DIY Sequin Brooch

Stitch over the side of a sequin to secure it to the fabric.

Embellished fabric jewelry is a noteworthy style trend of the 2010s. Designer or boutique pieces often carry a shocking price tag, especially for a creation with inexpensive elements. You can recreate the boutique appearance of a sequin brooch with a few inexpensive supplies. Not only does fashioning your own brooch save you money, but it allows you to create the accessory exactly as you desire it, down the last detail. Boutique creations will never tempt you again once you start making fantasy sequin brooches yourself.

Things You'll Need

• Template object
• Silk dupioni (enough for 5 cut pieces in the desired brooch size)
• Dressmaker's chalk
• Wood burning tool or heated ribbon cutting tool
• Threaded needle
• Sequins
• Brooch pin
• Hot glue

Instructions

1. Select an object that has the same width and shape as your desired brooch. You will use the object as a template for cutting the fabric. For example, to make a 2 1/2-inch circle brooch, select a juice glass to serve as a template. To make a 3-inch heart, select a heart cookie cutter of that size.

2. Lay your brooch template on the silk dupioni. Trace around the template five times with dressmaker's chalk.

3. Cut the five shapes out of the silk with a wood burning tool or heated ribbon cutter. The heat will seal the edges of the fabric so that it does not fray.

4. Hold one silk shape in your nondominant hand. Hold a threaded needle in your dominant hand, beneath the silk shape. Insert the needle up, through the silk. Pull the thread through until the knot catches on the underside of the silk.

5. Place a sequin on the needle. Straighten the needle and thread so that the sequin slides down to the fabric. Insert the needle down, through the silk, to the side of the sequin. Stitching over the side of the sequin secures it to the fabric.

6. Add the rest of the sequins to the silk shape, in your desired arrangement, by stitching them to the fabric. Leave the threaded needle hanging from the center underside of the silk when you finish adding sequins.

7. Stack the four loose silk shapes.

8. Insert the needle through the center of the stack. Pull the thread through to secure the sequined silk on top of the stack.

9. Insert the needle up, through the bottom of the stack. Insert the needle down, through the stack, to finish the stitch. Stitch the stack together two more times. Tie the thread off in a knot on the underside of the stack. Trim the excess thread with scissors.

10. Apply a narrow line of hot glue to the flat backside of a bare brooch pin. Press the glued side of the pin to the center underside of the silk stack.

Tips & Warnings

• Cut the fabric shapes out with scissors, if you do not have a heated tool. Dab fabric sealant around the edges of each piece to prevent fraying. Insert the needle between sequins when you stitch the fabric together. You can find a brooch pin in the jewelry section of craft stores.