braintree clothing: beaded lace brooch tutorial

I’m very excited to let you know that I will be working with Braintree Clothing and regularly contributing to their Bthoughtful blog.

Braintree Clothing is a natural clothing company born in Sydney, Australia and now based in London. It's an independent fashion label with a simple philosophy to design and make beautiful timeless fashion while caring for our environment.

I will be sharing a range of ‘makes’ and sewing tutorials, from handmade gifts & accessories to items for the home.

So for my first tutorial I thought it would be nice to make one of my beaded lace brooches. Perfect for brightening up a cardigan, jacket or jumper for Spring.

YOU WILL NEED:

• Crochet or Lace motifs (available from most good haberdasheries)
• Beads of different sizes and colours
• Cotton thread
• Felt
• Brooch pin

EQUIPMENT:

• Needle
• Scissors
• Clear fabric glue

HOW TO:

STEP 1 - Once you have chosen your crochet/lace motif start hand sewing your chosen beads on to the lace.

You could also use beads from old necklaces, sequins and buttons. Make it as simple or as elaborate as you like.

I’ve gone for a vintage look, using dusky pink, bronze, grey and white seed beads with a few faux pearls.

STEP 2- Once you have finished all the beading, trace around your motif and cut the felt to the same shape. Now glue the felt to the back of the brooch. (The felt may show through the lace, so choose a colour to match your beads.)

 

STEP 3-  Sew a brooch pin on to the back and finish by gluing a small piece of felt over the brooch pin back for a neat finish and it's ready to wear.

Step 4- Pin your handmade brooch on to your Spring jacket, jumper or cardigan and off you go....

If you'd like to join in with any of my projects or share what you have been making, just upload your image to Instagram including the hashtag #.BThoughtful_Makes

I'd love to see what you have been making...

handmade gifts

 

Over the last few weeks I have been using every spare moment I have to get stitching and sewing, creating new pieces for my Christmas exhibition at The Old Fire Station in Oxford. It's on until the 23rd December and there are lots of other crafts for sale too.

I've made a lovely new range of one of a kind handmade gifts; from lace beaded brooches, velvet pin cushions, sewing cases, purses, lavender bags and festive bunting. So if you are looking for some present buying inspiration, why not pop in and have a browse. I'll be there this Sunday 8th from 11am -1.30pm. 

If you can't make it, have a look in my Etsy shop.



These needle cases have everything you need for a spot of sewing; pins, colourful cottons, needles and safety pins. All are handmade with linen, floral cotton and vintage lace. 

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I'm planning to make a lot more of this festive bunting to string up around the house over Christmas and New Year. Each one is handmade with vintage music sheets, lace, buttons, bells, gold glitter and silk ribbon. They look so pretty hung up in my sewing room, but now they are packaged up for sale in the exhibition.

saturday stuff

How's your weekend going? I've been at home working on some new pieces for a brand new gallery opening up in the grounds of Blenheim Palace in Woodstock. The Oxfordshire Crafts Gallery, as it will be called, will sell work from local artists and they have asked me for a collection of my handmade accessories. How lovely!

So I've got until the end of the month to get sewing, as the gallery opens on the 9th February.

 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

 

shop update

Just a little etsy shop update for you. I've added a few more handmade lace beaded brooches, of which I have also made a selection for my Christmas exhibition in Woodstock. I've made a dusky pink one for myself too, now pinned on to my cardigan. I now need to start thinking about Christmas present shopping...or Christmas present making!

Are you ready for Christmas yet?

silver shimmer

I do love silvery greys mixed with ivory whites, it could be the effect of the dark winter months drawing in, but I like how they shimmer and sparkle in the light.
 

As you can see I have been working on some new pieces, my work desk is overflowing with vintage lace, beads and buttons.

 

The little silver purse above, I decorated with a beautiful bit of vintage white lace netting and finished with an antique button.

Now for sale in my shop

love

 Flowers of all kinds; retro roses and vintage snap dragons on handmade cards, a beautiful dahlias I fell in love with now potted up in the garden and lace beaded daisies I've been carefully stitching.

I have just bought some ivory silk for a wedding bag I'm working on for a friend, which will be decorated with vintage lace and silver seed beads to match her dress.

I'm hoping for a sunny weekend, as we are off on a little trip away and my sister is visiting from Paris next week ......see you soon!

treasure

I've been sat at my desk, radio on, making a few more pieces for my next show at West Ox Arts Gallery in Bampton. I will be exhibiting along side other members of the Oxfordshire crafts guild.

 Hidden in this mess are some little lace brooches I have been working on. Can you spot them?

and this mess resulted in some cards being made.

enjoy the rest of your week..

 

nice and tidy

My work room doesn't actually look this tidy now, this was taken before I started work on a new design, now the jars of lace have been emptied out, sketch books open and buttons everywhere. It's hard to keep the space tidy when you are in the middle of making, but I hate to start work in a mess. I find the best way is to have jars, boxes and tins to pack it all neatly away afterwards. 

I bought some great fabrics yesterday, I really love the red flower piece, very 1940's, I'm going to make some little lace and fabric lavender bags with them later.

le petit echo de la mode

When I went to the flea market at Malvern a few weeks ago I bought this french magazine dated 1928

I love the illustrations and the colours used on the front cover. Inside there are a selection of lace patterns to follow....

I also bought some beautiful pieces of handmade lace and broderie anglaise collars, and then spent the day happily sewing on vintage seed beads to decorate two new drawstring bags, for a new collection at Waterperry Gallery, which opens on May 5th.

Have a lovely weekend whatever you are up to.

chocolate box

I've had a lovely time away in the beautiful Welsh countryside attending a friends wedding. They were so lucky with the weather, very cold with clear blue skies and sunshine. All the guests stayed in a beautiful manor house hotel, which was a real treat.

 

 

Now I'm back home, I thought I would share with you this vintage chocolate box, don't you love the big ribbon on top. It would be nice it it was full of delicious chocolates, cherry creams to be precise, instead I keep zips, cottons, buttons and pearls inside. It would make a great jewellery box too!