Anki Overdrive | ToysForFun: Lavender Bags – a Sweet and Easy First Sewing Project for Kids

пятница, 13 октября 2017 г.

Lavender Bags – a Sweet and Easy First Sewing Project for Kids

I love the smell of lavender — it reminds me so much of my Grandma because she always had dried lavender dotted around her home and would pop little scented lavender bags inside her clothes drawers to keep them smelling nice. It occurred to me after watching the kids pulling off lavender seeds to make “pixie dust” that these bags would be quite easy to make. We also had a basket full of pretty fabric remnants given to us by a friend so I decided that this would actually make a great first sewing project for the kids.

To make the lavender bags you will need: Fabric scraps, tissue, thread, large needles, pins, ribbon/string, Lavender.

Begin by picking off the Lavender seeds and put them into a bowl. This part is really easy and leaves little fingers & the house smelling delicious!

Cut a rectangle of fabric, any size depending on how large you want the bags to be. Ours measured about 30cm long by 15cm wide.

Fold the fabric in half along the longest length, the folded edge creates the bottom of the bag (this edge does not require any sewing). Pin the two open sides together, leaving the top edge open.

Now for the sewing. This part requires patience all round but with a bit of encouragement they will master it. You will probably need to help them knot the end of the thread but let them try and thread the needle themselves. Its a great exercise for developing fine motor control.

Use a simple running stitch along each side of the bag. Finish each end with a few knots. Remember to leave the top edge open.

Once the edges are sewn together, remove the pins and turn the bags inside out so that the seams are on the inside. Next, line the bags with a single sheet of tissue. This will prevent any Lavender seeds from escaping through the gaps in the stitching. Even with the best will in the world, there will probably be some gaping holes. You could use something more sophisticated like netting or muslin but we only had tissue to hand and it worked quite well.