Today I publish my first DIY. It's a little exciting :)

I'll show all stages of work on the example of creating brooches with Easter Bunny and a willow sprig. I want to say that I don't like souvenirs and trinkets that are never used so I prefer to give and receive gifts that can tell a story for at least a couple of generations.

I was inspired on creating this brooch by my grandmother's album with old pre-revolutionary postcards, which I loved and used to look at for hundreds of times! There was a whole page dedicated to Easter. Here we start.

Materials:

• 9 needle for wool and 10-12 for bead embroidery;
• fabric for embroidery (any plain light fabric, in my case, fine cotton);
• hoop, I used 10 cm in diameter;
• embroidery floss (choose your own palette);
• thin black and white sewing threads;
• monofilament;
• base for embroidery or tough felt;
• small piece of soft felt;
• any cotton lace;
• cotton braid;
• beads and seed beads;
• silk ribbon (or not silk);
• cardboard or thick paper;
• instant Moment Crystal glue or any similar one;
• pin for brooches of a suitable size, mine was 5 cm;
• fabric for the wrong side, I used faux Ultrasuede, leather would also be good;
• pendants or a yarn tassel.

1-2. The first thing you need is inspiration. I'm serious. Never start working without it (I hope everyone knows that) :)

The second is a rough sketch. I almost never make accurate sketches on paper because I got used to keep the composition in mind to improvise when working.

I usually make a drawing of what I'm going to embroider. Take it out of my head or Google. Then draw with a black pen on paper in full size.

Be sure that your pattern fits the hoops.

3-4. Fix the fabric in the hoop and transfer the image. I use a tablet for that :)

5-6. Ready! Now start to embroider. First, embroider the contour with a backstitch. I always use one thread.

7-8. Then embroider the eyes. Somehow It is psychologically important for me for some reason. Can't explain it :)

Use the same stitches: outline the eye, then embroider the pupil.

Add a highlight with with simple white thread to make the eyes look true-to-life. Then fill the remaining space with small regular stitches: embroider the iris ochre-mustard and add highlights with a few stitches; slightly darker threads in the cornenrs. Ready! Now he's looking at us! :)

9-10. Embroider fur around the eyes with three tones of grey; it has a different directions so it should be the first. Use a simple stitch.

11-12. Add more shades with a darker grey from the contour — use very small stitches. Then light brown along the edge and the darkest brown under the circle (see the photo). Use the colour for the shadow on the ear.

13-14. Take two darkest brown threads and begin to fill up the part of the muzzle in the shade with tiny stitches. I do it so: randomly stitch with the darkest thread, then fill the empty spaces with the next colour. Cheek is the brightest place, and the fur has a different direction. Therefore, add there lighter stitches, and the longest hairs should be embroidered with a cold shade of light brown.

15-16. Add warm light brown colours. Make stitches of different lengths and mix the colours. This will make the rabbit more alive.

Embroider the nose with the same tiny stitches. Mix two warm light brown colours.

Pads of the muzzle are embroidered with light grey threads using a French knot stitch. Add warm light brown stitches to smooth the colour transition.

Take simple thin black threads and added contrast, emphasizing the nose, pads and the ear.

17-18. Make shadows on the neck, head and tips of the ears with two darkest shades of warm brown.

19-20. Embroider the colour transition from dark to light on the ears and emphasize the volume with a cold shade. The rabbit is ready!

21-22. Now, come to the willow embroidery. Cut five small ovals from soft grey felt and glue to the fabric with a little drop.

23-24. Outline the contours with the backstitch. Then fill up the branches with random straight stitches — it is necessary to create some volume. Embroider the twigs with tight horizontal stitches, capturing the contour. Actually, one can stop here.

25-26. Embroider the buds. I used three shades of grey and embroidered from darkest to lightest.

27-28. For liveliness, I added some stitches of warm grey and white threads. Ready!

29-30. Take out the embroidery from the hoop and cut an oval base from a dense material. I usuallu use Lacy's stiff staff as an embroidery base or felt of a similar density. Wrap the base with the fabric, glue all fraying edges and sew together.

31-32. Now see how to decorate the brooch. For me, this process is intuitive, so I rely on my feeling of harmony. Sometimes I paint the lace I use.

33-34. Sew the cotton braid along the contour. Actually, this may be enough... But I attached a romantic bow :)

35-36. Sew the lace detailwith small invisible stitches to the base. This is difficult sometimes and I use a pair of pliers. Then take beads and everything you find acceptable.

37-38. Make a tassel. (If you have a ready one, then skip this and next steps). Take a bunch of braid and tie with a thin thread, leaving 3 cm on the top. Then take a glued piece of felt and wrap it arond the top of the the bundle where the threads are tied. There should be mmuch glue. Wait until it gets dry, press and cut off the top of the braid. Glue, if needed. Sew the felt through forming a cap.

39-40. Decorate the lid with lace and all you want. Tie a sloppy bow of the silk ribbon :)

41-42. Sew the tassel to the bow and all together to the base with a double monofilament. I stitch four times back and forth.

43-44. The pin is glued to the brooch. Then cut out a suede oval or rectangle bigger than the pin and glue it.

45-46. Cut out two ovals. An oval of cardboard should be a little smaller than the brooch, and the suede oval — exactly of the same size as the base. Remember to make holes for fastening and glue the paper oval first and then the suede one (apply it before gluing). Sew to the edge with a buttonhole stitch. Ready! Now you can present the brooch to someone! :)

Thank you for your attention! Hope the DIY will be useful :)