A brooch by our own hands - step by step master-classes for beginners, photo ideas, schemes

A brooch has long been considered something vintage. Nowadays, wearing a brooch is not old-fashioned, but stylish.

Periodically, they are even included in the top of the main trends of the season. Some are even classics that never go out of fashion, such as the Chanel brooch.

Different in appearance and style, they complete the closet, transform it and add brightness and individuality. Laconic, strict, funny, elegant, shining, antique - this is only the part of different kinds of brooches.

Each piece of jewelry has its own character. Moreover, the brooch can even become the central element of the whole image, giving it absolutely other meanings and sounding.

In stores nowadays it is possible to find a brooch for every taste, however, you can make an exclusive accessory by your own hands as well.

This is not at all as difficult as it may seem at first glance.

Inventory

In order to make a brooch you will need:

• The base (artificial leather, felt or other material);
• material for finishing (beads, beads, glass beads, sequins, rhinestones, polymer clay, etc.)
• paper or cardboard for a sketch, pencil;
• accessories;
• String or fishing line;
• glue gun.

The best way to store your collection of ready-made brooches is in a wooden jewelry box.

The base

To make the brooch more comfortable to wear, you need to take care of a suitable base and a neat underside. Usually the back side is made of thin leather or felt. Not only textile materials, but also wood, metal and plastic are suitable.

The backing can be single or multi-layered. For a voluminous brooch, the multilayer version is suitable, it is more durable. The base can be strengthened with cardboard. For this, the cardboard is glued with felt on both sides.

Material of the brooch

To make a brooch, a variety of materials are used:

• Ribbons
  • satin
  • velvet
  • openwork
• Beads
  • round (rocal)
  • beads
  • chopping
• Beads
• Beads of glass, wood, natural stones
• Rhinestones
• Buttons
• Fabric
  • lace
  • tulle
  • silk

Also use feathers, leather, fur, foamiran, polymer clay, wood, etc.

The combination of several materials looks interesting. However, so that the decoration did not look garish, it is not recommended to use more than three at the same time.

Accessories

To choose the right fittings, you need to consider the expected weight of the finished product and the material. The life of the accessory will depend on the right choice of fittings.

There are many types of bases, the main ones are:

• A pin with a rectangular pad. The classic basis for a brooch. Represents a pin with a fastening plate. Usually has 2-3 holes for fixing the plate to the product material.
• English Pins. The simplest basis for a brooch. Easy to use, there is in every home. You can use it solo or fasten it to a pad of felt or leatherette.
• Clamp. More often used for making hairpins, but can also be used for fixing a brooch.
• Needle. A thin needle with a plug on one side and a clasp on the other.
• Collet lock. The clasp consists of two elements: a plate with a sharpened pin and a retainer.
• Filigree base. Filigree is a shaped base assembled from wire.
• Figured base. This is a solid, usually metal base.
• A base with a netting. The setting is a perforated pad.

Scheme and sketch

Making a brooch with your own hands is worth starting with a sketch. It is better to perform it at once in full size.

It is good, if initially there is some kind of idea. It is possible to start from available materials, or to select the most suitable materials already from the sketch.

A scheme is drawn, according to which the brooch will be made. The place where the large parts will be located is planned beforehand. They are the ones who must be transferred to the basis in the first place. Following this rule, the brooch will turn out more accurate.

A brooch from beads and beads.

This kind is the most widespread. Using beads, it is possible to carry out almost any idea.

For such a brooch, the most suitable is a one-layer basis of imitation leather or felt:

1. Draw the shape of the brooch to a natural size. According to the form cut out a base of felt.
2. Edges of the base trimmed with beads.
3. Next, a pattern of beads is made according to the scheme. The beads should be laid out
4. On the underside sew accessories.

To make the brooch more interesting you can use rhinestones. To do this, at the very beginning, rhinestones are glued to the leather base and embroidered with beads around them.

It is better to sew on the beads with a thin fishing line or kapron thread.

The brooch from sequins

The sequins are a type of beads. It is more difficult to work with them than with beads, but the result is more interesting.

Ideal embroidery with sequins should be uniform and neat, the sequins are placed in the same direction, and the threads should not stick out from different sides.

There are several ways of sewing:

• Blindstitch;
• Back needle stitch;
• Continuous stitch.

Beads and sequins are in harmony with each other, they make excellent shaped brooches, distinguished by brightness and shine.

The sequins are used to imitate the scales of fish, wings of insects (butterflies, dragonflies, beetles) or birds.

Brooch from felt

This material is excellent for beginners in needlework.

From felt you can make an everyday brooch "Flower".

1. Draw a sketch of leaves and flower petals.
2. Cut out the paper obtained forms, we get a template.
3. Attach the template to the felt, trace and cut out the elements.
4. Assemble in the form of a flower.
5. Glue the resulting flower with hot melt glue.
6. Sew the base or accessories.

Additionally decorate the brooch with a beautiful button or bead.

Brooch from satin ribbons

You can also make a brooch in the form of a flower from satin ribbons.

For this purpose, you twist the ribbon in the form of an open rose or in the form of a bud, fix it with a glue gun and then sew the resulting flower to the accessories.

Beads, beads or rhinestones are sewn into the center. Along the edges of the flower, you can add leaves cut from felt or leather.

Fur brooch

A great winter version of the brooch. Can be worn not only on a sweater or jacket, but also on a headdress or outerwear:

1. Cut a round base out of felt
2. Glue the fur along the edge of the circle
3. Glue a large rhinestone or beadwork to the center
4. Sew or glue accessories to the base.

The fur is perfectly supplemented with mother-of-pearl beads or pearls.

Embroidered brooch .

To make such a brooch you need a small piece of felt, fabric or canvas. Depending on the selected material, select the style of embroidery and pattern. On canvass can be embroidered with a cross, on fabric and felt it is better to embroider with a smooth or tambour stitch.

Brooch embroideries, made in luneville or Chinese technique, look amazing.

The most suitable option for accessories for a brooch will be a frame or shaped base:

1. Choose a plot for the embroidery, make a sketch.
2. Transfer the image to the fabric.
3. Place the fabric in an embroidery frame, fill the image with stitches in the chosen technique.
4. Cut out the finished embroidery.
5. Place the embroidery in the frame, folding the edges carefully.

Wooden brooches

Brooches can be made not only from textile materials, but also from wood. This type of brooches looks unusual and expensive. They are long-wearing and the only thing you should take care of is periodic polishing.

Wooden brooches are made of plywood or from solid bars of any wood.

You can make a brooch flat (in the form of a badge) or three-dimensional, everything depends on the type of wood and fantasy of the author.

To make such a brooch with your own hands you will need tools for working with wood: file, hacksaw, cutter and abrasive paper:

1. Draw a sketch.
2. Choose a suitably sized block of wood.
3. Cut to shape with a hacksaw, shape with a file.
4. Grind with emery board, polish.
5. Add small parts with cutter.
6. Coat the brooch with stain or varnish.
7. Glue the hardware with hot glue or fix it with small bolts.

Before coating with varnish, the wood can be painted with watercolor and acrylic paints.

Brooches made of polymer clay

This option is suitable for those who have the skill of modeling. Polymer clay is a good material for creating a volume brooch.

For beginners in modeling from polymer clay simple forms will do. For example, you can make a brooch in the form of a large button. For this, you will need polymer clay, a rolling pin, a sheet of paper, a blade, a bottle cap, an awl and a glue gun.

Brooch "Big button:

1. On paper, draw a circle diameter of 4-5 cm.
2. Razzle polymer clay, rolled with a rolling pin to a thickness of 3 mm.
3. According to the template cut a circle.
4. In a circle make an opening with a cap from a bottle.
5. With an awl make 2 or 4 holes in the center of the button.
6. Bake the figure in the oven.
7. Cool and attach accessories with glue.

You can make a brooch with your own hands from a variety of materials. Create unique accessories is not difficult, you just need imagination and a little free time.

By learning how to make brooches according to your own schemes, you can not only please yourself, but also make a special gift to a loved one or even start earning money by selling handmade accessories.

Photo ideas of homemade brooches