Five Days of Homemade Christmas Gifts: Fragrant Sachets

My first sewing tutorial.  Actually, I think this is my first ever tutorial.  I kept it very simple and basic.  Mostly for my benefit...

Sachets are used to keep linen closets, undergarment and sock drawers, closets, and bedding smelling fresh.  Did you also know that the fragrance placed inside the sachet can help keep moths, silverfish, and other critters out of your clothing?  Lavender, rosemary, lemongrass, and cloves are all good at repelling bugs.  Also, a sachet of lavender placed between your pillow and pillowcase can help you sleep more restfully.

You'll need

a printed or solid cotton fabric, or muslin

wool or flannel batting

lavender buds, dried rosemary, cloves, dried lemongrass, or a dried herb of your choice

Cut two pieces of cotton fabric 8" x 8", and one piece of batting 7.5" x 7.5".  You can make your sachet any size you wish, just make sure you cut the batting 1/2" smaller than your outer fabric.

Place your two pieces of fabric right sides together.  You will need to sew 1/4" from the edge, a 1/4" seam allowance.  Begin sewing about 1.5" in on one side.  (You will be starting 1.5" away from your nearest corner.)  Stop, turn the corner, sew on three sides, and when you get to the side where you began, only sew in 1.5".  

 

You will have three complete sides sewn and one side will have an opening in the middle of about 5".

Before you turn your fabric right side out, clip the edges close to the seam, but be careful NOT to clip the stitches.  I learned that one the hard way...

Turn your sachet right side out, you may have to poke the corners carefully with a pencil or knitting needle, to be sure you get a sharper corner.

Place your batting inside the sachet through the opening, straighten it out on the inside.  It should reach edge to edge and the batting will fill the entire space on the inside.  If it's too large, just take it out and trim the batting up a small bit.  You want it to lie flat and smooth.

Once you have your batting straightened out, you can then pour in your petals, buds, or herbs.  I put in about a tablespoon of lavender buds.

Next, you need to sew up the opening.  Turn in your edges 1/4 of an inch and sandwich it between your fingers.

This may be hard for me to 'splain, so let me sum up.....start your first stitch on the inside of one edge, push the needle through and then whip it around and begin whip stitching near the edge through BOTH edges of your opening.

Continue stitching the entire opening closed and then knot your thread off.  

Finished!

We have added ribbon, lace, hand embroidery designs, and ric rac to decorate our sachets.  

Natural Popcorn Flavorings

Our family loves popcorn.  It's a treat to have a big bowl in the middle of our family game night or movie night.  But my husband is the master of popcorn flavoring.  All of his concoctions have been good, but we do have our favorites.

We buy our organic multicolored popcorn in bulk from Azure Standard.  It pops up white, but the hulls and kernels are still colored.  My husband puts about a tablespoon of coconut oil in the bottom of a medium-sized pot.  Then, he throws enough kernels in the pot to cover to bottom, and cooks on medium heat.  Put the lid on and swirl the pot around occasionally so the kernels are constantly stirred.  When the kernels begin to pop, make sure you gently shake the pot every so often to ensure the unpopped kernels are settling to the bottom.  You may have to remove the lid and pour off the popcorn that has reached the top, but be careful not to pour off too much. You'll end up getting unpopped kernels in your popcorn bowl.  

After your popcorn is ready and it's still warm, you can add one of the following mixes.

All mixes are to taste.

Salt and Pepper Mix

Sea salt and cracked black pepper

Dill Flavored Mix (My personal favorite)

Fresh or dried dill and sea salt

Parmesan Mix

Fresh, finely grated Parmesan cheese and sea salt

Paprika Pepper Mix

Fine-ground paprika and sea salt. 

Garlic Flavored Mix

Finely ground garlic powder and sea salt. 

Battling Allergy, Cold, and Flu Season

I don't remember ever having had fall allergies when I was young.  In fact, I don't remember ever having had a problem until the last few years.  I'm not sure what has changed in our climate, but I have been affected by the fall pollen count for the last 10 years.

I don't do medicine, unless absolutely necessary.  So, how do I get through the allergy season without my head exploding?

Patience, and a lot of tissue.  Or toilet paper.  My shirt sleeve.  Whatever is on hand.

Cleaning Out Sinuses

The one item I could never live without is my neti pot.

A neti pot is used to clean out your sinus cavity and helps clear it from all gunk, junk, and lingering pollen or dust that may be trapped in there.  I warm up some spring or distilled water, add a half teaspoon of sea salt, and run it through my nasal cavity.  No, it doesn't hurt, no, I don't get water stuck up my nose, and no, it doesn't even feel weird.  But YES, it does work!  I still sneeze, snot, and drain, but my allergies are never prolonged, and I have never had a cough or sore throat during the allergy season.

I would show you pictures and a tutorial on how to use it, but that's just gross.  And you would lose all respect for me.  Again.

Herbal Tea
Another resource for our allergy battle is Elderberry Tea.  We have been making and drinking this tea for about a year, the children love the sweet berry flavor, and it always soothes a scratchy throat.  I add ingredients like ginger, orange peel, red clover, and cinnamon, to help boost our immune system and fight off viruses and infections.  For information on elderberries, you can read up at The Bulk Herb Store.

And, if you want to mix up a batch, here is my "unofficial" tea recipe:

Elderberry Tea
(all measurements are approximate)
1T Dried Elderberries (Bulk Herb Store)
1/2T Dried Red Clover
Fresh Ginger, I cut a knob about1/4" thick and 2 1/2" in length
1 Cinnamon Stick
Peel of 1/4 of an orange

Bring about 5 cups of water to a boil.  Add above ingredients and remove from heat.  Cover and let steep for 3 - 5 minutes.  This will make a pot of tea, or about 5 cups for us.  You may have to adjust the amount to satisfy your liking.

Garlic, A Natural Antibiotic
Garlic is a staple in my household.  On the rare occasion that we do catch a virus, I give my children garlic pills.  Some of my brave kiddos will eat a whole garlic clove raw, with just a glass of water to wash it down.  Others prefer that I crush the pod up and stuff it into a capsule.  Either way, they are ingesting the most amazing all-natural antibiotic you can find.  The benefits to garlic are plentiful, and when used regularly, can ward off many ailments and illnesses.

Essential Oils
I am a distributor for Young Living Essential Oils.  The three oils I couldn't live without during cold, flu, and allergy season are:

Thieves, to boost the immune system.  I use capsules (1 drop thieves and a couple drops honey) for the older children and myself, and rub a diluted mixture (1 drop thieves to 3 drops olive oil or grapeseed oil) to the bottoms of the babies' feet.

Peppermint, to open up our sinuses.  I typically diffuse into the air for 1/2 hour at a time about three or four times a day.

R.C. to open up the chest and throat.  I rub this directly on the chest and throat of my older children, and dilute as I do with the thieves for my babies.

Take care when using essential oils, they have a strong aroma and can cause skin sensitivity issues.
I diffuse the oils for 1/2 hour at a time three or four times a day.  When diluting the oils, you aren't diluting the potency, just the "hotness" of the oil.  I rub the bottoms of my little one's feet and put socks on them.  The oil is absorbed into their system through their skin and is just as effective as when I give my children a thieves capsule.

All About Herbs

Until last year, I had never grown herbs.  Ignorant of the many medicinal and aromatic qualities found in herbs, I never realized how valuable they are to a gardener.

I started with mint.  Just after I had the twins last year, my sweet husband went out and purchased several varieties of mint.  I never knew there were so many!  Currently, I have 10 types, spearmint, peppermint, orange, chocolate, apple, pineapple, grapefruit, lemon, lime, and mojito.  

As I studied more on the benefits of herbs, I wanted to try them all.  This year, I planted every type of herb I could get my hands on!  My  most prolific herbs are basil and lemongrass.  I use basil in just about everything, and the lemongrass makes the best tea and smells heavenly!

We plant all of our herbs in pots, in a rich potting soil mix.  It's easier to control the moisture and sun exposure.  Down here, when it gets really hot in the summer, I can move the pots to a place where they receive shade in the hot afternoon, or filtered sunlight.  As the days grow cooler, I can move them out to full sun once again.  My herbs last longer, and they don't burn to a crisp in the summertime.  

As is true of most herbs, the more you cut them back, the more they'll grow and produce.  I use what I can fresh, but when I have extra, I either hang them up to dry, or place them in a drying rack for a couple of weeks.  After they are dry and crispy, the herbs can be stored in a Ziploc bag or a glass jar.  I still have dried mint from last year!  As space is limited here, I found that my herbs fit nicely along my curtain rods in the kitchen.  They are out of the way, AND they make a pretty decoration to the room!

Herbs have a myriad of uses, not just for cooking.  Some, like basil and penny royal can be used as a bug deterrent.  Many have medicinal uses, for instance hyssop, borage, feverfew, and catnip.  Several like plantain and comfrey are used in poultices.  Still others produce teas that can heal and calm nerves like

chamomile, lemongrass, and calendula.  

Two really good books to have on hand:  The How To Herb Book and The ABC Herbal.  The first book is being revised, so you may have to wait awhile, but you might get lucky and find it used somewhere.

On a side note, all of the dried herbs I purchase, I have found from Mountain Rose Herbs and The Bulk Herb Store.  Both sites have a great selection, quality products, and valuable information on all of the herbs they sell.

Also, if you decide to purchase either of the books listed above, going through the link I provided will give my family a small percentage in commission.  Shameless plug...

Homestead & Gardening Resources

For all of my homestead-obsessed followers, here are a list of homestead resources that I have found to be quite helpful.  By the way, you don't have to have 100 acres to be considered a homesteader, you can create your own homestead within the boundaries of your suburban home.  We have 1/3 of an acre and are able to produce a lot of our own fruits and vegetables.  I have tons of herbs growing in pots on my back patio and what used to be flower beds are now beds full of beautiful, medicinal, flowering herbs!

Storey's Basic Country Skills

Probably my most thorough resource. This is my "go-to" book for most information and projects. This book contains anything from growing herbs, fruit trees, and vegetables, to cleaning your house, raising livestock, and simple building projects. A must have for any beginning homesteader.

The Backyard Homestead

This book resembles The Basic Country Skills book, but on a more simplistic level.  Still, I found it to be greatly beneficial, containing information that the above book did not.  A great one to have on hand for a quick resource.

Homestead Blessings DVDs

Ah, our favorite West Ladies.  Let me just say, these DVDs have been one of the best sources of encouragement and information for our family.  My kids LOVE watching the West Ladies' simple country skills at work.  A must for any visual learner, and the projects and information are simple enough for the basic level homestead beginner.  Totally worth the investment!

Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening

IF you can get your hands on a copy of this huge encyclopedia, it is a gem of a book.  This book was handed down to me from my father and is about as old as I am (watch it on the comments).  I haven't found a more informative book yet, full of every kind of vegetable, herb, animal, flower, and weed you can imagine, besides sections on composting, weed control, pest control, greenhouses, and tons more.  Truly a treasure and one book I could not do without.

The New Self-Sufficient Gardener

Last, but not least, another detailed book, containing similar information as the first two, but also has a section on how to preserve fruits and vegetables, and a section on bee-keeping.  I love the illustrations in this book, I find it much easier to identify how my plants are supposed to turn out when I have a clear visual guide to go by.

Alright now, all you gardeners, start your tillers!

Headache Tea

(photo credit)

I don't often suffer from headaches, but occasionally I will get a severe one, the kind that sends sharp pains through your skull, makes your stomach turn, and your head dizzy.  All I want to do is get off my feet, and that's not so easy to do in a house full of little ones. 

Wednesday night, my sweet hubby took me out for dinner, I started feeling a headache coming on, but figured it was sinus related since we've had so much crazy weather.  As the night went on, so did the pain.  We shopped a little and I finally asked Kiley if we could head home, I felt light-headed and nauseous.  Blah.  I felt so bad that I asked to cut our date short!  The headache continued the next day and by Friday I couldn't take it any more.  I searched through my herbal remedies and made a tea concoction of Chamomile, Catnip, and Fenugreek.  I figured it was worth a try, at the very least the tea would knock me out!

Oh my goodness, within half an hour, the headache was GONE.  Gone and didn't come back!  I made enough for a full pot, and kept it around just in case the headache reappeared, what a blessing there was no more pain!

Last night, my daughter came home telling me she had a horrible headache.  She said it hurt from the front of her head all the way to the back and she felt sick.  I offered her some tea, by the time she finished drinking the tea, the pain was gone. 

I have no idea if it works for sinus headaches, pressure headaches, hormone headaches, but it worked for whatever my oldest daughter and I had.  Thankfully so.  I also have no idea why in the world it didn't occur to me to find an herbal remedy first thing.  I have all of this at my fingertips, once again, I'm a little slow...