March is a busy month in our household with 3 family birthdays, St Patrick's Day and Mother's Day all coming one after the other. So in an effort to get ahead of the game I have been busy making some button brooches that will cover some if not all of the upcoming occasions. One of the family birthdays is my husband's and he definitely wouldn't thank me for a brooch :) Fortunately his iPod packed up a few weeks ago so he will be easy to shop for this year.
I came across some button brooches in a magazine a while ago but decided to add my own twist to them by adding some charms and beads to the mix. The first button brooch I made was joined together with wire and looked like this.
I was very pleased with how it turned out but decided that the wire was a bit fiddly so looked for an easier way to join the buttons and create a loop for the jump rings. When I came across some narrow ribbon I knew I had found the answer.
To make this I used
In addition to the supplies shown you will need all-purpose glue to attach the brooch back to the back of the large button and Fray Check for the ribbon ends.
Leaving a 2" tail at the end sew the buttons together passing the ribbon through the 2 large jump rings before going back through the buttonhole. Bring both ends of the ribbon back through the buttonholes to the front of the buttons on either side of the jump rings. If your buttons have 4 holes you can choose whether to sew the buttons together in a X through 4 holes or just through 2 holes, depending upon the width of your ribbon.
Tie a small knot in the ribbon and secure with a dab of glue
Attach one of the small jump rings to the loop of your charm and then attach the small jump ring to one of the large jump rings threaded through your ribbon.
Thread your beads onto the headpin and create a loop at the top of the pin by bending the wire over your ring-nose pliers by 90degrees twice. Attach this to the second small jump ring and then to the second large jump ring on your button brooch.
Tie a bow in your ribbon and add another dab of glue to secure. Add a dab of Fray check to each end of the ribbon.
Turn the brooch over and secure the brooch back to the back of the large button with glue. Leave to dry and that is it!
Once you start you may find like me there will be no stopping you
And you will start digging around in your button box for the perfect button for a St Patrick's Day button brooch
or even a Quilt Bee button brooch!
I knew I would find a use for these scissors one day!
So that is Mother's Day and St Patrick's Day sorted only family birthdays left to go.
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