DIY: Sequin Flower Hairpin/Bobby pin (pseudo-vintage/Victorian!)

Ooh, I just can't get enough of my new hairpin. 

The iridescent quality of sequins makes it sparkle so much under the sun, it's hard to get a clear picture of it on my hair. 

Ooh, and it's pseudo-vintage/Victorian! How can you not make one for yourself!?

MATERIALS

Sewing needle

Thread

20 x Sequins

10 x Seed beads

5 x Small plastic pearl beads

Glue

Felt

Scissors

Plain hairpin/bobby pin

STEPS

1. Thread a long piece of thread through the eye of a needle. Tie the 2 ends of the thread together into a knot.

Bring your needle and the thread through a piece of felt. This is the point where the middle of the flower lies.

Insert beads and sequins through the needle in this order: 

1. small pearl bead 

2. small seed bead 

3. sequin with the concave side towards the eye of the needle 

4. sequin with the convex side towards the eye of the needle 

5. small seed bead 

6. sequin with the concave side towards the eye of the needle 

7. sequin with the convex side towards the eye of the needle

2. Insert the needle through the felt again. The point of insertion should be just a small distance away from the point of the middle of the flower.

3. Pull the thread all the way and make it tight. (BUT NOT TOO TIGHT!)

This is how your first petal should look like from the side.

4. Repeat the same for the subsequent petals.

You can make as many petals as you like. I like to have 5 petals because it makes it look like a sakura.

5. Tie a dead knot at the back of the flower.

6. Cut off the sequin flower from the piece of felt and trim the remaining felt such that the no felt can be seen when you see the flower from above.

Cut a small piece of felt and insert it between a plain hairpin/bobby pin. This piece of felt should be smaller than the back of the flower.

7. This is how your flower should look from the top! You shouldn't be able to see any of the felt.

If you find that your flower seems a bit floppy, you could fold the flower into half to reveal the felt at the centre of the flower. Then add a small dab of glue to the felt and push all the petals towards the centre again!

8. Use super glue (or whatever kind of adhesives that you are comfortable with) to stick the small piece of felt between the hairpin to the back of the flower.

Enjoy your lovely, new, pseudo-vintage hairpin!

DIY: Of ribbons and flowers

This cute ribbon brooch can jazz up your plain ol' tee!

A little variation is all you need to make another flower hair pin!

Materials needed:

Assorted ribbon
Assorted buttons

Super duper adhesive glue

Some sewing thread and needles

Step 1: Cut 4 pieces of ribbon, each measuring about 7cm.

Step 2: Using one of the ribbon, fold the 2 ends of the ribbon towards the centre as shown in the picture. Glue or sew the ribbon in place.

Step 3: Repeat Step 2 with 2 other ribbon and place them to form an asterisk (*) sign as shown. Glue/Sew them in place.

Step 4: Place the asterisk on top of the last ribbon and then its 2 ends towards the centre again to create the ribbon flower as shown in the picture. Glue/Sew the ribbons in place.

Step 5: Try to match different buttons with the ribbon used to create a desired look. Play around the buttons by stacking them on top of one another to create different looks.

(This look was created by placing a pink heart scrapbook embellishment on top of a slightly bigger button of a complement colour)

Step 6: Glue them on a brooch pin/ hair pin/ hair band and then wear them with pride!

Step 7: Try it with different ribbons and buttons! I also made another one using the fabric button that I made several days ago