Tuesday 26 November 2013

DIY Lavender Sachet using Vintage Style Fabric Tutorial - Peek-A-Boo Heart

DIY Lavender Sachet/Pincushion Tutorial with Peek-a-Boo Pink Heart



This little lavender sachet is the same as making a pincushion, I have just added a hanging ribbon.

My finished sachet is a square, measuring 3 inches by 3 inches (7.6 x 7.6cm).

To make the lavender sachet you will need
* 2 fabric squares for the outer measuring 3.5 x 3.5 inches (I used a thick brown linen fabric)
* 2 fusible interfacing squares measuring 3.5 x 3.5 inches (I used light interfacing as my outer fabric was think)
* 1 square measuring 3 inches x 3 inches for the heart (I used pink polka dot 100% cotton)
* 1 square fusible interfacing measuring 3 inches x 3 inches (I used medium Interfacing)
* ribbon to hang (I used thin satin 7 inches long)
* soft toy stuffing- or scraps of quilt wadding
* paper/cardboard to draw and cut out the heart shape



1) Start by ironing the interfacing on the wrong side of your fabrics, following the manufacturer's instructions

2) Lay one of your squares of the outer fabric wrong side up and position straight on your work surface. This will be the font, where you will have the peek-a-boo heart.

3) Freehand or using a template, draw a heart and cut it out in paper/cardboard. My heart template measures 2.5 inches wide by 2 inches high.

4) Place the heart cut out in the centre of you outer fabric square. Make sure the opposite borders top and bottom and left and right are perfectly equal.
5) Draw around the shape with a marker. In this picture, I used an oblong of fabric instead of a square, hence the extra fabric on the left side.

You should have something like this:

6) Now you need to draw another heart, inside the first one aprox 1/4 inch apart. I did this free hand.


7) Go to the sewing machine and select a thread to match your outer fabric. Using a narrow stitch (I used 2.0) sew on the line of the outer heart.



8) Fold your square in half using a vertical fold and cut out the smaller heart inside. I also like to draw my stitching lines for later at this stage, leaving a 1/4 inch allowance all round.

Now carefully start to snip from the middle to the line you stitched around the heart. Careful not to cut the thread, make small cuts 1/8 inch apart. When you get to the top of the heart, carefully snip the flap close to the stitch line, to reduce bulk


9) Go to the ironing board and set the iron to no steam setting. We need to turn those little flaps in, to create the peek-a-boo shape. If you do not like your fingers close to the iron, use a stick to help you push the flaps back- I swear by barbeque skewers.


Work slowly really pushing those flaps down.

Once you are done, set the iron back on steam, turn the fabric over and press well front and back.

10) Back to the working table, place your inside fabric (pink) right side up and square the outer fabric with the heart shape on top. If necessary pin at the back first.



and then pin all around at the front


11) Sew around the heart on the outer fabric, as close to the edge as you can get.

 This is what it will look like on the reverse

My stitches were a bit "square" so I went ahead and stitched around a second time, giving it a more rustic look.
 ...and from the back.

12) Time to assemble the sachet!
If you are adding a hanging loop, attach your ribbon now at the centre of the right side, above the heart. I find these re-usable page markers very handy for this job.



13) Now place you other square so that both are right sides together and pin all round. Leave a 2 inch gap with no sewing for turning at the bottom. I write it on to remind myself. Sew all round using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.


14) Clip the corners without cutting the stitches




15) Time to turn. Reach into your little pouch via the gap and find the ribbon. Pull at it as gently to help you turn the sachet.




Use a blunt tool to push out the corners

16) Back to the ironing board, give the sachet a final press. Pay attention to the opening at the bottom, line up the fabrics nicely and press a crease to help you sew later.


17) Stuffing Time! Add your stuffing, dried lavender or drops of essential oil, pushing gently to fill all corners. Add a little at a time to avoid lumps.


If you are making this as a pin cushion, add more stuffing!

18) Hand sew the opening closed in matching thread.


19) Finished!!!  There you have it. your very own lavender sachet-pincushion.


Would love to hear your comments and see any sachets you make using this tutorial. Just pin your project on Pintrest and add your link in the comments.

If you would like to buy these, they are available in my etsy shop Lavender Sachets

4 comments:

  1. Great lavender sachets! I bet they would make great Christmas presents!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very pretty! An ideal gift. And I must explore your other tutorials too! Dropping by from Brit sewing Thursday Linky.

    ReplyDelete
  3. it's a nice tutorial, I love how you included some good hint!
    Thanks for sharing and for the follow on G+: I follow back there and on Pinterest as well :)
    MammaNene @ SergerPepper.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank for your kind words. It was a bit scary doing my first tutorial but so much fun!

    ReplyDelete

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