Flower Brooch Tutorial

I promised a tutorial on how to make these flower brooches... but before I start I think that it is only fair to say that I was originally inspired by the brooch by Gemma Nemer featured in Mollie Makes. However, the actual technique is not new, and this is my take on the process, which is slightly different from that featured in the magazine.

First of all select your fabrics - you can use the same fabric for all five petals, choose five completely different fabrics... or like me choose five different but toning fabrics. What is important is that they are thin fabrics... too thick and your flower will be too bulky.

You will need to cut 5 circles of fabric, approximately 8 - 9 cm in diameter. I found that the lid from a large Golden Syrup tin to be the perfect size template!

Thread your needle with a strong thread and make a knot at the end of your thread. Taking your first circle, fold it in half.

Fold it in half again making a quarter circle.

Now stitch along the circular edge with small running stitches, making sure you are stitching through all four layers of fabric.

It should look something like this...

Fold your second circle of fabric into quarters and without knotting or cutting off your thread stitch along the curved edge of your second circle with small running stitches.

Repeat for all five fabric circles. They should look like a string of bunting when you've finished.

Now, gently but firmly gather up your thread. You want to gather as tightly as possible without snapping your thread (this is why you use strong thread)

When you have gathered it up as tightly as you possibly can, tie a knot at the end to stop the gathers coming undone...

and then working from the back, join the first and last petals with a couple of over stitches.

You have now finished your first round of petals!

Using a smaller template (approx. 6-7 cm)... I used the lid from a small tin of Golden Syrup... cut another five circles of fabric

Repeat the method and make another circle of fabric petals. By now you will realise that by selective folding you can position designs/colors/patterns on your petals.

Next you will need a pretty button, large enough to cover the raw edges and gathering stitches of your smaller circle.

I did originally try stitching the button onto the small fabric circle but it is really difficult to keep the button firmly in place so that it covers all the raw edges. So my advice is to use a hot glue gun to firmly position your button in the centre of your small circle of petals.

Using the glue gun again, spread some glue onto the back of the small circle of petals and position it centrally onto the larger circle.

You should now have something that looks like this....

Next you need a circle of felt, about 4 cm diameter, a circle of firm card, about 3.5 cm diameter and a brooch back.

With a matching thread start to stitch the felt circle onto the back of your flower brooch, using small slip stitches. About half way around, slip the card circle in place behind the felt circle.

Carry on slip stitching around the felt circle securing it firmly in place

Then stitch the brooch back into place onto the felt backing.

And your flower brooch is ready to wear... pin it on your jacket, your hat, your bag... anywhere you like!

or pin it onto a fancy card with some pretty ribbon...

and put it in a case with lots more and go peddle your wares!

Cambridge Open Studios

Welcome to my Open Studio... please do come in...

(ignore the little gnome peering around the door, I keep him locked away in his cubby hole whilst there are visitors!)

 

 

Come through to the dining room...

 

Here you will find a variety of work on display, things to buy...

 

and things to just look at. Buyers or browsers, everyone is welcome.

 

There's lots to see, so make sure you don't miss anything.

 

If you go out into the hallway you will find more work going up to the top of the stairs.

 

Some of it you may have seen before...

 

But there is new work too.

 

If you then go through towards the kitchen and turn right you will find my studio, where I work.

 

It is still very tidy!

 

You can browse through some of my sketchbooks if that is your thing!

 

When you leave please don't forget to sign my visitors book and leave me a comment. I love getting your comments! And do tell your friends, because I am open tomorrow and next weekend too!

It has been lovely having you visit.

Almost ready.

After spending the best part of the day in Cambridge on Monday, I whizzed into London last night for a rather special concert. My eldest son Ben was playing at an end of year concert at Morley College where he has been studying Jazz piano. Ben started to learn piano at the age 5. When he was about 8 we moved and had to find a new teacher. We arranged for a first lesson and as we approached the front door we could hear the sound of Honky Tonk piano wafting into the corridor. When we went in and spoke to the teacher, who was all prepared to carry on teaching classical grades, Ben just refused saying he wanted to learn to play the music we had just heard.

 

 

Ever since then he has played honky tonk, stride, swing and jazz. As a little boy he hated to perform, so it was wonderful last night to listen to this confident young man perform and play so well on a fabulous Steinway Grand accompanied by drums and double bass. I'm biased I know but he was brilliant... as were the rest of the class. I just wish I'd thought to record him but I was entranced!

 

But now I really must stay home and finish my Open Studios preparation. I was at my sewing machine at 6.30 am this morning in order to finish this last canvas... 6 hours later it is hanging on the wall.

 

I've had it in mind for quite some time to make a bigger version of these appliqued and free machined canvases... so this is it... 50 cm square. It seemed so big when I was stitching it but it doesn't look big on the wall!

 

And now I really must clear up, hang all the other pictures, make labels and price everything, otherwise I'll never be ready by Saturday morning...

 

But you know what it's like... I keep thinking "What if I just make one more of these, or a couple more of those..." The less time I have left, the more ideas I seem to have. Perhaps I should just write them down and start making for next year!

Random Crap Monday

It has been one of those weeks when every time I thought I would write a blog post about this or that,  either the moment passed, I ran out of time or I forgot to take a photograph, and I ended up not blogging at all. So I thought I'd do a bit of a round up... a sort of "Five on Friday" but then I realised it wasn't Friday, so that wasn't going to work... so instead you've got "Random Crap Monday". Don't laugh... I could be onto something here... this is how trends start you know.

 

1. Open Studios

 

 

The reason for my "too busy to write a blog post busy-ness" is that I've got Open Studios coming up in just five days and every spare moment is being spent making stuff. I've been working on some new canvases, the same style as I made last year but in different colour schemes. They might be finished by Saturday... you never know!

 

2. Fabric Flowers

 

As well as new work for the walls I've been making loads more of the fabric flower corsages I made last week so that I'll have some smaller stuff to sell at my Open Studio weekends... and I'm also putting together a tutorial so you can make your own... but it's not finished yet!

 

3. Birthday Flowers

 

I had a birthday at the weekend. Nothing to make a fuss about... I've had loads of them before, but friends and family made sure I was thoroughly spoiled. I had loads of flowers, got taken out for lunch, had dinner made for me... and lots of really wonderful presents. I have lovely friends and a super family... thank you all!

 

... the present that made me laugh loudest though... this bag. (Which inspired this blog post) Next time I need to tidy my studio I can just shove everything in here. Thank you Jude!

 

4. A birthday cake

 

While I was out Saturday, Stewart made me a birthday cake. He has NEVER, ever made a cake before in his entire life, so this really was a big deal. He admitted it took, Google, Youtube and a trip to two different supermarkets... but give him his due he did it. And not only did he do it, it looked good and tasted wonderful too! Thank you Stewart for the cake and Gill for twisting his arm just a little bit!

 

5.  Le Tour de France

 

I decided to extend my birthday celebrations and took myself into Cambridge this morning to see the start of the third day of the Tour de France.

 

As to be expected the streets were packed but I found a good vantage point with some other friendly folk sat on top of a wall.

 

Before the start of the race, there were various vehicles from sponsors, French policemen on motorbikes, British police moterbikes etc. all whizzing past to cheers from the crowd.

 

More and more people arrived, helicopters buzzed overhead and then suddenly after almost three hours of waiting, the cyclists came past... and it was really exciting for about ten seconds!

 

I jest, because it was a brilliant morning and the atmosphere was terrific and even though I'm pretty indifferent to cycling I had great day!

 

So there you are... that's my random crap for this week and tomorrow I'm back working on the Open Studios preparation. Do come and see me if you are around this way.

12th/13th July and 19th/20th July from 11 am. until 6 pm. Full details here:

www.camopenstudios.co.uk

Frida

My book last month for The Year in Books was Dear Life by Alice Munro. I had such high hopes for this - a winner of the Man Booker International prize by a Nobel Prize winning author, with some great reviews. I really wanted to like it - but I didn't like it at all.

 

 

I admit I'm not that keen on short stories at the best of times but I found these completely flat for want of a better description. I could appreciate the cleverly crafted prose and the economy of language but I found nothing appealling about this collection of dismal stories about dismal, shallow, sad people. We read it for our village book club and it wasn't that popular with anyone there either. In fact, I still haven't finished it... although I managed to finish two others in the middle of reading this. Both really good crime thrillers, one set in London and the other in Cambridge - both very familiar settings.  I thoroughly enjoyed both and I'm looking forward to reading the second in each series. Maybe I'm just not intellectual enough for Nobel Prize winners!

My book choice for July is a biography - Frida by Heyden Harrera. I've already started it and I'm already enjoying it.

 

 

And it has inspired me to finish off a doll that I started about two years ago.

 

I know it must be a long time because I only really make dolls when I'm teaching a doll making class and it is a really long time since I last taught doll making.

 

She has been sat on my shelf all this time needing those finishing touches... and I've ignored her.

 

But a combination of clearing out my studio, seeing the Made in Mexico exhibition, making flowers with the Young Embroiderers and starting the biography of Frida Kahlo has prompted me to get her finished

 

And although I'm never that keen on dolls, I do quite like her!

 

I've got some other Frida Kahlo Inspired work waiting to be finished so maybe I'll get going on that too!