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Turn vintage hankies, napkins into sweet-smelling sachets

Project makes good gifts

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| Thursday, January 31, 2008 |

DIY Network Take your old embroidered napkins and handkerchiefs, sew them together and stuff them with scented dried flowers to make a nice pillow. Buy this Photo

Deba Fishbein/Scripps Howard

If you have a collection – however small – of embroidered napkins and vintage handkerchiefs and are looking for a project, consider this: Making sweet-smelling sachet pillows.

This project can be as simple as sewing two napkins or hankies together and leaving a small opening to pour in a scented filling of dried lavender flowers and buckwheat hulls. If you have just one vintage textile, you can back the pillow with any coordinating fabric instead.

For a sachet you can hang in a closet or on a doorknob, stitch on a ribbon to create a handle.

Gather:

Vintage napkin or handkerchief

Sewing machine (optional)

Needle and thread

Fabric shears

Bag of dried lavender

Bag of buckwheat hulls

Large bowl

Funnel

Coordinating trim

Fabric adhesive

Embellishments

Create:

1. Fold up the bottom third of the vintage napkin or handkerchief and sew along the sides.

2. Fold down the top third so that it overlaps the bottom slightly. Sew the overlapped edges and the sides together, leaving a 3-inch opening.

3. Combine one-part buckwheat hulls to one part lavender in a large bowl. Using the funnel, pour the mixture into the pillow through the opening.

4. Sew the opening closed.

5. Cut a length of trim to go along the top flap, plus 1 inch on both ends so you can fold them under. Using fabric adhesive, glue the trim to the edge of the top flap, tucking the ends of the trim under the side of the flap and gluing them in place.

One thing I love about this project is that it lets you work with textiles that are in less-than-perfect condition. If necessary, you can hide imperfections in a fold or under an embellishment. Just let the unique features of your materials inspire your design!