Brooches and holes in clothing - YouLookFab Forum

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Brooches and holes in clothing

em

I have some brooches from the 30s with prongs so thick they resemble chopsticks. Well, maybe not that thick, but they're mean and nasty and at least 2 inches long and thicker than the weave of most things I own. Up until now I only pin them onto cable knit sweaters--because the weave is both loose and heavy--but I would like to wear them with other things. However, they will definitely leave holes.

Any tips or suggestions?

PS - these are the backs: https://a.1stdibscdn.com/archi.....6_master.jpg

Dressing

15 replies

Latest reply was from Ginger

cat2

Veteran

They will also work with loosely woven tweed fabrics.

rachylou

Veteran

A scarf dedicated (sacrificed) to their wear? Permanent installment on something like a hat?

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Yes this is a problem l find with a lot of my brooches too.l won’t put them on delicate or precious things but tough stuff like denim jackets and cloth bags .Also as rachylou suggests l tend to leave the badge on ,not keep taking it on and off but you are right some badges are not suitable for some garments.

Staysfit

Veteran

em, thanks for asking this question. I have a similar difficulty and hope someone posts a good solution. So far, I have used a dedicated scarf or hat. I have considered having the backing replaced. I noticed one of the pieces my aunt left me used to be a pendant for a necklace and she converted it to a brooch…. I have not explored the option yet, however, there are some independent jewelers nearby and it might be worth it if the brooch is sentimental but not of particular monetary or true historic value (ie. Okay to alter, etc.)

Brooklyn

Veteran

You try attaching the brooch via its prong to a small piece of leather or sturdy fabric (that sits behind the brooch) then attaching a safety pin to the leather or fabric and using that safety pin to attach the brooch to your clothing.

You could also convert the brooch to a necklace. You can get brooch converters on Etsy. The only thing I’ve found is that the brooch tends to slide on the converter. It works better if you glue it in place.

JAileen

Veteran

I would never wear a knit top like a t shirt material. Thick sweater or a wool coat is a good idea. Another idea: can the prongs be sharpened? I took a jewelry class and could have done that. Steel wool might clean it up to be more slippery. If the piece isn’t valuable maybe the prongs could be replaced.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Is that your actual brooch? It’s gorgeous. I’ve forgotten what your hair is like. I would try wearing it as a barrette.

Marlene1

I used to have a "MagnaPin". It was metal, in two parts - the front piece was designed to slide the brooch prong through and the back piece was a strong magnet that was worn on the inside of the garment. It did a good job, although I didn't use it with any very large brooches. I got it on Amazon.

Kate

Veteran

I just popped MagnaPin into my shopping cart. I'm going to give it a go with some of my mother's old brooches that have thick prongs. Thanks for the suggestion, Marlene!

madeline

Veteran

Agree with Marlene on the magnet solution!

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

A magnet sounds brilliant. I have always wondered about those prongs!

Ginger

Veteran

That almost looks more like a belt slide than a brooch. Or it could be intended for using on a coat or fur piece. Most vintage brooches don't have prongs nearly that thick, and offhand I've never seen a double one. It wasn't intended for ordinary dress or shirting fabric.

JAileen

Veteran

I love the idea of the thing Marlene mentioned and plan to order it.

em

@Ginger...you've got me there. My brooches are really fur clips. So weird as they belonged to a woman who never had a fur...but there it is.

Ginger

Veteran

Em, that is so cool! I have heard of fur clips but never actually seen any (at least that looked any different from ordinary dress clips).