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 . . .

Bridal Shower Pretties

Two Saturdays ago I went to the first of what will (very likely) be many bridal showers for college friends. Many of my friends have become engaged within the last month, and I'm sure more will be engaged before graduation. (Ring by spring, anyone?*)

I took advantage of my new summer freetime by deciding to give my friend Chelsea some cute handmade goodies. While searching for gift ideas, I came across this Sophisticated Bachelorette Brooch at The Spotted Fox:



Image from The Spotted Fox

I just had to make one, and it was so much fun that--since I will not be lacking in friend-of-the-bride opportunities over the next couple years--I will probably make more. The brooch consists of felt, feathers, and a fabric yo-yo, which is surprisingly quick and easy to make. Not to mention addicting; I'm already planning to make little ones and stick magnets inside or try making different types of pins.

For the actual gift, I meant to go out and buy some fabric to sew kitchen towels and then decorate them with fabric paint, but I ended up choosing pre-made flour sack towels instead, because they allowed me to be lazy on top of being almost exactly like the kitchen towels my grandma and great-grandma embroidered long, long ago, and which my mother still uses. These things actually make me like drying dishes. I used a paint brush as well as a couple potato stamps (take a raw potato, cut it in half, carve some designs on it, enjoy) with non-toxic soft fabric paint I found at a big chain fabric store.

The theme of the bridal shower was the seasons, and we were to bring a gift for one of the seasons according to our last names. I got spring, so I made vaguely spring-y towels. I think I got a little overenthusiastic with background-y things, but the towels turned out okay. I only decorated the bottom right corners. The circle-type shape and the heart are from potato stamps:


I also used a potato stamp on the envelope for the card. I love having time to make gifts look pretty. If this shower were during the school year, I guarantee you that I would have shoved Chelsea's gifts into the first used gift bag I found in my closet. And it might have had a birthday or Christmas greeting on the front of it. The bachelorette brooch also makes a pretty present decoration:



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*A saying that refers to the tradition of couples meeting at college in the fall and getting engaged by the spring, or in spring. (In case you hadn't heard it. It's frequently said at my small Christian university . . .)