[Nfb-krafters-korner] make-it-yourself gift ideas

[Jewel S.]

The no-sew sashay is a good idea, but I wanted to share the simple
design that I came up with that makes for a great sashay that you can
remove scents from, wash, and replace. It's basically a miniaturized
version of a shoulder 'saddle' bag that I made when doing medieval
re-creation.

Supplies:
1 scrap of fabric, approximately three times longer than you want the
sashay to be, and half an inch wider
*Note: The best fabrics for sashays are medium weights, not so thin
that all the scent leaves at once, but not so thick that you can
barely make the scent out. To test, put a little of the potpourri in
the fabric, fold around, and see if you can smell the potpourri
through the fabric by putting it to your nose. If you can, the fabric
is probably good for sashays*
Thread to match
Two buttons
Potpourri of your choice (I used lavendar because I love it so much).

1. Fold down a quarter inch on all sides and sew with a basic straight
stitch, or use a decorative stitch of your choice.
2. Fold up a third of the length wrong-side out, leaving approximately
the length of the sashay left on top as a flap. Sew the sides up.
3. Turn the pouch rightside out and sew the two buttons on the outside
where you want the flap to be held down (you can put the flap down and
measure up one inch if you want the flap to close at the bottom. Sew
the buttons down at equadistance for a balanced look and fit.
4. Creat two buttonholes on the flap where it will close over the
pouch. This can be handstitched with a whipstitch or done on a sewing
machine.
5. For easier cleanup, put the potpourri in a small jewelry ziploc bag
(used by some stores to hold small bags of herbs, jewelry, beads,
etc.). You can place the potpourri in the sashay loose, however, as
the bag is washable as long as the fabric is.
6. To hang, open the flap, place behind the wire of a hanger and close
the flap over the wire. Secure the button closures, and you'll never
have to worry about your sashay falling off or getting tangled! You
could even secure it over the closet rod.

When you want to change the potpourri out (for seasonal scents,
special scents for special occassions, or just a change of scentery
(like scenery), unbutton the sashay from the hangar or closet rod,
dump out the old, wash if desired, and add the new scent. It's simple
as that!

These make awesome gifts and are so easy to make. I have made them as
birthday gifts, especially for mothers who have so little time to
enjoy things for themselves.

On 12/5/10, Terrence van Ettinger <terrencevane at gmail.com> wrote:
> Another good one is cloven fruit. Take an apple, or an orange, and stick
> cloves into it so that the heads stick out. If you want to do funky
> patterns, and/or want to leave a line around the fruit where you could tie a
> ribbon to make it into an ornament, you could use some tape to help guide
> where you don't want the cloves to go. When done, you can use a mixture of
> ground cloves and I believe either cinnamon or nutmeg—I lost my copy of the
> mixture--to give extra scent to the fruit and also help preserve it. When
> they're not being used as ornaments, they work well as scenters for
> drawers/closets.
>
> Terrence
>
> Twitter: www.twitter.com/terrencevane
> Skype: LandrasPhaelan
> Words with Friends ID: terrencevak
>>
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-- 
~Jewel
Check out my blog about accessibility for the blind!
Treasure Chest for the Blind: http://blindtreasurechest.blogspot.com