The Giant Beaded Cicada Brooch

The cicada is one of the oldest symbols in East Asian craft — it represents transformation, patience, and the moment a long-hidden thing finally breaks through the soil and sings. For this brooch, I wanted to capture that strange summer beauty: a creature armored in black felt and rhinestones, with wings so fine they look like they might still be drying from the molt.

Style — Dramatic, gothic-glam, summer farewell piece
Best on — Long black wool coat, leather jacket, structured blazer, qipao collar
Size — Hand-sized (about 9–10 cm tip-to-tip)
Skill level — Intermediate to advanced
Time — 1 weekend of focused work
Symbolism — Transformation, patience, summer's last voice

Gather your beads, your threads, and a little patience — the cicada knows a thing or two about patience. Every material needs to be the right shade of black, blue, or silver.

Black wool felt (thick) — Body base
Black embroidery floss (2–3 skeins) — Body stitching
Midnight-blue metallic thread — Wing filigree
Silver metallic thread on bobbin — Wing veins, antennae
Faceted black rhinestones (assorted sizes) — Thorax decoration
Black seed beads — Wing scales, leg beading
Black bugle beads — Leg structure
Tiny silver jump rings — Leg joints
Silver head pins (2) — Antennae
Stiff sheer fabric (organza or tulle) — Wing base
Brooch pin back — Closure
Glue (E6000 or fabric glue) — Reinforcement

Step 01 — A pen sketch on white paper showing the cicada's wide head with two antennae, two pairs of overlapping wings, and a tapered segmented body

Start with a simple sketch on plain paper. A cicada's silhouette is unmistakable: a broad head, two prominent eyes, a tapering three-segment body, and — importantly — two pairs of wings (the larger forewings overlap the smaller hindwings). Don't skip the second pair of wings; that's what separates a cicada from a fly.

Step 02 — Skeins of embroidery floss in black and midnight-blue, alongside two silver metallic thread bobbins

Lay out your threads before you start. For the body I use matte black floss; for the wings I switch to midnight-blue metallic to suggest that iridescent sheen real cicada wings have in sunlight; for the antennae and wing veins I reach for the silver bobbins. Having the right thread in hand at the right moment is half the work.

Step 03 — A black felt cicada body with a large faceted black rhinestone placed at the thorax, surrounded by smaller black seed beads

Cut the cicada's body from thick black felt — a broad head with two bulbous eyes, a sturdy thorax, and a tapered segmented abdomen. Glue a front and back piece together around the edges, leaving a small opening to stuff later. On the front piece, place your largest rhinestone at the thorax — the part of a cicada where the wings attach. Surround it with smaller black beads in a halo.

Step 04 — Close-up of the felt body, now fully encrusted with black rhinestones and seed beads, taking on a sculpted three-dimensional form

Keep layering rhinestones and seed beads down the abdomen, gradually decreasing in size to echo the cicada's natural taper. Add a thin ring of black bugle beads around the outer edge — this hides the felt edge and gives the body a finished, armored contour. The head should feel heaviest — that's where a cicada carries its presence.

Step 05 — Six identical beaded legs resting in the palm of a hand, each made of black seed beads strung on wire, ending in tiny silver jump rings

This is the most meditative step. Cut six equal lengths of thin wire (about 5 cm each). String black seed beads onto each piece, then attach a tiny silver jump ring at one end — this is the "foot" joint. Bend each leg into a gentle L-shape. Real cicadas carry their legs forward, almost like they're reaching for the next branch — try to capture that gesture.

Step 06 — The completed cicada brooch resting on a hand, shown from a slight side angle: black encrusted body, midnight-blue wings fanning out, two silver antennae pointing up, six beaded legs draping forward

Now assemble everything. Stitch the two pairs of wings onto the back of the thorax first — forewings on top, hindwings peeking out beneath. Then attach the six legs into the underside of the thorax. Add the two head pins as antennae, inserting them between the eyes. Finally glue the brooch pin back onto the reverse side.

Step 07 — The completed cicada brooch held between fingers, showing the full spread of midnight-blue filigree wings, the towering rhinestone thorax, and the six articulated legs reaching forward

From the front, the brooch reads like a cicada caught mid-song. The wings fan out almost twice as wide as the body. The black rhinestone thorax catches every angle of light. The beaded legs reach forward, as if the next branch is just out of frame.

Step 08 — The brooch tilted upward, revealing the underside: the soft gray felt belly, the silver pin back, and the six beaded legs splaying outward like spokes

From underneath, you can see the soft gray felt belly, the silver brooch pin, and how the legs splay outward like spokes of a tiny wheel. The reverse side is just as important as the front — it's what sits against your coat. A cicada spent years underground before it ever saw the sun; the underside of this brooch carries the same quiet care.

In Chinese poetry, the cicada is the insect of late summer — it sings the loudest just before the season turns. Wear this brooch the way you would wear a piece of armor, but also the way you would carry a memory: pin it to the lapel of a black coat as August fades, to the collar of a leather jacket on the first cool night, or to the front of a structured blazer when you want to feel like the kind of person who has waited a long time for something and is finally ready to say it out loud.

Happy stitching — sing loudly.

The Giant Beaded Cicada Brooch — A Summer Farewell in Black and Blue

The Giant Beaded Cicada Brooch