Easy flower pins

Last Friday, I decided I wanted to wear a flower button to work the next day.* I have one that I won from the lovely ladies at The Spotted Fox, but it's plaid and reminds me of autumn, and I wanted a summer-y flower.** So I made one:

After making The Spotted Fox's Sophisticated Bachelorette Brooch for a friend's Bridal Shower, I realized that the flower brooch I'd won was made similarly: it consists of two fabric yoyos--the top one about a half inch smaller than the bottom one; I used a 7 1/2" circle and a 7" circle for the size above--joined by buttons with a pin back and felt leaf sewed to the back. (I left off the leaf on this one.)

The bachelorette brooch, which is a single yoyo with felt attached to the top.

I'm a big fan of fabric yoyos (excellent tutorial recommend by The Spotted Fox HERE), because they are very difficult to screw up--unless you use weak thread, which will break when you pull it to finish the yoyo, forcing you to start over.

(I've done that. Don't do that.)

The autumn-ish pin I imitated. Image from The Spotted Fox.

Also, make sure you have big buttons on hand if you use small stitches, which make a larger yoyo center. Longer stitches make a smaller center, but little buttons still might not cover it. And just FYI, you don't need to cut out exact circles for the yoyos, although I'm sure doing so helps. I just eye-ball mine. Pin backs can be attached with hot glue or sewed on. For the pin in the picture, I sewed the pin back on and sewed a square of felt over it.

This pin was so much fun to make--no difficult techniques, no need to fire up the sewing machine, and no need to go buy a bunch of supplies. This project is a great way to use up fabric scraps. I'm probably going to make more flower pins, because I like wearing them. They make existing clothes more fun. Also, I think I walk taller because I feel all fancy with one on.
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*Brooch? I guess it could be called a brooch.
**Which is wonderful; I LOVE autumn. I'm already making my apple-orchard-visiting-plans. But it is summer . . .