What’s your favorite scent? For me, it’s the smell of forest – balsam firs and scotch pines. Ironically, I’m not at all outdoorsy, but I can appreciate natureĀ without being apart of it, right?!
While I now have a lovely scented home thanks to our noble fir Christmas tree, I’m greedy and I want more good scents to last me through the rest of winter. With that in mind, today’s DIY holiday craft is a balsam fir sachet. Even if you are a novice sewer like me, this project is easy to make. The hardest part for me was threading my sewing machine!
DIY Balsam Fir Sachet
Give yourself about an hour to make a sachet – which includes time to watch the paint dry š
Materials and Supplies
- 2 pieces of 7″ square linen
- Stencil (I cut out a 4″ version of this free deer graphicĀ on vinyl with my Cricut Explorer)
- 1/2 lb. balsam fir (I got mine from here)
- Fabric paint (Jacquard paint worked surprisingly well)
- Stencil brush
- Iron
- Sewing machine
- Needle and thread
Step 1
Fold and press a 1/2 inchĀ edge on all sides of your two pieces of fabric. When complete, your squares should be 6 inches. Trim the excess fabric off of the corners.
Step 2
Position your stencil so that it’s centered on the front side of one of your fabric squares. If you use a vinyl cutout, burnish it with a roller so there are no gaps for the paint to seep under.
If you are using a store bought stencil, consider adding a little double-sided tape or spray adhesive to hold it in place.
Step 3
Apply the fabric paint with a stencil brush. Allow to dry.
REVERSE STENCIL: If you want to create a reverse stencil like the sachet shown above, position the stencil body in the middle of the fabric and paint around it.
Step 4
With your sewing machine, sew a 1/4 inch seam along 3 1/2 sides of the sachet, leaving a pocket to insert the balsam fir at the bottom.
Step 5
Create a temporary funnel with a sheet of paper, position the funnel in the opening of the sachet and fill it with balsam fir. Fill it until it’s plump!
Step 6
With needle and thread, sew shut the opening in the sachet.
Leaping lizards your just made a DIY balsam fir sachet!
Here’s a look at the two versions side-by-side. I love the extra pop of the reverse stencil but I also love the simplicity of the standard stencil. Now I’ve got more balsam fir to make my home smell great!
Sneak Peak: Next week I’ll be sharing a DIY for the felt acorn garland shown here!
