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‘tiny happy’ was a journal of my handmade life from 2006-2025.

four-leaved

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We never can seem to find four-leaved clovers, I wonder if they really exist?

What we do find is the commonplace three-leaved clover though, all over the garden and in parks and along the sea's edge.

I was asked by a customer whether I could made some brooches with the clover embroidered design worked on linen, rather than felt. I love the idea but admit defeat- my linen was just not smooth enough around the edges for me to be happy with it. And my fingers were nearly stuck together with superglue in the process. So the new brooches might have to just live on my crinkly linen top for a while.

I hope you have a lucky week, no matter what you're up to.

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23 responses to “four-leaved”

  1. Hannah Avatar
    Hannah

    I have never found a four leaf.
    Why not stitch around, right sides together and then turn the right way out? I did some brooches like this with linen, and as long as you circle is a circle shape, the edges are quite neat.

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  2. Sarah Avatar
    Sarah

    They really do exist – I’ve got an old history book of my mum’s which has a big dried one pressed in the middle, to keep it safe n dry. Always amazed me as a kid, still does every time I open the book.

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  3. Nicole Avatar
    Nicole

    I found one once quite by mistake when I was very little, maybe four or five. I still haven’t forgotten how exciting it was.
    That little pouch is absolutely darling. I would keep a pretty compact of blush in it and feel happy every time I had to use the mirror.

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  4. Tomascita Avatar
    Tomascita

    My daughter has found 4-leaved clovers where-ever she goes since she has been a little girl of about 3. She just spots them and picks them.She must have found over 100.
    And yes she is a bit special.

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  5. rosa Avatar
    rosa

    My mum finds four leaf clovers quite a lot and my oldest daughter too. Some people have the eye. Special could be a word to describe them, ha ha.

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  6. Ummrania Avatar
    Ummrania

    I used to sit in the clover and search and find them all the time, I still like to, I definetely dont believe they make you lucky, but its just fun to find something a little different

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  7. maryanne Avatar
    maryanne

    My daughter’s friend has a garden where four leaf clovers are plentiful. Every time my daughter comes home from there she has one with her. It feels kind of magical because I’ve so rarely come across them at all before.

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  8. Annika Avatar
    Annika

    I love your idea of displaying flowers on the wall with tape!

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  9. Laura Avatar
    Laura

    I found a 4-leaf clover when I was 12, after only a week of looking. Its in my bible I think.
    Re -the linen clover brooch conundrum – Wasn’t sure if you hand pinch pleated them onto the shape to stitch them together. Not to bring up the sucking of eggs with such an experienced sewist, but . . . Did you run a gathering thread (either hand or machine, about 0.5cm outside the shape of the backing) around the linen? Then draw it up, like covering a button. Perhaps that will help you get a smoother rounding on the shape.

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  10. Carol Avatar
    Carol

    Yes, they certainly do (or did) exist. I can remember searching for, and finding, them as a child.
    Crol xx

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  11. Ellen Avatar
    Ellen

    Oh yes, they do exist! We’ve found only a few (many years ago when I remembered to search). Sorry about the linen woes. What if you left the edges raw for the brooch with a piece of felt beneath it and just sew ’round so that you see the raw edges? (Maybe wash the linen piece first to get a natural raw edge and clip where necessary then embroider and sew together?) Just an idea.

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  12. Sandy Avatar
    Sandy

    I have found them…5 leaf clovers too!
    I haven’t really looked since living here though. that was in Maine in America
    Sandy in the UK

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  13. Heather Avatar
    Heather

    I found a whole patch of four leafed clovers once and as I was giggling at my good fortune and greedily picking them, my legs started burning and stinging – horrible pain. I looked down and my legs were covered with fire ants! I now believe that three leafed clovers are better luck!

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  14. Melbourne Road Avatar
    Melbourne Road

    what beautiful handiwork Melissa :o)
    I think I found a four-leaf clover once as a young girl…but it may be my imagination. haha
    Lori

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  15. dee Avatar
    dee

    Not sure if this helps but I found a good tip for turning under fabric in a curve from Anna Maria Horner (in her book ‘Seams to Me’)She places a circle of cardboard under a circle of fabric cut slightly larger then turns the fabric over the cardbard shape with tinfoil then presses with an iron. Produces a perfect curved with edges pressed under. Never would have though of that myself- wonder if it would work for this project?..I quite like the wobbly edges though actually!

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  16. Nicola Avatar
    Nicola

    Four leaved clovers do exist. There used to be a patch of them on a lane where I lived as a child. Every year they would come up and you could guarantee finding at least one every time you looked. Unfortunately at some point over the years some clever soul weed killed that verge and they are now gone and lost forever. But somewhere in my mums house hidden in thick books are hosts and hosts of them dried out and safe waiting to be found.

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  17. aqeela Avatar
    aqeela

    I love clover so much and remember it fondly from my childhood. We have a very small amount in our garden in the warmer months (its winter here in England) and i cant wait to see it again. We have white and purple clover here, do you?
    Aqeela xx

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  18. Emily Avatar
    Emily

    I’ve never seen a four-leaf clover. Maybe we should give more kudos to the three-leaf ones :))

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  19. Jacqui Avatar
    Jacqui

    From memory four leaves is just a less-common variation of the more usual three-leaved ones, so if you find some remember where and as long as that plant is alive then it should keep on producing them – and it will probably have a few four-leaved relations nearby too. I know I’ve found them before, though it’s a bit hit and miss.

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  20. louana Avatar
    louana

    keep looking1 I found one in form 1 on our school field, I still have it (ok no surprises there)I couldn’t believe my luck and never found one again. But I don’t think I’ve been looking that hard.
    How about stitching the linen onto the felt, but leaving a raw edge that might fray (and look beautiful)over time??

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  21. Margaret Oomen Avatar
    Margaret Oomen

    i found one a few years ago and gave it to my mom when she was diagnosed with colon cancer. She kept it in her favorite book and showed it to everyone who visited her. She lived almost a year and a half longer than the doctors had predicted. Lucky for all of her children, grand children and great grandchildren.

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  22. Rachelle Avatar
    Rachelle

    That is amazing! I can’t see them either. I think I found one when I was a kid, but that was a long time ago, so maybe I’m just hoping I did. x

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  23. charlotte Avatar
    charlotte

    Astrid still has the lovely clover linen bag from you. And the clover purse is our nanny-purse!!!

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