Quick & Easy DIY Fabric Easter Gift Pattern

There is a particular Easter Sunday from my childhood that stands out in my mind.
I was 10 years old and my family and I were about to leave for church.

I had my hat and gloves and shiny new shoes on and I very excitedly opened the front door.  When I did so, I saw four huge corsage boxes sitting on the front porch.  My parents picked them up and we all went back inside to see who they were from.

Image courtesy of FiftyFlowers.com

There was a beautiful white orchid boutonniere for my father and brother and two gorgeous white orchid corsages with ribbon and tulle for my mother and me. 

And there was no card.

My mother pinned the corsages on us all and off we went to church as my parents mentally scrolled through a checklist of people that they thought might have left the sweet surprise on our doorstep.

They spent the next week asking friends and family and neighbors about the flowers, but no one ever admitted to having given them to us and it remains a family mystery that comes up from time to time.  Who did leave those flowers for us?

It made quite an impression on me as a little girl, that someone would give us...*me*...such a sweet gift without any credit...as a secret.

I thought about it a lot growing up and I'm certain it contributed to my love of giving gifts and surprises to family and friends (and blog readers. :).

Funny how something so small can have such a big impact isn't it?

The memory of that is what partially inspired this tutorial today.  It's a fabric Easter Cross brooch made by modifying my fabric flower petals pattern and it's super simple to put together.  I made several in less than hour!

DIY Fabric Easter Cross Pattern

 

 

Here's What You'll Need:

Printable Pattern (link below)
Fabric and or felt
Pins
Safety Pins or Pin Backs
Buttons and Baubles for the centers
Scissors
Needle and Thread

Optional:
Wonder Under fusible web

 

Print and Cut

DIY Fabric Easter Cross Pin pattern download

To Download the Above Link:

The pattern is a large pdf so it has been compressed into a zip file.

When you click on the link above you should have the choice to open or save the file.

If you are on a windows machine you can choose "open with windows explorer" and it will download and then open the file.

You should then be able to save that folder wherever you would like on your machine.

The first thing you'll want to do is download the pattern following the instructions above then print and cut out the pattern.

 

Next pin the patterns to your fabric and cut one large circle and three small circles.

 

If you want to make a two-color cross such as the pink and polka dotted one in the first image, now is the time to cut the wedges of contrasting fabric.  Cut one large wedge and 3 small.

 

**NOTE**

The Pink cross was made by folding the fabric first and then adding a layer of contrasting fabric using Wonder Under. 

While I like the look of it, it was a  bit harder to sew because it became very stiff.  In fact the thread broke once or twice and I had to start all over. 

If you're a beginner or in a hurry, you may want to go with the one-color cross. 

 

Press and Fold

Now it's time to press and fold your fabric circles.

 

Fold each circle in half, wrong sides together and press.

Now fold in half again to form a wedge shape and press.

If you have decided to do a second layer, now is the time to adhere that piece to your wedge. 

Follow the directions on the Wonder Under package for each wedge piece then line up the bottom curve and center it so the points line up and press. (let cool before stitching)

 

 

 Stitch and Gather

 

Beginning with one of the small wedges and using 3 strands of matching embroidery thread take a long, gathering stitch about 1/4 inch in from the curved side of your wedge, making sure to go through all layers of fabric.

I like to start my stitch in between the folds of the fabric so the knot is hidden.

 

 

Now pull the thread and your wedge will gather up into a petal shape. Continue this with the other two small wedges and add the large wedge last to form the cross shape.

 Finish by stitching the last petal to the first.

 

 Adding the Buttons

 Now it's time to audition buttons and embellishments to find which you like best.  

If you've been sewing and crafting for any amount of time you probably have a sizable stash of goodies to choose from for the center of your cross, but if not you can find lots of buttons and embellishments at fabric & craft stores like Hancocks or Hobby Lobby.

 

Once you've decided on your button, just attach it with needle and thread or even a hot glue gun.

Attaching the Pin Back

Now you'll want to cut out a small felt circle for the back.

 

 

Hot glue the felt circle to the back of your cross and then add your pin.  You can use a pin back such as these or a safety pin.

Now that your pretty pin is finished, maybe you have a neighbor, teacher or friend who could use a little anonymous gift this Easter? 

 

I hope you have fun making it!  I would love to see pictures (and add you to our Reader's Get Crafty pinterest board!) if you complete this project.  Let me know in the comments or drop me an email!

 

Grace & Peace,

 

♥ Melissa~

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"But when you do a kindness to someone, do it secretly—don’t tell your left hand what your right hand is doing. And your Father, Who knows all secrets, will reward you."
-Matthew 6:3-4