In December I’ll be teaching a class called Sewing Simple Gifts. Students will spend the day learning to make a microwavable heating pad that wraps around the neck & shoulders, a journaling bookmark & pen holder, and a miniature stocking ornament, that can double as a gift card holder. However, when I was developing the class, I originally thought we’d be making lavender sachets as our third project, so the prototypes I made include a set of 6 sachets.
The vibe was inspired by a fat quarter sent to me in the Summer Nerd Games as part of the Arts & Crafts Club. It’s a fun celestial print in deep blue, with pops of purple and teal planets, and gold suns, moons and constellations. Very Whimsygoth, and definitely something I would have fallen in love with in the 90’s, as a teen. I dug through my stash of fat quarters to find some fabrics to match, and came up with a little square of golden yellow batik, a purple grungy-style dot print, a dark violet print that looks like cork with metallic accents, and a purple & turquoise geode print.
I followed this tutorial from Sew Can She for the heating pad. (Since the heating pad will need to go in the microwave, I did not include any of the fabric with the metallic accent on that item, and was careful to use only 100% cotton thread.)
The tutorial for the Journaling Bookmark also came from Sew Can She. I made a set of 3 exactly as written, with the pieces 2.5" wide. But I found when turning them right side out, that the small opening was a bit fiddly to turn, not to mention bulky with 8 layers of fabric. They look fine, and if I was just making them all myself, I wouldn’t worry about it. But since I’ll be teaching less experienced stitchers, I decided to try playing around with the technique.
For the wider set, I started with 3.5" wide strips. After folding and top stitching the pocket, I cut away the bottom 3/4" of the BACK of the pocket. Once the bookmark is sewn, flipped, and topstitched, just the bottom 1/4" of the INSIDE of the pocket is just 1 layer thick, and when turning and pressing the bottom, you end up with just 6 layers of fabric, instead of 8. Plus it holds 3 pens or markers, instead of 2! I did use 1" wide fold over elastic for all of them. I found a seller on Etsy who sold grab bags of off-cuts, so I picked up one of her grab bags, and a few colors I thought I could easily use to make kits for my students.
Finally, we have the sachets. They are just the most basic of crafts. I swear these were in all my childhood craft books. Cut 4" squares; sew around the edge, leaving a small opening for stuffing. Flip, press, and fill. I used a funnel and a swizzle stick to make filling quick, and then hand stitched them closed. The lavender came from Amazon, and I’m really happy with the quality and scent. And since I have 2 lbs of lavender but no longer need it for the class, I will be making tons of sachets for my holiday friend & neighbor gifts. (The seller does offer smaller quantities, if you aren’t as nuts as I am.)
I did make prototypes for the stockings that we will make in class, but they don’t match the vibe of these gifts, so I made them in different fabrics, and will post them separately. I hope you all enjoy the 90’s witchy, whimsigoth vibes. Now go put on your favorite stretch velvet garment, light some candles, and watch Practical Magic. 
