Hi, everyone – Sister Diane here – and I’m excited to be guest-posting on Dabbled today!

I recently published an ebook of weaving projects you can do without a loom, so I’ve been weaving a lot lately. I got to playing around one day with some variegated cotton yarn, which weaves up to look a lot like Fruit Stripe Gum. (Anybody else remember this stuff from the 80’s?)

Since the weaving looks so candy-like, I decided to turn it into a cute little candy-shaped drawer sachet. I particularly like it because it’s cheery, compact, and not too frilly. Here’s how to make your own!

Materials:
Cardboard
Ruler
Sharpie
Skein of variegated cotton yarn (I’m using Sugar n’ Cream)
8″ Straight tapestry needle (optional)
Tapestry needle (large eye, dull point)
Scissors
1/8″ Ribbon
Cotton ball and fragrance oil
Scrap of cotton quilt batting

Begin with a piece of stiff cardboard, at least 10″ x 10″. Measure out a 5″ x 5″ square in the center, and draw it with a Sharpie.

Now, measure and cut a row of slits in the top and bottom edges of the cardboard. Take a look at this tutorial I did on CraftStylish for instructions on how to set up a simple cardboard loom.

Begin weaving, following the instructions at the CraftStylish tutorial. The variegated yarn will create its own stripes.

This is a good moment to mention this long needle I’m using to weave. It’s called a straight upholstery needle, and you can often find them at big-box craft stores. They’re inexpensive, and they make this kind of weaving a snap. But if you’d rather not get one, just use your regular tapestry needle to weave.

Once you’ve woven a square, remove it from the cardboard and finish all four edges. Again, that CraftStylish tutorial will show you how.

Now, fold the woven square in half, matching the edges with the short, knotted fringe. Thread your tapestry needle with about 12″ of yarn and tie a secure knot in the end. Sew the two layers together along this edge, using a small running stitch. Knot the yarn securely at the end of the seam.

(You could also sew this seam on your sewing machine, of course.)

A note on those fringes – just brush them out of your way as you sew. They should end up hidden inside the sachet.

Now you have a woven tube. Carefully turn it right side out, so your seam faces the inside. The best way to do this is to push the bottom edge of the tube into the center, and continue pushing until it emerges from the top, as shown here.

Cut about 8″ of ribbon. Tie a tight double knot around one end of the tube, about 1/2″ away from the edge. Tie the ends of the ribbon into a bow and trim them to about 3/4″.

Now you can add a fragrant filling to your sachet. I’m using a cotton ball with some drops of cedarwood oil, but you could use any fragrance oil you like.

I like to use cotton quilt batting to stuff these sachets, since it will hold its shape more precisely than fiberfill.

So first, I fold the batting into thirds, so it forms a long strip that’s as wide as the center of the candy shape, as shown.

Next, I place my scented cotton ball at one end of this folded strip, and begin tightly rolling it up. See how much that cotton ball is compressed? Keep rolling until you have a roll just big enough to fit into the woven tube.

Slide the roll into the tube, pressing it firmly.

(And by the way, you could also skip the batting and fill your sachet with dried lavender or cedar shavings.)

Cut another 8″ of ribbon and tie another double knot and bow in the open end.

Voila! Your sachet is ready to tuck into a drawer. Wouldn’t a little set of these make a cute gift?