Lavender Hearts

Lavender season is here, and the stunning purple fields are a sight to behold. Farms up and down the country open up their lavender fields to visitors for this short, but utterly delightful season. The scent of lavender is iconic, and a day spent at a lavender farm will leave you feeling calm and peaceful.

Some farms sell bunches of fresh lavender during the season. If you want to enjoy the calming scent all year round, why not buy a bunch, then after a few days dry the lavender and make lavender filled fabric hearts? If you can’t get your hands on fresh lavender, you should be able to pick up dried lavender all year round from various farm shops, florists and health food shops.

You will need:

• Fabric such as cotton, linen, hessian or felt

• Thick card to use as a template

• Needle and thread

• Ribbon

• Dried lavender buds

1. Draw a heart template, around 15-20 cm diameter, on your card.

2. Place the template on your fabric and draw round to create as many hearts as you like. Cut out the hearts with fabric scissors.

3. Optional - decorate some of the heart shapes with embroidery or buttons sewn on.

4. Cut a 15cm length of ribbon and form a loop.

5. Stitch two fabric hearts together around the edge, making sure to sew the ends of the looped ribbon into the ‘v’ of the heart. Leave a 3cm opening.

6. Using a small teaspoon or a funnel, pour some dried lavender buds into the heart through the opening. Once filled, sew up the gap.

7. Optional - dab a few drops of lavender oil onto the heart to add extra fragrance.

8. Make as many lavender-filled hearts as you like and hang them around the house. They also make wonderful gifts!