How to Make a Needle-felted Jack-O-Lantern Brooch
A jack-o-lantern brooch made of wool felt and fiber is super cute for Halloween, and since it's not a complicated project, you can finish it in under an hour. Remember to cut off any stray strands. I forgot to do this before I took the picture!
Materials
Step One
- Wool felt, 2.5" x 5" piece
- Orange wool roving, small amount
- Green wool roving in two shades, tiny amount
- Black wool roving, tiny amount
- Safety pin, 1"
- Craft glue
Tools
- Scissors
- Felting needle
- Tape or straight pins
- Template
Step One
Cut around the template, place it on the wool felt, secure it with tape or straight pins, and cut out the pumpkin shape in felt.
Step Two
Place a thin layer of orange roving on top of the pumpkin, but do not put the roving over the stem or leaf.
Step Three
Needle felt the first layer in place, and add another layer of orange roving on top of it. Continue needle felting.
Step Four
You can use a single needle or a multi-needle tool.
Step Five
Check the back to make sure that the fibers have gone through the felt. Continue needle felting, if necessary, until the fibers are firmly attached.
Step Six
Trim off the excess orange roving around the outer edge.
Step Seven
Check from the front, too, to make sure the edges aren't fuzzy. Trim if needed.
Step Eight
Add a wisp of light green wool roving on top of the stem and leaf.
Step Nine
Needle felt the light green roving in place.
Step Ten
Add a tiny bit of dark green roving in the center of the stem and the center of the leaf.
Step Eleven
Needle felt the darker green wool roving in place.
Step Thirteen
Start with the nose, form a triangle, and needle felt it in place.
Step Fourteen
Add a round eye in the same manner. Then add the second eye.
Step Fifteen
Form a "mustache" from a wisp of black roving.
Step Sixteen
Now, manipulate the black roving "mustache" to form a mouth with a lopsided grin, needle felting it in place until it's secure.
Step Seventeen
Cut out a pumpkin-shaped backing from the felt, using the same template. It's not necessary to include the stem and leaf. Apply glue to this felt shape.
Step Eighteen
Apply the shape with the glue to the back of the jack-o-lantern and press until it's secure. Allow a few minutes for the glue to dry.
Once the glue's dry, you can wear your jack-o-lantern brooch. Simply pin it onto your garment with a safety pin. If you prefer to use a pinback, you can use the same technique that I use for putting a pinback on the back of a fabric flower to make a brooch. See my article "How to Make a Fabric Flower into a Brooch." Pictured below is the jack-o-lantern brooch on a navy sweater.
