How To: Appliqued Succulent Sachet

I'd totally meant to space these tutorials out over the coming weeks, but I'm feeling impatient! So, this week is tutorial week :)

My little sister has just moved into her first non-student flat and I was thinking about housewarming gifts to buy her... and how potted plants are a really common gift... and somehow this ended up with me making a lavender sachet decorated with a felt succulent! There's logic in there somewhere, I'm sure.Lavender seems to be having a bit of a revival at the moment - it's an attractively old fashioned, organic way to keep your clothes fresh and keep the moths away from all the treasures in your wardrobe. Don't like lavender or can't get hold of any? Stuffed with fabric scraps this design would also make a great pincushion, or make a great decorative detail on a cushion / throw pillow. To make this design you will need...

Dried lavender (or fabric scraps)
A teaspoon
Green felt to make your succulent's leaves (I used a soft sage green)
Felt for the plant pot - I used terracotta, but your pot could be any colour you fancy
A third shade of felt to use as the main shape for your sachet (I used a soft pink)
Matching threads, needle, pins, scissors

I've not drawn templates/patterns for this project, as I think a lot of the fun is cutting your own leafy shapes and building up a unique and organic design from them... but I have done a few sketches (not to scale!) which I hope will be some help.

1. First, cut out two rectangles of felt to make your sachet - mine measures approx 5 inches by 3 and 3/4 inches. Then cut out the two shapes to make up your plant pot. You can cut these freehand or draw a paper pattern first.2. Stitch the two plant pot pieces to the lower half of one felt rectangle, so they overlap (making the 'lip' of the plant pot seem to overhang slightly).

3. Cut out an assortment of leaf shapes. Depending on your favourite kind of succulent, these may vary but to make one like mine you need squashed teardrop shapes with extra 'stems' like this:4. Gradually layer your leaves on top of each other on your felt rectangle, so they seem to be growing out from your plant pot. When you're happy with the arrangement, secure each leaf with one stitch to keep them all in place.5. Stitch along the centre of each leaf, sewing them onto the felt backing. This stitching is practical - keeping the leaves in place - but also adds great extra detail and gives your plant a great 3-D look.

6. Pin both of your felt rectangles together, with your felt applique facing outwards. Sew both pieces together by sewing round the edges, a few millimetres in. Leave a gap for stuffing your sachet (make sure your teaspoon can fit through this gap!) and stitch back again filling in the spaces so you make a neat line of secure stitching.
7. Now remove the pins and stuff your sachet with lavender. Spoon the buds in through the gap one teaspoonful at a time, using the handle to make sure they go right into the corners. Once your sachet is nice and full, sew along the gap and back again to close it up neatly.
This tutorial is for non commercial use only: you can use it for as many succulent sachets as you like for yourself or as gifts for friends but please don't make any for sale. Please feel free to borrow photos if you want to blog about this project, but remember to credit me and link back to the original source, and do not reproduce my tutorial on your site. Thanks!

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