It's almost winter again. When temperatures drop below, say, 10°C for good, we pull out our warm clothes along with all the stuff that just doesn't feel right in summer. Like felt accessories. You don't have any yet? Try these beautiful dark red acorn leaves, embroidered with beads in several sizes and shades, or with bugles, for a change. They are easy to do.

You'll need:

• A piece of felt. The one I bought is about 5 mm thick,
• some leaf to copy the shape. Actually, you are not limited to using acorn leaves, although their shape makes for a pretty decorative effect,
• beads or bugles of matching colour(s),
• matching thread,
• a pin.

This is how it's done:

Place a leaf on top of the felt plate and copy the shape drawing a line around it with a soft pencil. The dried leaves are quite brittle, so be careful not to break the tips. Then cut out the shape just a little bit inside the line.

Now we are ready for the fun part: the stitching. You can create a pattern on the fly, or, if you feel more like planning, lay out a pattern on the tabletop in advance.

You'll need a needle as fine as to fit through the holes of your beads or bugles and a regular sewing yarn taken double. Tie a nice knot, pick the point where the first bead will be seated and pull the thread from the back to the front side. Thread a bead and stitch back next to where the thread had come out before.

Pick the next place you want a bead being attached to. On the backside push the needle through the felt just a bit below the surface in order to hide the thread between stitches. Push the needle to the front again and pick up another bead.

Repeat the process with all the beads or bugles your pattern calls for. That's it!

No, wait a minute - we still need a pin. A simple one will do. It should be as long as to fit between the edges, but not much shorter, since the longer the pin, the flatter the brooch will sit on the fabric. Attach the pin on both ends, each by picking up a bit of felt and threading through the hole repeatedly. Now you are done, at last!

Aren't the brooches lovely? They will be perfect on a sweater or even on the lapel of a coat. Enjoy!