Lavender Bag

If you're looking for the perfect homemade gift but don't have much time to spare, this lovely lavender bag from Sewing Stashbusters is the project for you. With only a few simple steps and clear illustrations to guide you, both beginners and experienced sewers will be able to make this small scented bag in no time at all. And the best thing is that you won't need to buy new fabric to make it - just choose a few of your favourite scraps!

You will need

Two scraps of fabric, each the size you want the lavender bag to be; mine was about 10 x 8cm

Piece of ribbon or tape about 10cm long

Dried lavender

Decorative button and plain button

Fabric scissors

Iron and ironing board

Pins

Sewing threads to match fabrics

Sewing machine

Hand-sewing needle

To make the lavender bags 

1. Place the fabrics right sides together and cut out the shape you want your bag to be, remembering to cut it about 1cm larger all around to allow for seam allowances. If you prefer, you can make a paper template and draw around that.

2. Fold the tape in half, overlapping the ends so that the right side of one end lies on top of the wrong side of the other end. Pin the folded tape to the right side of the front of the bag, matching the raw ends to the top edge.

3. 
   Lay the other piece of fabric right side down on top of the first piece, with the tape in between. Taking a 1cm seam allowance, sew around the edges, leaving a small gap in one side. Cut notches in the seam allowances around any curves.

4. Turn the bag right side out through the gap and press it flat. Fill the bag with dried lavender, then ladder stitch the gap closed.

5. Thread the hand-sewing needle with a long length of thread, double it, and knot the ends. From the back, take the needle right through the bag, then thread on the decorative button. Go back down through the other hole in the button and right through to the back of the bag, then thread on the plain button. Pull the thread tight. Go back and forth through both buttons a few times, then secure the thread by looping and knotting it under the button on the back.

This project is from Sewing Stashbusters by Kate Haxwell. To get more free projects like this one - direct to your inbox - sign up to our mailing list here.