In China, fish is considered a symbol of abundance, so fish is a Feng Shui talisman that brings prosperity and well-being. This fact explains the Chinese tradition of gifting fish for New Year, thus wishing good luck and financial prosperity in the upcoming year. Today I want to offer you a DIY on how to create a goldfish brooch.

Let this fish become your symbol of good luck and fulfillment of wishes.

Materials:

• Swarovski crystals — 9 pcs
• Swarovski beads (cones and squares). Squares — 10 pcs
• black beads (for eyes)
• Czech seed beads (No. 18112, 68106, 17020)
• sequins (matt gold) 0.3 cm
• silk thread of an appropriate colour
• pin for brooches
• golden felt
• cardboard
• PVA glue, instant glue
• hoops (small)
• tulle
• lighter
• tailor's pen
• 0.5 cm golden satin ribbon
• beading needle
• scissors

The image of the fish comes from my childhood (for inspiration, you can see fish patterns on the Internet). Draw the fish with a marker on the felt and cut out. Make one more workpiece, but 2 mm more. This will be a back side of the brooch.

For beauty, I suggest treating the edges with a satin ribbon. Scorch the ends of the ribbon with the lighter.

Take the blank and neatly sew the tulle to it. Now it is easier to embroider.

Sew on the crystals to the tail and fins (the way you like).

Draw the outline of the body with the pen and embroider with beads (use backstitch).

Now the tail. Draw such feathers on the tail and upper fin, embroider with beads No. 18112.

Sew on the sequins so that one its side touched the beads.

You will have 3 rows of sequins and each row will overlap another one.

Like a real fish, our will have scales. Draw the scales, sew a square bead in the middle. Fill the space between the contours with beads No. 68106. I got 4 rows of such scales.

Add scales of sequins for a change. They also overlap each other.

Now embroider the head. First, sew the eye — a flat bead is sewn through a seed bead.

Sew beads around the eye in this order:

beads No. 68106 — vertically;

beads No. 18112 — horizontally;

beads No. 68106 — horizontally.

The fish changes right before the eyes. The sweetest thing ever is embroidery with beads at the end.

Look at the photo, I used this patterns.

Fill the remaining space with beads and seed beads.

Our fish is almost ready.

Cut out our fish. Sew the tulle with its edges tucked. Cut out a cardboard fish of 3 mm less according to the pattern. Then glue the cardboard to the blank.

Make a cut for the pin on the back side of the brooch and insert it. Fix the pin with the instant glue, and felt to the cardboard with the PVA glue.

Cut off the excess. The final stage — perfecting the edge. Embroider it with beads using the American way (beads No. 17020).

Our fish is ready! Let your goldfish fulfill your wishes.

I wish you all success!

Sincerely yours,

Maria