How to Organize Your Brooches and Pins

Susan Beal, contributor

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My vintage brooches are displayed on this embroidery-hoop organizer.

Susan Beal

I put all my 1-inch buttons on another embroidery-hoop organizer.

Susan Beal

My vintage brooches are displayed on this embroidery-hoop organizer.

Photo: Susan Beal

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I love vintage brooches and 1-inch buttons—but once I had a good collection going, they started to crowd each other in my jewelry box and on my dresser top. I really wanted to be able to see and enjoy them instead of searching for them one by one, so I came up with this simple idea: stretching felt inside an embroidery hoop to display them all.

First, I cut a piece of felt larger than my embroidery hoop (these are 7 inches across) and stretched it inside the hoop, tightening the adjuster until it was firmly in place. Then I cut the excess felt away at the back using pinking shears.

I arranged all my favorite brooches on one and made a second one for my 1-inch buttons. Then I put a little picture hanger on the wall and hung each organizer by the adjuster for an ultra-simple display!

You can easily take these down, retrieve a favorite piece to wear, or change the arrangement as you please.

I've also heard about earring displays made this way with thin mesh window-screen material instead of felt, so the earring hooks can slip right in for hanging. And CraftStylish member Shines4 suggests, "Here's a quick idea for displaying earrings. Get a roll of that rubberized shelf paper ... the kind with a pattern and small holes in it. Cut it to shape to fit inside a picture frame (don't use the glass!). Hang all your french wire earrings (doesn't work with post earrings) on the new fabric background. Make several for very nice looking displays for a show."

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Comments (5)

beadeful writes: This is a great idea. I've created something like this, only I used a small lamp shade (my dad got 100's of them from an auction in Florida) to hold pins that I sell at a Antiques Mall. Check out my "COLLECTIVE ORGANIZING" slide show of them at [http://beadon.ning.com/photo/album/show?id=2206415:Album:1730]
Posted: 10:18 am on August 23rd

Ginab6 writes: I love this! I have tons of embroidery hoops!
:-) Gina
Posted: 4:51 pm on August 18th

Minimeg writes: I bet you could paint the hoops before adding the felt for an extra pop of color.
Posted: 11:44 pm on August 17th

beadingjunkee writes: Great idea and great artwork too! I made some earrings holders recently using the frame idea but instead of wire mesh I used 'plastic grid mesh used for needlework'. They come in a ton of colors and sizes and fit right into the frame with just a few snips. Anywho, awesome idea. I think I'll try it.
Posted: 3:16 pm on August 17th

trusk4u writes: I really like this idea! It can be an everchanging piece of art that is practical too!
Posted: 2:21 pm on August 17th

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