Dare you! Double-dog dare you! Sound familiar from your childhood? Challenges from my childhood neighborhood buddies and siblings ran along those lines. The ultimate challenge was double-dog dare you.
A recent challenge this summer wasn't a double-dog-dare-you challenge, but was a challenge.
Sweet Tea and Sweet Lavender were involved, but probably not the way you may think.
What did I do in response to the challenge?
.... Created an easy-to-make sachet with a little French inspiration.
Here's the story behind the challenge.
Jemma of At Home With Jemma, invited Texas Bloggers to an Arts and Crafts lunch at her house this June. KariAnne of Thistlewood Farms (the one with the big smile, red lipstick, and sparkly glasses) entertained and enlightened us with fabulous tips about how to make money while writing our blogs. Of course, what she said got my attention. (I'm wearing a red crown behind the picture frame.)
Her credibility is bankable, as in working with Hoffman California International Fabrics to design beautiful fabric. She generously gave everyone present Charm Packs of fabric samples for her wildly popular Simply Eclectic line AND for her just-in-the-stores-this-summer Sweet Tea line.
Laura of Decor to Adore presented four wonderful ways to use the Charm Pack samples... fabric banner, decorated clothes pins, fabric-covered buttons-turned-magnets, and small sewing kits.
We all oohed and aahed with each creative idea Laura showed.
Then, Carole West of Garden Up Green threw out the idea of a Sweet Tea Charm Pack Challenge. Each blogger attending was challenged to create something from her sample pack of fabrics and link up to a posting to show all of them.
KariAnne was immediately on board with organizing and sponsoring the challenge.
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| Source: Thistlewood Farms |
Guess what. There is a prize quilt top made from the blue Sweet Tea fabrics for the blogger whose Sweet Tea creation is voted the favorite by readers.
My response, in French, of course, "En garde!" Take up your positions! I accept the challenge.
Momentary back step... my sewing machine is not speaking to me. It refuses to wind thread on bobbins.
Perhaps if I speak to the machine in French, "Parle-vous anglais?" Do you speak English?
Non? Still refusing to wind bobbins? Ah-ha.... there is a bobbin filled with navy thread.
Back to the challenge.
Materials needed for a super-easy French-inspired sachet...
- Hoffman Sweet Tea fabric squares known as a Charm Pack
- Dried lavender seeds
- Cotton ribbon
- Scissors for cutting the ribbon
- Fleur de lis metal embellishments
- A cranky, non-English speaking SEWING MACHINE (not shown...I refuse to give the spotlight to anything that is not on speaking terms.)
The sachets are so easy to make that no detailed instructions are needed, but here are a few steps.
Choose one of the fabric squares (they already have pinked edges), and fold it in half with the right side inside. No cutting needed; scissors are for cutting the ribbon later.
If you do not have Charm Pack squares, use pinking shears to cut 5"x5" squares from your fabric before following these super-easy steps.
The phrase for this project is S U P E R - E A S Y.
This fabric has such a nice drape to it; it feels wonderful with a lot of body, but soft to the touch. The French are renowned for their fabrics, but the French have nothing on the Hoffman Sweet Tea and Simply Eclectic fabrics. Très élégante.
Sew a simple straight stitch on the two long sides and one short side, leaving one short side open. This creates a long, narrow sack.
Turn the sack right-side out. Turning the sack was the hardest part of making the sachet, and it really wasn't hard.
No... the hardest part was getting a bobbin with thread.
Fill with dried lavender seeds.
Cut a short piece of ribbon and tie around the open end. The pinked edge of the sack becomes the finished edge. How easy is that... using the pinked edge!
Hand sew a fleur de lis metal embellishment to the ribbon.
While using a ribbon to close the sachet is much easier than sewing the last side together, using the pinked edge also gives a decorative edge to the sachet, and also allows the lavender seeds to be removed when they get old. It will be super easy to replace the old lavender with fresh lavender as needed, and then re-tie the sachet.
The Sweet Tea fabrics are color-coordinated making it super easy to mix-and-match patterns to create a set of three sachets suitable for giving as a gift. Anyone else thinking, "Christmas presents for teachers, friends, co-workers, neighbors, stocking-stuffers, ...?"
French-inspired sachets filled with French lavender and adorned with a fleur de lis will help keep my lacy lingerie fresh smelling. Toss one into the sock drawer, too. How about one in the carry-on luggage? Linen closet... to deter bugs. With your woolen sweaters to repel moths...
Sweet Tea and Sweet Lavender
a perfect match for French-inspired sachets
Now that you have seen this beautiful fabric line and all the creative projects using it, here's where you can buy Thistlewood Farms fabrics.
Thank you, KariAnne and Hoffman Fabrics, for sponsoring such a fun summer challenge. Be sure to check out all the other Hoffman Sweet Tea Challenge creations, and VOTE for your favorite. I can't wait to see what all my Texas blogger friends have created.
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Here's fingers crossed that readers will VOTE for my French-inspired sachets as their favorite.
Double-dog dare you!
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{Disclosure: I received Hoffman Charm Packs free of charge and was invited to share my creation(s) as part of the Hoffman Sweet Tea Challenge. All opinions are my own.}
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The link-up to see all the entries with Hoffman Charm Pack designs is no longer available.
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