Easy how-to on DIY pillows

Hello Rushing for Bagels readers! I'm Tabetha from The Closet Intellectual & I am so excited to be guest posting this week.  When Charlene suggested I do a how-to post I knew just what I wanted to share-- & I've got a giveaway for you too {who doesn't love goodies after all??}.   I want to show you how to make a personalized sachet.  I made them for a party we had over the holidays-- we gave them to our guests as party favors & they were a real hit.   Okay, on to the supply list~* You'll need some solid color muslin or linen {I picked up a few yards of natural muslin},  fabric for the back of the sachet {you can use the muslin too, I just like the way using a patterned fabric looks}, coordinating embroidery floss, scissors, craft/embroidery needles, an embroidery hoop, some polyfil stuffing & some dried lavender or other sachet filler.  Supplies are available on Amazon {I've included some links}, or any craft/fabric/super store.  You can sew the sachet by hand or with a machine, no worries~*   

After you put the muslin in the embroidery hoop, its time to create your pattern.  Again, super easy.  Some folks suggest using a water soluble pencil for this next part, but I've found a regular pencil to work just fine-- the thread covers up the pencil marks. For party favors I simply wrote the first letter of each guest's first name.  For this how-to, I wrote a whole phrase.

If you have the time, the help & a reasonably sized guest list, this would be an adorable wedding favor {just imagine it with your names & the date, or a pertinent line from your vows...too sweet}. Anyway. I taught myself some basic stitches using this great site {say what you want about Martha Stewart, the woman knows her crafts}.  I found that using the chain stitch on the straight lines, the stem stitch when the lines curve & the satin stitch to fill in details {like the heart in my design} work just wonderfully & both are very simple. Embroidery floss comes 6-stranded, but 3 strands is much easier to work with.  Splitting the thread is simple-- just fan out the threads 3 on one side, 3 on the other, and gently pull.

Thread the needle, leaving a "tail" 3-4 inches long.  You don't have to knot the end, but you can if you like!  Now put on a good movie, or a TV series you want to catch up on & start sewing~*

Once you've gotten it embroidered, remove the muslin from the hoop & gently press it flat.  I decided to add a ribbon before sewing the sachet, so that I can hang it on a hanger in my closet.

Obvious statement: make sure you leave an opening on the bottom so that you can turn the sachet outside right & add the lavender & stuffing!

Add pinches of lavender mixed with the polyfil-- a little lavender actually goes a long way!  When it is stuffed to your satisfaction, sew it closed using the blanket stitch {also available on the site I included for the embroidery stitches}.

And voila!  You have a sachet!

Now for the giveaway! I'm offering one lucky winner the choice of either a large size {aproximately 8x8 inches} lavender sachet with a short phrase of your choice OR 3 small sachets {aproximately 4x4 inches} with a single letter on each!

I'll even try to match your preferred colors for the embroidery!

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Thanks for reading Rushing for Bagels friends & good luck on the giveaway!!