Lovely Bridal Sachets

As the wedding approaches, most people are preoccupied with what to buy for the bride. But what about the bridesmaids? Very often the bride wants to give a personal gift to those special friends who will be closest to her on her wedding day. Well, these lovely bridal sachets are just the thing. They are small, intimate, easy - and can be made in any number of ways. We've included three variations, but feel free to use your imagination and come up with your own. Have fun with the colors, too; don't feel limited by the ones we've used for examples! And, if you're really handy, you can make your own potpourri instead of buying it ready-made.

(By the way - these can make great Mother's Day gifts, as well as parting gifts for those attending a bridal shower!)

1) Sachet Bag

YOU WILL NEED:

Two 5" by 9" pieces of cream-colored silky material, like taffeta

Handful stuffing

¼ cup potpourri (approx.)

Thread to match

Hand needle

INSTRUCTIONS

Place the two fabric pieces on top of each other with right sides together.

Pin the bottom and two long sides.

Machine stitch around the pinned sides, backstitching at the beginning and end.

Remove pins and turn right side out.

Turn the top end about 2" inside the bag; pin and stitch around to form the hem (don't forget to remove the pins when you finish!).

Gently push a bit of stuffing into the bottom of the bag.

Fill with potpourri almost to top, leaving enough room to add a bit more stuffing and close the bag.

Gather the top of the bag together tightly and tie securely, either with strong, matching thread or a small piece of ribbon. Hide the tie with coordinating stripes of ribbon, like lavender and pale green. Purchase a matching flower decoration at a notions store; hand stitch it secure where the ribbons are tied, and let the ends of the ribbon trail down.

2) Set of Three

This is a small stack of three rectangular sachets, tied together with ribbon. You can arrange the ribbons as you like - use your imagination! If you're short on time, you can simply tie the ribbons with the ends trailing down, and sew on a few small silk flowers that can be purchased at a notions store. Or, if you really like bows, try our adorable one. It's very easy, and can be made in any size you like. Just be sure to buy extra fabric when you buy what you need for the sachets; you'll save yourself an unnecessary, extra trip to the fabric store!

YOU WILL NEED:

Three 7"by 8" pieces of silky material in three coordinating colors (we chose pale pink, cream and mauve)

Cream, pale pink, mauve and green ribbon, in lengths of your choice.

Stuffing

Potpourri

Hand needle

Heavy thread

INSTRUCTIONS

Cut each piece of fabric in half for six, 7" by 4" pieces.

Place each pair of fabric pieces one on top of the other, with right sides together.

Pin all the way around, leaving a small opening on one side.

Starting at one side of the opening, stitch all the way around to the other side, backstitching at the beginning and the end; repeat for all three rectangles.

Turn each bag right side out.

Gently push a bit of stuffing into the bottom of the bag.

Fill with potpourri, adding a bit more stuffing at the top.

Close the opening with a slipstitch.

Place the bags one on top of the other, with the cream colored sachet in the middle..

Tie with ribbons. If you're buying a ready-made flower decoration, tie with all three ribbons and cut edges to desired length. Then either stitch or fabric-glue the flower decoration on top. If you're making your own bows, you can either let the ribbons trail down or crop them short - whichever strikes your fancy.

1-2-3 Bow

Cut two small rectangles of material for each bow you want to make; make sure they're small enough not to overwhelm the sachets, but not so small that they'll be difficult to work with.

Pin each two rectangles, right sides together; leave an opening of about an inch in the middle of one long side.

Insert the rectangle into your machine, with the foot positioned just beyond one side of the opening.

Stitch all the way around the rectangle, stopping at the other side of the opening and backstitching at the beginning and end.

Remove the rectangle from the machine.

Clip all four corners on a diagonal, as close to the stitchline as possible but without cutting the stitches.

Turn right side out.

Mark three points on the rectangle: One at top midpoint, and two more parallel to that point at the middle and bottom of the rectangle.

Bring all three points together; hold them secure, and wrap a thread around them tightly, securing it with two knots.

Hide the thread by wrapping a matching piece of ribbon - or a narrow strip of material folded to the middle on each long side - around it, and secure by hand-stitching.

Classic Round Sachets

YOU WILL NEED:

Two circles of silky material (again, like silk or taffeta), with a 4" diameter.

Ribbons in assorting, matching colors

Stuffing

Potpourri

Hand needle and heavy thread

INSTRUCTIONS:

Place the two fabric circles one on top of the other, right sides together.

Pin around the edges, leaving a small opening (for turning and stuffing).

Starting at one side of the opening, machine-stitch all the way around to the other side, backstitching at both ends.

Turn the circle right side out.

Gently insert the stuffing and potpourri, starting with the stuffing, then the potpourri and then a bit more stuffing.

Slipstitch the opening closed.

Tie with ribbons, and decorate with above bow or a purchased decoration of your choice.

Wait for the oohs and ahhs!!

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