I read a interesting book by Madeleine Albright called “Read My Pins.”  She relays fascinating stories from her collection of brooches with a diplomatic twist. Her collection of pins are beautiful and each one is filled with meaning. I too have a collection of pins and after reading this book decided to display my pins rather leave them hiding in my jewelry case.

Here is the finished pin display.

You will need:

• Open picture frame – size, color, and style of your choice. (I picked a 16” x 20” frame.) If your frame does not come with mounting hardware you’ll need this to mount it to the wall.
• MDF board (or plywood, particle board, or something similar) cut to fit the frame size you purchased. (This will be the back of the display board.)
• Fabric of your choice to cover the board with an added 3” to all four sides. (Example: my board is 16” x 20” so I got material that measured 22” x 26”.)
• Staple gun and 1/4” staples and 1/2” staples.
• Batting or polyfill to use as stuffing.
• Scissors.

First, place your batting on the MDF board. Cover the board between 1” to 1-1/2” thick.

Second, place your fabric on top of the batting. Turn the board, batting, and fabric over. Pull taut on the back side. Using 1/4” staples, staple one side, then the opposite, pulling the fabric tight as you staple. Staple the other two sides pulling the fabric evenly taut. Trim the excess fabric away from the frame with scissors.

Third, put the stuffed board in frame. Then staple 1/2” staples every 4” around the frame at a slight angle so that the staples protrude about 1/4”. These will hold the MDF board in place.

Fourth, place you prize pin collection in the batting and hang the frame and pins on a wall.

Initially, I covered my MDF board in a solid white fabric because I wanted my pins to be prominently showcased. When I was done the pins looked washed out. So, I covered the white fabric with a black fabric. (It seems jewelers already know this trick.) I was very pleased with the results.

Now my pins have a new home, and I have them displayed proudly.

The oldest pin I own, I received as a gift was when I was nine and wore it for my 4th grade school picture.  

Many of my brooches have a story of their own. Some I received as gifts from grandmothers and friends. Others I found while on vacation or looking at antique stores; these were vintage finds. I even have different holiday pins. Mine don’t have a diplomatic meaning but, they do have sentimental meaning to me.

Do you have any special pins? Why are they special?