two hours, and already it sounds like it’ll be popular.