Guide to Making Your Own Beautiful Butterfly Pins
Required Supplies
Four, four-inch square sheets of felt in a color of your choice
Four, three-inch square sheets of felt in a coordinating color
A five-inch square sheet of black felt
Felt scraps of various colors that either match or contrast with wing colors
Poster board
Pencil
A skein of black embroidery floss
Two skeins of embroidery floss that match or contrast with the four and five-inch felt squares
Embroidery needle
Beading needle
Cotton thread for beading
Craft scissors
Fabric chalk
Seven or eight cotton balls
Tweezers
Fabric glue
Two, three-inch pieces of fine gauge copper wire
Various seed beads
A 1 �½ inch pin back
Optional Supplies
Iridescent glitter
Colored glitter
Decorative-edge scissors
Embossed felt
Instructions
Begin by creating wing and body patterns on poster board by sketching one large wing, approximately 3 inches tall, a smaller wing approximately 2 inches tall, and a long narrow body approximately 3 inches long. Make the wings as simple or as elaborately curved as you like. Use fabric chalk to trace the larger wing pattern on two sheets of felt to create two matching wings, and flip the cardboard pattern over to create two additional wings for the opposite side of the butterfly. These will form the larger top wings of the butterfly. Trace the smaller wings on the 3-inch felt squares in the same manner as the larger ones. Create two sets that will serve as the lower wings. Trace the body pattern twice on the sheet of black felt, and create two matching pieces. Cut out the wings and body using either straightedge or decorative-edge fabric scissors.
It is necessary to embellish the wings before gluing and sewing them together. Cut out small circles or other geometric shapes from color-coordinating felt scraps. Place a small amount of fabric glue on the shapes, and carefully place them on the fronts of the wings. Allow the glue plenty of drying time. Thread an embroidery needle with one strand of either matching or contrasting embroidery floss, and use a basic buttonhole stitch to securely attach the edges and further embellish the wings. Optionally you can glue on a small amount of iridescent glitter or fine-textured colored glitter to make the butterfly even more showy.
Decorate the wings further by sewing on beautiful colored seed beads using cotton color-coordinated thread and a beading needle. Sew the beads around the edges of the wing decorations and also on the decorative felt shapes if desired. Reinforce the knots on the backs of the wings with a small amount of fabric glue. Allow the glue to dry completely before continuing.
Begin sewing the wings together by matching up wing fronts and backs and gluing the edges with a small amount of craft glue. Leave the sides of the wings open so they can be stuffed before attaching them to the body of the butterfly. Further reinforce and decorate the butterfly by blanket stitching around the edges using embroidery floss. Also, stitch around the body of the butterfly, and remember to leave the bottom open for stuffing.
After the edges of the wings have been glued and stitched, it’s time to make them 3-dimensional by stuffing them with cotton balls. Carefully insert two cotton balls in each larger wing, one cotton ball in each smaller wing, and two or three cotton balls in the body of the butterfly. Use tweezers to insert the cotton in tighter areas.
When the wings and body have been sufficiently stuffed, finish by gluing and sewing the open edges. Pay careful attention to gluing and stitching the body of the butterfly since this area will be visible. After stitching the edges, glue and sew the top and bottom wings to the body of the butterfly. Sew the wings to the back of the body so they aren’t visible from the front.
Complete the butterfly by forming and attaching the antennae. Curl the tops of two pieces of 3-inch long thin copper wire by wrapping it around a pencil. Poke the straight ends of the wire into the top of the head of the butterfly. Place a dot of glue around the base of each wire, and allow the glue plenty of time to dry.
Finish the project by attaching the body of the butterfly to the pin back. First sew the back to the butterfly using one strand of black embroidery floss, and place fabric glue around the edges for extra reinforcement. Allow the glue to dry completely before wearing the pin.
Gift Giving Ideas
Attach a butterfly pin to a wrapped package for an extra special bonus gift. Either pin the butterfly to a satin ribbon wound around a wrapped gift, or pin the butterfly to the center of a large beautiful bow.
Turn the bow into a beautiful blooming flower by gluing a green chenille stem beneath it. Glue on satin leaves plucked from artificial flowers, or create leaves by bending chenille stems into the shapes of leaves. Glue them to the wrapped package.
Create a beautiful gift bag filled with butterfly related gifts and matching tissue paper. Attach the butterfly pin to the handle of the bag for a unique homemade gift that the recipient is sure to love.
