Brooch From Plastic Bottle

An effective way to do our part in reducing environmental pollution is to reuse or recycle the disposable plastic items we have. I figured out how to make this original brooch from a plastic bottle. It is not at all difficult to make this brooch and it will cost you almost nothing.

plastic bottle without ridges in middle

knife

iron ruler

awl

scissors

3 white pearlescent beads with a diameter of 8 mm

3 white pearlescent beads with a diameter of 5 mm

copper wire 0.8 mm diameter

copper wire 1.5 mm diameter, I used wire from an old transformer

pliers and wire cutters

iron

round nose pliers or crochet hook 1.5 mm to make a brooch pin

sandpaper

Remove a sticker from the plastic bottle.

Using a knife, cut out an even piece of plastic from the bottle (from the middle).

Use a ruler and an awl to mark a rectangle 2.5" wide and 8" long. Cut out this rectangle.

Using a ruler and an awl, mark and draw lines across the rectangle, 0.4 inches apart.

Fold the plastic rectangle into an accordion fold. Squeeze the accordion from only one end of the plastic rectangle.

Heat the iron to maximum temperature. Touch the edges of the not squeezed side of the plastic accordion to the maximum heated iron for a few seconds.

Then squeeze a few folds on the other side of the plastic accordion and touch them to the maximum heated iron for a few seconds. Do not let go of the squeezed part of the accordion until the plastic cools. Touch with folds on each side (on all three sides). Continue in this way to fix the squeezed part of the plastic accordion.

Bend the side part of the plastic accordion (see photo). Fix the plastic in this position by touching the sides of the folds to the maximum heated iron for a few seconds.

Now you need to decorate the plastic with the beads. Spread the beads evenly between the folds. Use an awl to make two small holes to secure the beads.

Cut three pieces of thin wire 1.2" long for large beads and three 0.8" pieces for the small beads. If you, like me, are using wire from an old transformer, then scrape off the coating from the wire using the blunt side of the scissors. Then sand and polish the wire.

String on the wire one bead and bend the ends of the wires at an angle of 90 degrees. Repeat this with all the beads.

Insert the ends of the wires through the holes made in the plastic and bend the ends of the wires (see photos).

Cut a piece of thick wire about 6 inches. If you, like me, are using wire from an old transformer, then scrape off the coating from the wire using the blunt side of the scissors. Then sand and polish the wire.

Make a triple loop in the middle: pull the wire ends around crochet hook or round nose pliers so that they are parallel with each other. Make three turns. This will be the hinged end of the brooch pin.

Bend one end of the wire 90 degrees and make a loop to avoid sharp edges. Cut off excess wire. Bend the loop formed to form the catch section of the pin.

At the other end of the wire cut the longer length to be slightly longer than the catch section of the pin. File the end.

Cut a piece of thick wire about 2-2.5 inches long.

Bend wire around the accordion-folded middle of the plastic tree.

Bend the ends of the wire around the brooch pin on the back.

Cut off excess wire and hide the ends between the pin and the plastic.