Have you ever used lavender? It’s known for being an anti-septic, an anti-viral, and relaxing essence that is also kind to the skin. Last year a friend sent me a packet of lavender seeds to plant, as well as some dried lavender when I was going through a period of not sleeping very well. We planted the seeds this year, but with all of our crazy yard-work, I fear they were planted too late and it isn’t coming up; in fact, there is no sign of it. We’re still hopeful; one never knows how Mother Nature works. If it doesn’t make an appearance before the cold, wet weather of winter sets in we’ll have to purchase some more seed and start again in the spring.
I thought it was such a sweet gesture from my pen-pal to send this unexpected gift to me that I wanted to thank her in some way. So what better way is there than to share a piece of the UK with her that contains her own lavender?
These little lovely lavender-scented hearts are cute and so easy to make. The supplies are minimal, and the time is short. Just the perfect thing for me!
I’ve had a couple of small squares of Scottish tartan I bought in Edinburgh several years ago pre-marriage and kids. I haven’t yet got around to doing with it what I had in mind at the time, but it works just perfect for these little beauties. I made a heart-shaped template on a piece of paper and then pinned it to the tartan and coordinating felt. I cut the fabrics out using my grandma’s pinking shears to give a nicer edge effect.
I began doing a simple straight stitch around the edge of the hearts while they were pinned together (but after the template had been removed) to ensure that they stayed even at the edges. I used some embroidery floss for this and I decided to use a colour that would show up against the tartan to add a little interest.
When I came to the top of the heart, I inserted a little piece of ribbon between the tartan and felt pieces and stitched them into place. I left a space open at the bottom of the heart and used this opening to push in some polyester stuffing until it was nice and puffy. Then I added a little scoop of dried lavender into the hole, followed by just a little more stuffing to help hold it in and stitched the heart closed.
I like the simple look of this heart, but you can certainly add your own embellishments to the front or back of the heart either before or after you sew the pieces together. A hand-stitched initial, a button, or some beads would look great. Although I’ve made the ones shown here, Tristan has been sewing since he was 3 and is quite competent in making these. In fact, he likes to tell me that he’s better at sewing than me because he doesn’t prick his finger!
These little lavender tartan hearts can be used to freshen up an underwear drawer, make a pretty Christmas tree ornament, or hang on a doorknob or near (but not within reach) of a child’s bed for some soothing night time relaxation to help them drift off into sleepy slumber.
Does the scent of lavender work for you? There was a time I REALLY didn’t like the scent, but it has been growing on me and these bags are just lightly scented by choice, so they work well for me. What is your favourite go-to-sleep-solution?
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