The Corporate Brooch Project

This set of brooches represents some of my best work. A Canadian company is heading to Dublin, Ireland this week for their annual convention. The head office team wanted a unique name tag and gave me the assignment to come up with something interesting.

My first bit of inspiration came from a Dublin Tourism site. This door is a perfect green. I love the gold accents.

I found this Celtic circle from a clip art site.


Then I downloaded a Celtic font to create the wording Team Dublin. This image I turned into buttons which I then encased in a gold cabochon.

Then the real fun began. I knew I would create my own felted dangle. So I gathered piles of silk and wool roving. The stacks were two inches high.

And then out came the big gun - Yes A NEW MACHINE!!
As a Janome Artisan, I have the use of their FM725 felting machine. I knew this project would be a perfect way to test the machine.

After using the machine's power, look how I have created new pieces of felt. Truly one of a kind.

Pins, dangles, beads and other fibers were added to create these wearable pieces. I had a special request to make one of the pins in hues of purple and I loved how that one turned out. I sure hope the team enjoys wearing them all over Dublin this weekend!

By the way, if you love these brooches you might consider taking a class with me this May. I am teaching the Needle Felted Collage Brooch at Mixed Minded an event organized by Karen Ellis at The Art House Studio in Kitchener, Ontario.