While I do use AI to brainstorm ideas, compile research for blog articles and generate images for the birthstones series, I rarely ask it for jewellery design suggestions. But recently, (frustrated with my own brain fog), I asked ChatGPT to generate some ideas for picture jewellery that I could make based on my own research. It gave several suggestions, most of which were not even picture jewellery (textile jewellery with embroidery and patchwork for instance) and a few impractical ones. However, I liked the idea of what it called the “Shrine Brooch” – a brooch with divine imagery making it a wearable shrine. While it suggested materials such clay, resin, and cardboard, I decided to make one using felt.
Shrine pendant DIY tutorial
The primary idea of this design is to transform religious images into wearable picture jewellery. I have a feeling that the AI based this idea from one of my own posts on Chhedi Ka Jantar, a shrine-like pendant with a painted image from Rajasthan. Since the season of Divine marriages is approaching, I thought of making an embroidered shrine brooch with the image of poet-saint Andal of Srivilliputhur. I have previously written about my ancestral ties to Srivilliputhur and jewellery based on Andal here.
While my previous designs of Andal picture jewellery use metal bezels and resin, this design is made using felt, plastic sheet, rhinestones and beads. It is inspired by the beautiful Shrine jewellery creations of AV Maria which are meticulously embroidered. Mine on the other hand, is a lazy process of “winging it.” If you want to follow along, here is the detailed list of materials and making process.
Materials
- A printed image in actual size
- A piece of rigid plastic sheet (I used OHP – Overhead projector sheet for clarity)
- A rectangular piece of synthetic felt (thin yet slightly stiff)
- Brooch pin
- A marker
- Rhinestone cup chain
- Glue on embellishments
- Seed beads – opaque lustrous beige 10/O
- Clear liquid Silicon glue (Mine is from Itsy Bitsy)
- Embroidery thread and needle
Making
- Cut out a print or a miniature painting of the deity or a person you want to enshrine. Make sure that you are leaving atleast 2-3mm allowance around the image. I realised this only after I began cutting so the outline became slightly shapeless. But it makes no difference to the outcome. I printed my image on 170gsm paper but you can use upto 200 gsm.
- Cut two pieces of felt that is 0.75 inches bigger than your image on all sides.
- Keep your plastic sheet over the image and mark the axial lines and the outline. The outline should be slightly inside your image
- Transfer the intersection point marks to one felt layer and cut along the outline. Your frame base is ready.
- Glue the print to plastic sheet which once dried will be glue to the felt frame.
- On the other felt layer make two cuts and insert a brooch pin. You can use some glue to hold it in place.
- Glue rhinestone chain around the frame opening and more rhinestone flatbacks or embellishments around it.
- Glue both layers of felt together and let it dry for atleast 1-2 hours. I let it dry overnight as I wanted the rhinestones to be fixed permanently.
- Thread a needle with embroidery thread (3 strands) and make a beaded blanket stitch using the seed beads on the outer circumference of the brooch. Pick a needle that will go through the beads when threaded. I used a yellowish green thread as I wanted the gold of the rhinestone components to pop but you can use the same colour as the base if you want only the beads to be visible.
- After you knot the thread pass it through a few beads. You can apply a dab of glue at the starting and ending as you can see in the image below. Do not worry, it will dry clear.
Additional tips
Choose colours depending on the desired aesthetic. I wanted something vibrant and kitschy resembling temple decorations. You can also use family portraits, local community images , celebrity images instead of divine imagery to make this shrine brooch. Instead of using one multipurpose glue like I did, you can use a rubber adhesive for the felt and a clear glue like B6000 or E6000 for the rhinestones. My brooch is around 2.5 inches in length, but the same technique can be used to make both smaller and larger pieces. In case of bigger than three inch pieces, use three layers of felt to make it stronger. Since I had a small brooch pin, I wanted a lightweight brooch and hence used only two layers.
I hope that the making process of the felt shrine brooch is clear and do ask if you have any questions.
I hope you find it interesting
Cheers
What do you think?