remembering summer

for a while this summer, the door which leads off to the deck from our bedroom was flanked by bunches of lavender. Our own lavender plants aren't big enough for this yet - nope, this is from our wonderful next-door neighbours, who offered us six big bunches when they cut theirs down in late summer.

We dried them for two-three weeks, then used our fingers to rub the flower buds from the stems and into a big paper bag, where they had to stay while we were on vacation in the desert.

Yesterday, I finished sewing up sachets stuffed full of the buds. I've had a half yard of this pretty printed canvas for years, waiting for a good project. I had been thinking it would make a pretty pocket on a hand-made tote bag or something, but I really like it in these sachets; perhaps I'll keep it and just keep using it every year for more sachets until it's gone.

What a quick little project, too - I used the sewing machine to quickly sew three sides of the sachets together, then pressed the top edge down, stuffed, and hand-sewed the tops. We came out with seven, all told - Cass took one to work, I gave two to a friend, and four remain to keep moths out of our sweaters (and of course, they smell heavenly!)