Pins and brooches are versatile accessories that offer many creative possibilities for customising the look of your outfits, bags, and other sewing projects. This tutorial will show you how to create your own brooches using embroidered patches, turned edge appliqué, or other small decorative textiles. The upcycling options are endless - perhaps you'll find some vintage embroidered pieces on your next thrifting adventure! With a brooch back, they can be switched in and out to match every mood and outfit.
Materials + Tools
- Small textile item to feature on the brooch, such as turned edge appliqué or fabric patches
- Safety pin or brooch back
- Scissors
- Sewing needle and thread
- Erasable fabric marker
- Wool or wool-blend felt (sturdier than synthetic)
- Iron
- Fusible interfacing
- Recommended: pressing cloth
Notes before starting:
Check that the safety pin or brooch back will fit within the perimeter of your intended brooch. Too wide and it will be visible when worn; too small and the brooch will be unstable. The intent is that the brooch is well-secured, minimising the possibility of it flopping around, getting caught on things, or the weight of the brooch pulling the pin open.
For the felt backing, we recommend using felt that is similar in colour to the edge of the brooch exterior for a clean, professional finish.
Preparing a turned edge appliqué for a brooch back
1. Place your turned edge appliqué on top of the felt, and mark the perimeter line with a fabric marker. The leaf pictured here is from the Cascades Cloak pattern.
2. If you would like to stitch the pin or brooch back directly to the felt backing, you may fuse the appliqué to the felt now (for a concealed pin back, skip to step 5). If you have embroidered the brooch front, lay it right side down onto a towel to protect the embroidery when pressing. We also recommend using a pressing cloth. (Note: the iron in the photo below is a child's wooden toy - please use a real iron!)
3. Trim the excess felt away, leaving a clean edge.
4. Either finish the felt by blanket stitching around the edge, or leave a raw edge if you are confident in the adhesion of your interfacing.
5. If you would like to create a concealed safety pin or brooch back, cut out the felt using the marked perimeter line, and wait to fuse the felt to the appliqué until later (see "Creating a concealed pin or brooch back finish" below).
Preparing DIY fabric patches for a brooch back
If you’d like to make a fabric patch, such as Twig + Tale®’s Adventure Patches, into a brooch, the technique is the same as outlined above. Cut a piece of interfacing the same size as the patch: we recommend using double-sided iron-on fusible interfacing. If you don't have any double-sided interfacing, then single-sided is fine; you can simply use a glue stick for a later step.
Then, cut a piece of felt the same size as the patch to form the backing of the brooch. Mark the stitch line around the edge of the patch; the edge will be finished after the pin/brooch back is attached.
Note: We show a circular patch here, but this technique can be used to create many brooch shapes. Mark a simple shape as the perimeter, for example an oval, diamond, heart, or leaf. Then mark your preferred border width inside, equidistant from your external shape. You will essentially be marking the stitch line and the seam allowance of the brooch. Then cut your fusible interfacing and felt along the external line so all pieces are the same size and shape.
Attaching safety pins and brooch backs
1. Once you've prepared the felt backing for your brooch, place the safety pin or brooch back in your preferred position on the felt. You can test the position and see if you like how the pin sits by tacking the pin in place.
When you're happy with the pin position, thread a needle and, using at least two strands of thread, hand sew the pin in place using a blanket stitch.
Or, if you're using a brooch back pin, stitch it in place through each hole in the pin back.
2. If you would like to cover the stitching, measure the distance between the two ends of the safety pin or brooch back. Cut a circle of felt using that measurement as the diameter.
3. Using a little dab of glue (a regular stationery glue stick works well!), place the felt circle over the base of the pin. Blanket stitch or backstitch the circle in place to secure.
Creating a concealed safety pin or brooch back finish
1. Using this method, the pin or brooch back will be concealed underneath the felt. First, measure the distance between the two internal ends of the safety pin or brooch back.
2. Determine where you would like to position the safety pin or brooch back, and mark each end with a pin, air-erasable marker, or similar mark-making tool.
3. Snip the felt at each mark, making sure each slit is wide enough for the pin or brooch back to slide through.
4. Release the pin mechanism, then insert the pin/brooch back through the slits so that the base is hidden inside the felt.
5. Fuse the felt to the back of the fabric patch or appliqué, fusing as close to the pin as possible. Take care, as the pin or brooch back can get quite hot during this process.
6. Allow the brooch to cool, and then finish the felt edge as described for turned edge appliqué or, for a fabric patch, by stitching around the edge by hand or machine. If converting an Adventure Patch to a brooch, finish the patch edge as instructed in the tutorial.
Enjoy your fabulous new brooch!
An alternative to using fusible interfacing when creating turned edge appliqué
When making her Cascades Cloak, community member Carol Kite cut and stitched her brooch back using fabric rather than fusible interfacing. She sewed and turned it using the same method described in the Cascades Cloak tutorial, then stitched a label over the turning hole and added a brooch back. No fusible interfacing needed, and she now has a charming, removable leaf brooch to use with her cloak, or anywhere else! You could also use this method and stitch a large felt shape or turned edge appliqué to cover both the pin back stitching and the turning hole instead of a label.
We hope you enjoy experimenting with these techniques for making brooches to add to your handmade garments and accessories. If you have any questions or have brooch projects to share, please feel free to join us in the Twig + Tale Treehouse.
Read more Twig + Tale tutorials related to creating fabric patches and brooches here:
- What is Sewing Interfacing? Types, Uses, and How to Choose
- How to Use Fabric as Interfacing: Natural Fibre Alternatives
- T+T Storytellers: Hand-stitched Affirmations
- DIY Fantasy Skirt Hikes with Hand-Embroidered Patches
