Crafting With Felt Flowers: Felt Brooches Tutorial

Add a pop of colour to any outfit with a felt flower brooch! 

This week I'm sharing four easy ideas for using the templates from my April Felt Flowers Wreath tutorial, kicking off with some pretty flower brooches.

 

This tutorial was originally designed for The Village Haberdashery's blog, using felt and other craft supplies from their shop.

You will need:

- The flower templates from April's wreath tutorial
- Felt in assorted colours
- Matching sewing thread
- Contrasting or coordinating embroidery thread
- One button per flower
- Brooch clasps
- Sewing needles and pins
- Sewing scissors or embroidery scissors (embroidery scissors are great for cutting out detailed felt shapes!)

 

To make the brooches: 

Use the flower templates, mixing and matching shapes to create layered flowers. I used two colours but you could use as many as you like. Top each flower with a small circle cut using template H.

Sew the layers together with a small X of two stitches, using sewing thread to match the felt (or the buttons you’ll be adding later).

Then use half strands of embroidery thread (so, for six-stranded thread just use three strands) to decorate the flowers. Sew single stitches along the inner petals, starting each stitch from under the central felt circle. Use a contrasting or coordinating colour for this - I used dark pink.

Add a button to the centre of each flower, sewing them securely in position with a double thickness of matching sewing thread.

Use the templates to cut a backing circle for each brooch, small enough to fit within the largest flower shape. I cut these from purple felt but any colour will do as it won’t be visible when worn.

Position a brooch clasp just above the centre of each circle, sewing them in place with a double thickness of matching sewing thread.

Place the circles on the backs of the flowers, as shown. Sew them into position with whip stitch and matching sewing thread, sewing into the layers of felt but not through them – so the circles are secured but the stitching isn’t visible at the front of the brooch.

 

  
Enjoyed this free tutorial? Buy me a "coffee" and help support my blog!


P.S. Subscribe to my newsletter for a monthly free pattern and visit my crafty tutorial archive for lots more free projects.

This tutorial is for non commercial use only: you can use it to make as many brooches as you want for yourself or as gifts, but please don't make any for sale. You may borrow a couple of photos if you want to blog about this project, but remember to credit me and link back to this page on my blog, and do not reproduce my entire tutorial / share my templates on your site. Thanks!

New in My Shop: Romantic Felt Flower Headbands Tutorial

The latest printable PDF sewing pattern in my shop is all about flowers!

My Romantic Flowers tutorial includes step by step instructions for sewing pretty felt flower headbands...

... and how to turn the design into a brooch.

There are also templates and instructions for sewing a large headband or floral crown featuring three of the flowers for some serious flower power this summer.

These flowers would be lovely to wear year-round or to summer parties - why not make a flower to match your favourite dress?

They'd also be great for making accessories for a wedding: the large headband for the bride, single flower hairbands for the bridesmaids, and flower brooches worn on the groomsman's lapels.

Oh, and the PDF includes a flower embroidery pattern, too! Yay!

 

Remember: when you buy any patterns from my shop you can of course make lots of things for yourself and to give as gifts, but you can also sell the finished items at craft fairs or in your Etsy shop, etc, as long as you credit me as the designer.

Click here to buy my Romantic Flowers PDF from my shop! The file will be available to download immediately after purchase. Shop before June 10th to get this design at the launch price.

P.S. A couple of the samples I stitched for this pattern will be available in my sample sale this weekend! 

Don't want to miss out on things like sample sales and new patterns? Subscribe to my newsletter for shop updates and/or a monthly free project!

New in My Shop: 3 Easy Felt Flower Patterns - Make Sunflowers, Dahlias & Layered Flowers

I've just added a new PDF pattern to my shop... well, three new patterns, actually!

 

 

My latest listing is a bundle of 3 easy-to-sew felt flower designs: sunflowers, dahlias and layered flowers.

 

 

 
You can use the tutorials to make brooches or headbands, and there's also a template for making poinsettia brooches for the Christmas holidays.

 

 

When you buy any patterns from my shop you can of course make lots of things for yourself and to give as gifts, but you can also sell the finished items at craft fairs or in your Etsy shop, etc, as long as you credit me as the designer.

You can buy this bargain bundle of printable PDF patterns from my shop - it'll be available to download immediately after your payment goes through! Shop before May 29th to snap up the flowers at the bargain launch price. 

 

P.S. I've got lots more patterns in progress at the moment - subscribe to my newsletter for all the latest updates from me and my shop.

New in My Shop: Felt Primroses and Auriculas Tutorial

I added another felt flower pattern to my Etsy shop this week: primroses and auriculas. 

You can sew lots of cheerful spring flowers with this pattern!

 

Along with the main tutorials for sewing trio and solo primrose and auricula brooches...

 

 

... I've also included instructions for making simple-but-lovely circle brooches.

You can change the felt and thread colours to create a whole assortment of pretty primulas...

 

... and I've included examples of ways to vary the auriculas, too!

 

As well as making felt brooches, you could use this pattern to add spring flowers to anything you fancy (hair clips, statement necklaces, lavender sachets, purses, cards, etc). Sew flowers on everything!

Click here to find the tutorial in my shop.

New in My Shop: Felt Poppies Tutorial (& Poppy Embroidery Pattern)

One of my goals this year is to get lots of patterns added to my Etsy shop, and I'm kicking off the year with one of my old faves: poppies!

I've stitched a lot of felt poppy brooches over the years, they used to be one of the most popular items in my shops and I still wear one on my jacket every autumn. I'm delighted to be giving this design new life as a tutorial.

The printable PDF pattern includes templates and step-by-step instructions for sewing three sizes of beaded felt poppy, and how to turn them into brooches, hair clips and headbands.

The PDF also includes a poppy embroidery pattern, which you can stitch on anything you fancy or frame in a five inch embroidery hoop.

Click here to find the poppy pattern in my shop!

How To: Make a Folk Flower Brooch from Felt & Fabric

Time for another tutorial! Hurrah!

Today I'm sharing an easy how to for making a pretty floral brooch from felt and fabric.

This project originally appeared in docrafts Creativity magazine, last spring, using felt and fabric from the docrafts range. I love this little trio of flowers! They're simple but sweet and would be a great way to add a pop of colour to a spring/summer outfit.

I've written the instructions for making the brooch in the colours pictured (red flowers, green leaves, yellow background, dark blue fabric) but you can of course use any colours you fancy! Just swap my suggested colours for yours when following the instructions.

Any small print fabric would work well for the background - or you could use a plain fabric or another shade of felt instead. Make sure your chosen fabric/felt contrasts nicely with the colours you've chosen for your flowers and leaves, so they stand out clearly.

You will need:

- the templates provided at the bottom of this post
- small pieces of red and green felt for the flowers and leaves
- yellow felt to frame and back the brooch
- dark blue fabric for the background
- sewing thread to match the fabric (dark blue) and all three shades of felt (red, green, yellow)
- green embroidery thread (floss) to match the leaves
- brooch clasp
- sewing scissors
- sewing needles and pins
- iron-on fusible interfacing, iron and ironing board
- optional: tracing paper

To make the brooch:

1. Use the templates provided to cut out three red felt flowers and two green felt leaves.

2. Add iron-on fusible interfacing to the back of your chosen fabric, following the manufacturer's instructions. This will help prevent the edges of your fabric from fraying. If you're using felt instead of fabric, skip this step.

3. Use the oval template to cut out the fabric piece. For added neatness if you're using a patterned fabric, cut your oval template from tracing paper so you can carefully position the template on exactly the bit of pattern you want to cut out.

4. Pin the fabric oval onto a piece of yellow felt. Then use matching dark blue sewing thread to sew the fabric in place, sewing around the edge of the oval with running stitch.

5. Sew the leaves and flowers to the oval as pictured using running stitch and matching green and red sewing threads.

6. Cut a piece of green embroidery thread and separate half the strands (so for six-stranded thread use three strands). Switch to a larger needle if needed and use backstitch to embroider the flower stems. Sew the straight central stem first then sew the other two stems.

Tip: when stitching the two outer stems, I started from the bottom point of each flower then stitched down towards the leaves.

7. Cut the brooch shape out from the yellow backing felt, leaving a narrow yellow border around the fabric oval (as pictured). Then use the oval you’ve just cut out as a template to cut a matching oval from more yellow felt.

8. Turn over the second oval and sew a brooch clasp to the back using a double thickness of yellow sewing thread.

9. Place the front and back of your brooch together (right sides facing outwards) and sew them together with more yellow thread, sewing a line of running stitch flush with the edge of the fabric oval. Finish your stitching neatly at the back.

Click here to view the template sheet, make sure you're viewing it full size then print it at 100%.

This tutorial is for personal use only: you can use it to stitch as many brooches as you want for yourself or as gifts, but please don't make any for sale. You may borrow a photo if you want to blog about this project, but remember to credit me and link back to the original source, and do not reproduce my entire post or share the pattern itself on your site. Thanks!

Enjoyed this free tutorial? Buy me a "coffee" and help support my blog!


Subscribe to my newsletter for a monthly free pattern and visit my crafty tutorial archive for lots more free projects.

How To: Felt Dahlia Brooches

UPDATE: this tutorial is now part of a set of printable PDF flower patterns, available from my shop.

Subscribe to my newsletter for a monthly free pattern and visit my crafty tutorial archive for lots of free projects.