Lavender Pillow/Bag Tutorial

Okay, so this is something which probably doesn't need a tutorial, but I was making some today and thought I would share one anyway. They're a great stocking stuffer or complimentary gift and are great for beginners to sew. Plus, they make everything smell pretty, and that's always a bonus! :)

You will need:

• Dried lavender 
• Scraps of fabric
• Embellishments (optional)
• sewing machine and basic sewing notions.

Method:

1. Cut your scraps of fabric into small strips or squares of fabric, depending on how big you would like your lavender bags or pillows to be.
2. Embellish your fabric if you wish to do so. I find it easiest to embellish first because then you are working with a flat, single layer piece of fabric, rather than a sewn up bag or pillow. You can either machine stitch or hand stitch your embellishments on - I tend to do a combination of both.
3. Fold your strips in half right sides together and sew up each side to make your bags and hem the top. If you are doing lavender pillows, place two matching squares right sides together and sew around three edges to make your pillow, leaving one edge open for stuffing. I like to use my overlocker to sew projects like this because it is quick and easy, and makes a nice, neat edge which wont fray. If you don't have an overlocker, that's fine though - you might just want to zig-zag stitch next to your straight stitch to stop the edges of your bag or pillow fraying, and you can double fold the hem of your bags.
4. Turn your pillows and bags the right side out. To get the corners to look nice, poke a knitting needle or pencil into them to push them out.Stuff pillows with dried lavender and seal the opening by slip stitching. If you are making bags, simply half fill each bag with dried lavender and tie a ribbon around the top to secure.

Now you're done! Wasn't that easy? 

If you're wondering where you can get dried lavender, it can be bought from some health food stores and craft stores or you can dry out the dying lavender buds off a bush in your garden! I used a mixture of store bought and home grown lavender today, both of which were given to me by my Nan. Dried lavender from the store looks much more consistent and is more grainy than lavender grown at home. That is why I mixed mine together - I didn't want some pillows to be grainy and others to be nice and fluffy! I think my bags and pillows turned out great!