BY ALDONA BIRD
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! This is the perfect time to DIY a little green touch that can make any outfit pinch proof.
To join in the festivities of this Irish holiday without going head to toe green for the day you can add an on- theme accessory to two. Shamrock accessories are fun and easy to make yourself.
With materials like green felt, scissors, paper and pen or pencil, buttons, needle and thread or glue you can create a wide accessories array to rock on March 17. Throw in some paint and beading supplies, and your options are practically unlimited.
To create a classic shamrock out of felt, draw the shape of a heart with a squared off bottom the size you want your clover leaves to be on your paper, and cut it out. Use this as a pattern and cut four out of green felt or other stiff material which won’t fray.
Add more dimension to your shamrock by cutting additional leaves out of different shades of green in consecutively smaller sizes and layer them. Alternatively, you can add a little green paint to the edges of your felt, which will also give the finished product more visual interest.
Pinch the squared bottom of one of your felt leaves and secure the pinch together with a needle and thread or dab of glue. Repeat for all your leaves. If you are layering, stack the leaves together before pinching and securing.
Use the shamrock as is, or add a bead or button to the center.
You can secure these types of shamrocks to a broach base and wear as a pin, or to a hair clip, headband or tie clip.
Attach these felt shamrocks all around a headband and wear for a really festive hair style. Or add just one and wrap different colors of ribbons around the rest of the headband to make a rainbow effect to continue the theme with an extra colorful touch.
If using a felt shamrock to make a pin or hair clip you can also add a background. Use another felt or fabric and simply cut out a circle slightly larger than the shamrock.
You can also cut a long rectangle, with the width slightly larger than half the shamrock, and sew the short sides together. Then gather it along one side and pull the gathers tight. This will create a wheel with a gathered center. Stitch or glue your shamrock onto the center. This makes a particularly cute hair bow.
Using the same materials, you can also jazz up buttons on a shirt or other garment. Draw a four-leaved clover about two inches across on paper. You can draw just the leaves or add a stem. Cut it out and use as a pattern to cut the same shape out of felt. Cut out as many as you have buttons on the garment you want to make more festive.
In the center of each shamrock, cut a small slit – this should be large enough to slip over your buttons, but not so large that it will fall off or dangle. Check the button holes on your garment, and start by cutting the slit on the shamrocks slightly smaller – you can always make the cut a little longer.
After putting on your outfit, slip the shamrocks over the buttons.
However, you celebrate the holiday, wearing a touch of green can be a fun way to join in the festivities and avoid the classic pinch.
After celebrating St. Paddy’s, wear your 4-leaf clovers year round to 4-H events!
