Owl and Heart Lavender-Filled Drawer Scenters

Lavender might be a bit old-school, but I must admit I do kind of like it. There's something very homely about the smell that makes me come over all nostalgic. So over a coffee and some homemade banana loaf, I had a go at making some lavender-filled drawer scenters. Of course you could just go for a basic square if you wanted but, as I intend to give these as little gifts at some point, I thought it would be nice to go for some simple heart and owl designs.

I started off by cutting out the body (two pieces, one for front and back) from some patterned fabric, and the details from some plain fabric scraps and felt. I attached the details with UHU all purpose glue before adding some additional embellishments with embroidery thread (on the owl) and thin ribbon (on the heart), which I fixed in place with a little red thread that was almost invisible against the red of the ribbon.

After that, I used my little sewing machine to fix the two pieces together (sewing them with the decorated sides facing together) except for a gap of a few inches, through which I turned them the right way round. A chop stick or pencil helps to poke out any corners. I then stuffed my owl and heart with scented dried lavender, using a teaspoon to scoop it in and the handle end to poke it down. When suitably stuffed, I sewed up the hole by hand. Voila!
As my first attempt at anything like this for a long time, they certainly came out looking a bit rough around the edges! Biggest lesson learned was to remember to leave enough extra space around the edges (I probably needed another 1/2 cm) for sewing the body pieces together, as this is where I ended up having problems with little gaps. The heart design is my favorite, so I'll be having a go at making a few more, perhaps with the addition of a ribbon loop for hanging. Maybe I'll even attempt a mini Christmas stocking for hanging on the tree!