Beaded Shamrock Brooch

St Patrick's Day celebrations generally involve public parades, festivals and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks. I don't have any green clothing or green jewelry so this year I decided to make a beaded shamrock brooch for the occasion.

I've never made beaded jewelry before and decided to give it a go, AND create an Instructable to document my journey. So gather up your stash of crystals, pearls, gemstones and beads and follow along.

1) Two sheets of felt; one green plain-backed and one white adhesive-backed

2) Beads, beads and more beads

3) Small wooden hoop

4) Green thread

5) Pin back

6) Shamrock template

Print on paper and cut out shamrock shape.

I made my brooch approximately 3 inches wide but you can make yours any size you like

Using template, trace shamrock shape onto felt with an ink pen and stretch over wood hoop.

Using green thread and small green beads, stitch around the perimeter following the ink outline, incorporating a bead with every stitch.

I found these cool alphabet beads and spelled out the word L-U-C-K-Y, which fit perfectly in the shamrock stem.

As with all of the beads, I anchored them down with green thread.

Continue adding beads by stitching them down, starting from the outside and working inward.

Remove your project from the hoop and carefully cut around the shamrock. For more durability, place your finished shamrock on the sticky side of the white adhesive-backed felt. Carefully cut around the shamrock again and add a pin back with glue.

For my first try, I think they turned out pretty well. Some of the beads are crooked but with a little practice I think I can master it.