Embroidered Pine Balsam Sachet

I don't know much about aromatherapy, but I do know that the scent of pine makes me feel cozy and calm. I've been making pine balsam sachets for Christmas gifts and decided to make this little one for myself. It's really small--just 3" by 3¾"--but it smells like a big pine forest.

The first step in making the sachet is the embroidery. You can follow the chart below as a guide and choose the shades of green floss you like. I used 18-count antique white Aida and two strands of DMC embroidery floss in Dark Fern Green (520), Fern Green (522), and Light Blue Green (3813). The design is worked in straight stitches, and I think the trees look best if you work the trunks first and then add the branches. To layer the trees as they are in the picture, work the tall trees first, the small trees second, and the medium trees last. When the embroidery is finished, trim the fabric, leaving five rows of Aida around the design.

Pine Forest Sachet Chart     ©2014 Kathleen Berlew

Now it's time to make the pillow. Cut two rectangles of felt and use sewing thread or a single strand of floss to sew the embroidery piece to the center of one of them. Use the Aida grid as a guide and stitch two rows in from the outer edge. Be sure to sew through the Aida threads and not just the holes so the fabric doesn't unravel when you create the fringe.

And that's the next step. When the embroidery is stitched securely to the felt, gently pull away the outer row of Aida threads on all four sides. This creates a pretty fringed border around the design.

Assembling the sachet is the easiest part of the project. Pin the two felt pieces together, wrong sides facing, and sew them together. I used blanket stitch, but running stitch will work too. Leave an opening at the bottom, fill the sachet with pine balsam, and stitch the opening closed.

That's it! Your little pine balsam sachet is finished. I think I'm going to keep mine on my nightstand to inspire sweet wintertime dreams.

Tiny Tree Pins

I made a forest of these tiny felt tree pins last Christmas. They're simple, fast, and cute--my favorite kind of craft. And, at just about two inches tall, they're a great project for using up scraps of felt.

To make each tree, cut two triangles from the felt color of your choice. I made the pins shown here in a mod palette of bright pink and neon green, but I've also made them in traditional green and red. Decorate one triangle with buttons, beads, sequins, and simple embroidery. Be sure to leave a narrow border around the embellishments so you'll have enough room to stitch the tree pieces together.

Cut a triangle slightly smaller than the felt triangles from polyester batting. For the trunk, cut a small scrap in a color that contrasts with the tree. Stitch a pin backing onto the back piece of the tree before sewing the pieces together. Sandwich the batting triangle between the felt triangles and tuck the trunk between the felt pieces at the base of the tree. Use matching or coordinating embroidery floss and a running stitch to sew the front and back of the tree together, stitching through the trunk piece so it stays in place.

Be warned: these little trees are addictive. If you're like me, you'll want to try all kinds of color and embellishment combinations. 

Thanksgiving Napkin Ties

Thanksgiving is just a few days away, but I figured I had time for a last-minute craft. These simple napkin ties are made from materials most crafters have on hand--ribbon, beads, and embroidery floss. If you don't have alphabet beads, a quick trip to the craft store is worth the effort. The little black-and-white beads really give the napkin ties a personal touch. You can use them to add a warm greeting or spell out each guest's name.

Basic supplies: beads, ribbons, embroidery floss.

There really are no specific directions for this project. I just chose ribbons in autumn colors from my never-ending ribbon stash and paired them with coordinating beads. For the "Welcome" tie, I stitched the beads directly to the ribbon. For the "Grace" and "Give Thanks" napkin ties, I threaded the beads onto pieces of embroidery floss and then stitched the floss to the ribbon. I used wood and red plastic beads to accent the ribbons, but you can use whatever supplies you have. And remember, the ties don't all have to match!  

When it's time to set the table, there's no need to fold napkins so they look formal and fancy. Just roll them up and wrap a beaded napkin tie around each one.

Herb-Print Cards

Since Thanksgiving is right around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to make a batch of thank you cards. I'll be harvesting sage and thyme from my garden for Thanksgiving recipes soon (they're still thriving here in Pennsylvania), but I picked some early for this project. I love the look of these herbs as much as I like their taste, so I decided to use sage and thyme leaves to make prints.

Fresh-picked thyme and sage.

For the sage card, I pinched several well-shaped sage leaves from the stem and pressed them with a paper towel to make sure they were dry. I then placed each leaf wrong-side-down on an ink pad (the undersides of the leaves really show off the veined pattern). To avoid making a mess of my hands and work area, I placed a piece of clean paper over the leaf and rolled over it with a rubber brayer. I then positioned the leaf, ink side down, on a piece of card stock and covered it with another piece of clean paper. To transfer the leaf print, I rolled over the paper with the brayer a few times, being careful not to let the leaf shift. When I lifted the sage leaf away from the paper, I found it had made a perfect leaf print on the paper. I added other leaves to the design following the same process.

Place sage leaves wrong-side-down on the ink pad.

Finished leaf prints.

Thyme leaves are too tiny to print individually, so I decided to use whole stems. I trimmed small sprigs of thyme to fit my piece of card stock and then used a brayer to coat the stem and leaves with ink. Using the same process I did for the sage card, I applied thyme prints to a piece of card stock. 

When the ink on the designs was dry, I used a fine-point marker to write "Thank You" on some of the cards, and then mounted the printed papers on small cards. I like the way the leaf prints came out so much, I may have to use the technique on other projects . . . maybe this year's Christmas cards?

In the garden: sage . . .

and thyme.