Making a Simple, Delicate Felt-and-Zipper Brooch for Beginners
A step-by-step tutorial for making a felt-and-zipper brooch: cut a heart out of green felt, trim its edge with a cut zipper piece whose raw edge has been sealed with flame, add a decorative zipper coil and metal leaf details, fill the gaps with beads and bugle beads, cut a backing piece from black felt, sew the two layers together, and attach the brooch pin.
Beginner1 hr 30 minFree
Translated
Things you will learn
For the brooch's edge trim, cut a zipper as close to the metal teeth as possible, then seal the raw edge with a candle or lighter flame so it doesn't fray.
The base is a heart cut from 3 mm green felt, about 6.5×6.5 cm, that gets trimmed all the way around with the cut zipper piece, stitching every single tooth down carefully.
From a second zipper piece, cut a strip of teeth about 3.5 cm long, coil it into a circle, and sew it onto the base as a decorative element; you'll later punch a hole for the pin right where this circle sits.
The design isn't meant to have the base fully covered with beads and bugle beads — the base and its color should show through the decoration, though you can adjust the design however you like.
Cut a backing piece from black felt using the same outline, sew the two layers together stitching between the zipper teeth, and leave a small gap unstitched on the upper left side for attaching the pin.
What you'll get
You'll get a heart-shaped felt brooch fully trimmed around the edge with metal zipper teeth and decorated with beads, bugle beads, and metal leaf details.
Materials and tools
Materials
3 mm felt (green), used for the brooch's base
1 mm felt (black), used for the backing piece that hides the stitches and seams
Brooch pin, the fastener is attached at the end of assembly
Metal leaf details, you can buy these separately or reuse them from old jewelry
Zipper with metal teeth, used for the edge trim and the decorative coil
Beads, fill the gaps on the base
Bugle beads, fill the gaps on the base along with the beads
Sewing supplies, thread and a needle for sewing on all the pieces
Tools
A thick needle or an awl, for piercing a hole for the pin
A candle or lighter, for sealing the zipper's cut edge with flame
Scissors, for cutting the felt pieces and the zipper
Preparation
Gather your materials
Gather 3 mm felt (green) and 1 mm felt (black), a brooch pin, metal leaf details, a zipper with metal teeth, beads, bugle beads, sewing supplies, and a candle or lighter.
Prepare the zipper trim
Cut the fabric tape off the zipper as close to the metal teeth as possible. Seal the resulting raw edge with flame (a candle or lighter).
Cut the heart base
The brooch's base is cut from green felt in the shape of a heart.
Cut the heart from green felt
The brooch's base will be made from green felt. Cut a heart out of the material, about 6.5×6.5 cm.
The heart base and zipper
Trim the edge with the zipper
The cut zipper piece is sewn all the way around the heart's edge as a decorative trim.
Sew the zipper around the edge
Starting at the top center of the heart, begin sewing on the cut zipper piece. Trim all the way around the entire outline of the piece. Try to stitch carefully so that every single tooth is sewn to the felt.
Sewing the zipper trim
Secure the zipper ends at the center
After trimming the heart, sew the ends, which meet at the center, with a few extra stitches to secure them.
Heart trimmed with zipper
Add the decorative elements
A decorative zipper coil, metal leaf details, beads, and bugle beads fill in and decorate the base.
Sew on the decorative zipper coil
From another piece of zipper, cut a short strip of teeth (about 3.5 cm). Coil the zipper into a circle and sew it onto the brooch piece.
Decorative zipper coil
Place the metal leaf details
Arrange the metal leaf details in the empty, open spaces. Sew all the elements to the felt.
Adding metal leaf details
Fill the gaps with beads and bugle beads
Fill the gaps on the base with beads and bugle beads. There's no strict rule for how to sew on beads and bugle beads — just let your imagination run and "create."
Filling with beads and bugle beadsClose-up of the finished brooch
Leave the base a little visible
Keep in mind that this brooch design isn't meant to have the base completely covered. The whole point is for the base and its color to show through the elements. But that's not critical — you can change the design and styling however you like.
Assembling the brooch
Assemble the back and attach the pin
A backing piece cut from black felt hides the stitching, and then the pin is attached to the finished brooch.
Punch a hole for the pin
Right where the zipper circle sits, punch a hole with a thick needle or an awl to thread the brooch pin through.
Cut a backing piece from black felt
Trace the brooch's outline onto black felt and cut out a second piece. This will be the back of the brooch, hiding all the flaws, stitches, and seams.
The black felt backing
Sew the two pieces together
Put the two pieces together so all the outlines line up. Carefully sew the two pieces together, stitching between the zipper's teeth. On the left side, near the top of the brooch, leave a small section unstitched — that's where you'll attach the pin.
Attach the pin
Thread the pin, passing the sharp end through the hole in the zipper circle, and bring the pin out through the section on the side seam. Pull and shift the pin so the brooch ends up sitting on the lower part of the fastener.
The back with the pin fastener
Finish and variations
Finish
Enjoy your one-of-a-kind brooch
Making a brooch this way leaves your imagination completely unrestricted — you can experiment with colors, shapes, material combinations, and the final size of the piece. Either way, your brooch will be an original, one-of-a-kind creation!
Variations
Experiment with materials and shape
You can experiment with felt colors, the base's shape, the choice of decorative materials, and the final size of the piece itself.
After cutting off the zipper's fabric tape, the edge starts fraying and unraveling, with loose threads sticking out.
Likely cause
The zipper's cut edge wasn't sealed with flame.
How to fix it
Always seal the zipper's cut edge with a candle or lighter flame right after cutting it — this seals the edge and keeps it from fraying.
The stitching along the zipper looks uneven, and some teeth aren't secured
Problem
After trimming the piece, some of the zipper's teeth are left unsewn, or the stitching looks uneven.
Likely cause
The stitches along the outline were spaced across several teeth at once instead of every single tooth.
How to fix it
Stitch carefully so that every single tooth on the zipper is sewn to the felt separately.
The base ends up fully hidden by the decoration, even though it's meant to show through
Problem
After filling the gaps with beads and bugle beads, the brooch's base ends up completely covered and doesn't show through at all.
Likely cause
The beads and bugle beads were sewn on too densely, without leaving room for the base to show through as intended.
How to fix it
Remember that the brooch's design isn't meant to have the base fully covered — leave gaps so the base and its color show through the beads and bugle beads, even though you can adjust the design however you like.
?FAQ
How do I prepare the zipper for the brooch's edge trim?
Cut the fabric tape off as close to the metal teeth as possible, then seal the raw edge with a candle or lighter flame.
What size should the heart base be?
About 6.5×6.5 cm, cut from 3 mm felt.
Do I need to fully cover the base with beads and bugle beads?
No, the brooch's design is meant to let the base and its color show through the beads and bugle beads, though you can adjust the design however you like.
Why do I need a backing piece cut from black felt?
It hides all the flaws, stitches, and seams on the back of the brooch.
How is the pin attached to the brooch?
The pin's sharp end is passed through the hole in the zipper circle and brought out through the section left unstitched on the side seam.
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Beginner1 hr 30 minFree
