Tatted brooch

These little brooches are so easy to make, but they look so spectacular! Even a beginner tatter will manage as long as they can make a ring with picots. And those with more experience will find they are useful for using up the thread left on the shuttle after another project.

All you do is to make rings with lots of long (within moderation!) picots. For those with more experience double rows of picots look good, and so do rings worked with two different fine threads held together and used as one. The picots do not need to be identical in size, in fact the result looks better with a bit of variation. Make several rings, not joined to each other but with the bases closely butted. (If beginners can't quite manage this it will still work!) I suggest 5, 7, or 9 rings, it is a matter of what you like the look of and the thread you are using.

Then you need a few basic flower making supplies, stamens (available for sugarcraft flower making), fine florists wire, flower tape. Pliers and wire cutters are useful.

Take 3 stamens and fold them in half. Wrap a piece of fine florists wire around them a bit below the pips so they are held firmly together. Wrap the strip of tatted rings around the stamens and use the thread ends to tie them in place. This forms the centre and petals of the flower. Cut a strip of flower tape in half lengthways (the full width is too much for such little flowers) and wrap it round the stem, stretching it a little as you go, covering the base of the rings and working spirally downwards to form a stem. Flower complete!

For a brooch I usually use two or more tatted flowers with some feathers and some little ready-made flowers (often available from bridal suppliers.) You hold them together, and use more florists tape, winding it on just as you did to form the stem. It is usually easiest to add the ingredients a few at a time, taping each in place.

Sew the finished floral corsage to a brooch back. Trim the stem to a suitable length and use a little more tape to hide the cut stem end and the stitching. Tweek the flowers into place. Finished!

In a future episode I will provide some instructions for more elaborate flowers.