Lavender Sachets and Pincushions

I've been making lavender sachets; this is one of the projects I promised to show you that requires baker's twine.  Two readers have told me that after seeing my post about baker's twine, they placed orders from Talking Twine and Trim--the etsy store where I got mine.  That's awesome, fiddlegirl8 and Lime Riot--I hope you like yours as much as I like mine!


I made these lavender sachets for two reasons:  first, I was trying to come up with new heart-shaped things for my other blog, 365 Sewn Hearts (I need a heart for every day of this year!); and I need stock for my little booth in a local shop.  This project was so perfect for both!  I've made lavender sachets before, but in a different style, so it was nice to make something new.  I had lavender on hand, so I jumped right in!


Sixteen lavender sachets:

The picture below shows how I started.  I printed out words and phrases on the computer, then traced them onto white fabric using my light box and a micron marker. I have an assortment of the micron pens, each with a different sized writing tip, so for different projects I can use whatever size works best with the font size I've chosen for my letters.

I cut out a bunch of hearts from various fabrics, and ironed interfacing onto the back of each to give the finished heart a more "solid" feel.  Then I cut out the words and phrases, and machine sewed them to the front of each heart.  I took all the hearts to my sewing chair in the family room and watched TV while I hand-sewed a running stitch with embroidery thread around the edge of each phrase, using the machine stitching as my guide.  (I always try to have some kind of handwork ready near my sewing chair--I don't like to watch TV without it!)

Then I chose two buttons to accent the front of each heart, and sewed those on.

Back at the sewing machine, I sewed the heart fronts to matching backs, stopping at the top to add two 12" lengths of baker's twine.  Then I turned them right-side-out, stuffed them with lavender, and sewed the openings shut. 

I packaged each heart in a ziplock baggie with my business card, and put them in a basket to take to Country Treasures.

I thought I had an endless supply of lavender in my closet, so I was surprised when it ran out before I had finished filling all the hearts!  I decided to turn the remaining hearts into pincushions.  To keep pins from poking through the back, I cut plastic food-container lids into heart shapes and put them inside the hearts before filling them with polyester fiberfill. 

The front and back of un-stuffed pincushions:

Eleven pincushions, all finished!

This is my favorite one, because I love the the print and colors of this fabric.  I think I will keep this for myself!

A Little More Lavender

Well, I sent the lavender cat from the previous post to my friend Susan; it happened to arrive on a day when she was suffering from a migraine, and it managed to cheer her up (which is no small accomplishment at a time like that).  It's wonderful when something I make gets a great reception!  Her daughter liked it too, so, being a good mom, Susan gave it to her...and then asked me to make her another one...which I did today!  As long as I was making one, I went ahead and made two:  one just like the first one, and one in a different fleece fabric:

And, since I had the lavender out, I went ahead and finished this sachet that I started last month.  It's for my mother; her birthday is in February, and she dislikes the shorter, darker days of winter.  This seems like the perfect sentiment for her:

This sachet is made of all cotton fabrics and the details are hand-embroidered (except the words, which are written in ink).  It is filled with dried lavender buds (just like the cats). 

We haven't had much of a winter yet, here in Virginia, but being engulfed by the scent of lavender today has made it feel like spring!

If You're Lavender and You Know It...

If you have read this blog very much, you will know that I mention Susan quite often; she is kind of a cross between a crafting muse and a mascot.  I putter around all day, alternating between my sewing room and computer, and she regularly e-mails great ideas my way--links to cool projects, pictures of things that might make a good swap on Craftster, or just crafty ideas that have occurred to her.  She constantly inspires me and challenges me. 

Here is one example:  Susan likes to take a lavender sachet with her when she travels (which she does several times a year), and I made one for her last year.  It was my standard "pillow"-type sachet, like this:

Once I get something perfected, I get stuck doing the same thing over and over--so this is the only kind of sachet I have made in quite a while.  But Susan is a thinker.  She suggested I combine a stuffed plush toy (something we both love and enjoy making) with a sachet; that way a busy traveller could enjoy the calming scent of lavender AND the comforting presence of a little animal friend.  Brilliant!  Introducing:  Lavender Cat!

Lavender Cat taking a walk

Lavender Cat taking a nap

This stuffie is 5" tall and is made from fleece.  The face is hand-embroidered, and he has a button heart.  He is entirely stuffed full of lavender buds I ordered from Prairie Lavender Farm.

Thanks, Susan, for being a constant source of inspiration; but even more, for being my friend.