Archive for the ‘sew it’ Category

Just in time for late summer and my favorite fall picnics, it’s the Squares and Stripes Picnic Quilt pattern.

A checkerboard made of easy nine patches make this a speedy quilt to make.

And to “channel” all that checkerboard energy is four vibrant strips.

We’ve chosen a lightweight very dark denim to back our quilt.

Because any quilt that spends it’s time on the ground should have a backing that hides stains and is durable.

Now you can purchase the Squares and Stripes Pattern, just click the Buy Now button below.  Checkout securely using PayPal. Once your purchase is complete your .pdf pattern will be emailed to you for immediate download.

$8

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Far and away, the most useful flower in my garden is lavender.  I use it for a number of different projects including Lavender Eye Pillows, Lavender Bottles and Sachets.  I love they way it smells… clean and not too sweet.

Lavender sachets are not just for my lingerie drawer.  A sachet is wonderful in a linen drawer, or even in a desk drawer.  Your stationary will take on the slight scent of lavender.

If you don’t want or have time to sew, a sachet can be made from a lace handkerchief.  Put the lavender in the center of the handkerchief, pull the corners up to the center and tie a ribbon around the bundle.

If you have a small amount of fabric and a couple minutes, it’s easy to sew a sachet bag.  My favorite kind of sachet are ribbon closed bags, because it’s easy to open the bag and refresh the scent by adding a few drops of essential oil.  Or when it gets too old, it’s easy to replace the lavender altogether.

Here’s how to make sachet:

To dry lavender from your garden, cut the stems on a dry morning.  I place rubber band around the base of the stems, then tie a piece of twine in a slip knot around that.  I hang them in a cool dry place (my basement) for several weeks.  Once dry, they are ready to use.

The quickest way I’ve found to remove lavender from stems is to lay the dried lavender on a clean dishtowel.

Fold up the towel and roll it with a rolling pin.

Unroll the towel and discard the stems.  This method doesn’t remove every flower from the stems, but it’s fast and does a good job.  Shake the flowers from the towel into a bowl.

For a sachet, I prefer fabric with 100% natural fibers, such as cotton, linen or silk.  I’ve even cut up old linen bedding for sachets.  (Even when the bedding has some holes, it’s easy to find enough good fabric to make many sachets.

Cut a piece of fabric 11″ x 8″.

Fold the fabric in half lengthwise, right sides together.

Using a 1/2 inch seam, stitch along the long side and bottom of the folded fabric.

Fold the top of the fabric down a little more than halfway.  There will be no need to stitch the fold into place, as it will be tucked down inside the bag.  This method makes the top of the sachet very clean.  I’ve made them before with a hem at the top and it looks messy, this method is much better.

Press the top of the fold.

Turn the bag right side out, using a chopstick to make the corners crisp.  Fill with about 3/4 cup of lavender.  You can also substitute other herbs or spices that you love such as: cloves, lemon peel, cedar shavings, or cinnamon sticks that have been crushed.

Tie the top of your sachet with ribbon.

It’s ready for the drawer.  If it stops smelling as strongly, I give it a squeeze, which releases some of the oils.  A lavender sachet in a drawer will last for at least a couple of years…. sometimes longer.

Sachets are a great way to use up your supply of lavender from the garden.  And if, like me, you have a copious amounts of lavender, sew extra sachets and put them away for last minute gifts.