You will need:
Coloured felt (or other non-fraying fabric)
Matching coloured thread (optional - for the stitched detail on the gloves)
A few inches of striped ribbon
A few inches of craft wire
Needlenose pliers (optional - they're just for shaping the wire)
Black thread or embroidery floss
Brooch pin back or safety pin
This adorable idea for a DIY novelty brooch was originally featured in a Woman’s Own magazine from 1950:
The felt I used for the gloves was quite thin so I cut out two layers and stitched them together. I traced the template for the gloves directly from the magazine. Freezer paper is absolutely perfect for detailed shapes because you can iron it onto the fabric and it sticks. Once you've cut out the shapes, the freezer paper just peels off.
Cording the handle of the umbrella employed the same technique you used to make friendship bracelets when you were little, shown in the diagram below, in which the blue line is the wire. Using two or three strands of embroidery floss it works up surprisingly quickly.
My local fabric shop didn't have any black and white stripe ribbon, so my umbrella is striped in sky blue. Winding the ribbon around the wire is a bit fiddly. I adhered the end of the ribbon to the end of the wire handle with fabric glue, waited for that to dry, then squiggled more glue up the back of the ribbon before wrapping it. I had difficulty gathering the ribbon for the frill as it was quite stiff, so I just knotted it into a 'bow' and glued that on instead, which is quite effective.
And there you have it, a cute 1950s novelty pin!
What's also great is that this basic design lends itself to so many variations on the theme, too - I'm already picturing a pair of pastel coloured gloves with a little lacy parasol for a summery version. Or gloves in white felt overlaid with ivory lace, with a black and white striped umbrella for a "My Fair Lady" twist.
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