St Patrick's Day celebrations generally involve public parades, festivals and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks. I don't have any green clothing or green jewelry so this year I decided to make a beaded shamrock brooch for the occasion.

I've never made beaded jewelry before and decided to give it a go, AND create an Instructable to document my journey. So gather up your stash of crystals, pearls, gemstones and beads and follow along.

Step 1: What You Will Need

1) Two sheets of felt; one green plain-backed and one white adhesive-backed

2) Beads, beads and more beads

3) Small wooden hoop

4) Green thread

5) Pin back

6) Shamrock template

Step 2: Shamrock Template

Print on paper and cut out shamrock shape.

I made my brooch approximately 3 inches wide but you can make yours any size you like

Step 3: Lets Begin

Using template, trace shamrock shape onto felt with an ink pen and stretch over wood hoop.

Step 4: Outline Your Project

Using green thread and small green beads, stitch around the perimeter following the ink outline, incorporating a bead with every stitch.

Step 5: Begin Adding Beads

I found these cool alphabet beads and spelled out the word L-U-C-K-Y, which fit perfectly in the shamrock stem.

As with all of the beads, I anchored them down with green thread.

Step 6: Continued Adding Beads

Continue adding beads by stitching them down, starting from the outside and working inward.

Step 7: Finishing

Remove your project from the hoop and carefully cut around the shamrock. For more durability, place your finished shamrock on the sticky side of the white adhesive-backed felt. Carefully cut around the shamrock again and add a pin back with glue.

Step 8: Ta-Da . .

For my first try, I think they turned out pretty well. Some of the beads are crooked but with a little practice I think I can master it.

Introduction: Beaded Shamrock Brooch