Susan Penny
Susan Penny upcycles an old zipper into a figure of eight flower brooch
You will need:
28inch (Heavy duty closed-end zipper) – mine was plastic
5cm (2in) diameter circle of card from brooch back
Fabric to cover card circle – 8cm (3in) diameter
Brooch pin
Small button
Needle and thread
This is what you do:
1 Move the zipper pull down the zip until it is about 5cm (2in) from the bottom.
2. Make figures of eight with one half of the zip, leaving the zip end exposed at the beginning. Using small neat stitches, sew the layers together at the centre as you make the eights. When you get to the zipper pull at the bottom of the zip, include this in one of the loops, stitching the rough ends at the bottom of the zipper to the centre point.
3. Continue with the other half of the zipper, making each eight slightly smaller than the last. When you get to the last 10cm (4in) of the zipper, twist it around and around to form the centre of the flower, and secure with stitches at the centre.
4. Sew a small button onto the exposed zipper end.
5. To make the brooch back, sew a row of running stitches around the edge of the fabric circle. Wrap the fabric around the card circle and pull up the thread before fastening securely.
6. Place the covered card circle onto the back of the figure of eight flower brooch so that all the workings are hidden. With small, neat stitches attach the covered card to the flower zipper, then stitch the brooch pin centrally to the back.
