Gingham Lavender Bags

I have to be honest, I love making lavender bags. They are such a simple thing and yet such a pleasure to make. I find the wonderful aroma of the lavender wafting around the room really therapeutic.

If you have visited my online shop, you will no doubt have seen the array of lavender bags I have made from vintage tablecloths etc. Whilst I really like those and will continue to make them, I realised it was time to explore something a bit different in style. Gingham fabrics seemed really obvious so I wasn't sure about the idea to start with. I didn't want to follow the crowd as I like my products to be a bit more quirky. I realised that there must be a market for gingham products though or else you wouldn't see them everywhere you look!

A quick jaunt to the local charity shops gave me some fabulous gingham fabrics to use. I found a really lovely deep red gingham men's shirt which soon got the sharp end of my scissors. Like a lot of crafters I have a huge tin of buttons, most of which are vintage. I also have a large bag of mother of pearl buttons that once adorned a handbag I found in a charity shop. Add to that my bag of ribbons saved from chocolate boxes and bath product gift boxes etc, I had plenty of bits and bobs to use as decoration.

I am quite pleased with the first bags I have made, the possibilities in colour, shape and decoration are endless. Add to that the variety of fancy stitching my sewing machine can do, I will have hours of fun making more lavender bags. I just need to sell some to prevent a stockpile though, they make great gifts and Christmas is coming ...... !

Rose Petal Scent Bags

I have just finished the rose petal scent bags I started a little while ago. The fabric was a set of six embroidered place mats with the flowers embroidered on one edge only. As they were embroidered with roses it seemed obvious to turn them into scent bags filled with rose petals. It is a shame there was only six as it has limited the number of bags I could make.

I think they are really pretty and smell gorgeous. I did have a slight issue with the rose petals I bought as they did not smell that strong. I added a generous amount of Rose Absolute essential oil to the petals to enhance the scent which has worked really well.

If you want to find out for yourself, you will have to buy one!

From Table to Drawer

I picked up a very pretty vintage tablecloth recently in a mixed lot of linens from an auction that was hand embroidered with posies of flowers. The cloth dated from around the 1940's and whilst very pretty, it wasn't something that I would really use. If I had resold it, the cloth would have only made a few pounds, if that.

Having looked at it for a while, pondering what to do, I suddenly realised that I could cut out squares of fabric with the embroidered flowers and turn them into lavender bags. I cut out matching plain squares for the backs of the bags and used a scallop stitch on the edges, trimming the fabric to accent the stitching afterwards.

I have to admit, that I really enjoy making lavender bags. They are really simple to make, so don't require a great deal of thought and you get to enjoy the wonderful aroma of French lavender at the same time. The only problem was that I was so relaxed I completely forgot to put the lavender in one of them!

The finished bags are perfect for placing in drawers and airing cupboards to make your clothing smell lovely. You can also pop one into your pillowcase to help you drift off to sleep.