March 26, 2011

Felt butterfly brooch - Day 11

I made a red flower brooch for a friend and was inspired to try a butterfly.
Instead of stitching on the design with  various felt, embroidery or beads, I wanted to try to cut out the design with a craft knife. It has potential, but not sure when I'd use it next.


Mini rough guide of how its done...

Draw up a butterfly with a basic pattern that can be later cut out. 
You will want to keep the outside edge for stitching and just include some basic shapes inside that you can cut out.

Cut out the front and back butterfly shape. Draw the design on the back of the felt you are going to cut.
Using a craft knife, CAREFULLY cut out the inside shapes. The blade HAS to be sharp (trust me!). Sew a small brown or black body section onto the middle.

Once it is all cut, stitch the back and the front together. At this point, you might need to add some tiny holding stitches on parts that stick up. The felt allows you to do this without showing through the back if you aim for the middle.

Done! Now you can add a Brooch pin or attach it to a hairclip. Could also be used as an applique. MIne is missing the classic butterfly feelers, but I'm sure some could be added :)

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