I recently harvested a lot of lavender from my garden.  It’s all dried and clean, so it must be time to make some sachets!  It’s so easy and they’re perfect to tuck into closets and drawers—and to give away as little gifts.

I make these in two parts—a little muslin bag and a sachet pillow from the pretty fabric!  First, I make a little pouch to contain the lavender and cedar shavings.  This can be any fabric.  I generally use muslin, but it’s a great way to use up some scraps or ugly fabric, as it won’t be seen when the sachet is finished.  Cut a piece 5-1/2″ by 11″

Fold it…

…and stitch down the two long sides.  This is a perfect project for assembly line sewing!

I use both cedar shavings and lavender in my sachets.  I got the cedar shavings at the local hardware store in the pet department.  I think they’re used for hamster bedding!  They smell great, though, and are a great deterrent for moths.  In the studio I have a little doll’s tea set, so I used a cup from that.  I’d say it’s about a quarter cup.  I used four scoops of cedar shavings and one of lavender.

The bags are cut a little oversized so it’s easy to sew them closed.  I sewed with about an inch seam allowance.

Then, to reduce bulk when I put it in the sachet pillow, I trim away the extra.

All done with this step!

Now it’s time to pick some pretty fabric.  I bought this beautiful piece in Sweden this summer.  To make the sachet pillow, you need one piece 4-1/2″ x 5-1/5″ and two pieces 3-1/4″ x 5-1/2″.

You need to finish one long side of each of the smaller pieces.  To do this, press over 1/4″, then press again—another 1/4″.

Take the pieces to your machine and stitch down.

Now place one of the hemmed pieces on the 4-1/2″ x 5-1/2″ piece, lining up raw edges.  The hemmed edge will be in the middle.

Take the other small piece and do the same thing, lining it up with the remaining raw edges.

At this point, you could pin, but I don’t.  Just take this to your machine and sew around all four sides with a 1/4″ seam allowance.

Trim the corners.  This makes it easier to get nice, sharp edges when you turn the pillow right sides out.

Open the little pillow at the hemmed edge and turn right sides out.

Push out the corners and press.

Now it’s time to insert the little muslin bag.  Just slip it one edge of the pillow cover.

Then tuck it up under the remaining side!

You may have to wiggle it a little bit to get it to lay in there nicely, but that’s it, that’s all there is to it!

You have a pretty little sachet!

When I’m making them for gifts, I like to put two together with a pretty ribbon.

You can use any kind of fabric for these.  Home dec fabric works great.  Here’s some hand woven fabric that I bought at a handcraft shop in Sweden.

I hope you’ll try making some of these—and send me photos when you do!

 

 

I am fascinated by the Swedish fäbod.

The best translation for a fäbod that I know is a summer pasture…

…but it’s more than just a pasture.

In the province of Dalarna, where Anna Lena came from, it wasn’t easy to eek out a living on the small farms.

Most of the farms were near small villages in the valleys.

In the summer, you couldn’t turn your animals out into the fields around the farm because you needed the grass to grow up so you could cut it for hay.  That way you’d have something to feed the animals in the winter.

So in the summer, the animals were taken high up into the forest to forage.

Each farm had grazing rights in certain areas of the forest.

Small cabins and barns were built and the old grandmas and young women would spend the summers there, tending to the cows and goats.

It was a big day in the spring when nearly the entire village would drive the animals up to the summer pastures.

The men helped ready things, then left the women there for the summer.

The work was hard, beginning at 4:00 in the morning.  The women milked the cows then let then out into the forests.  While the animals grazed, the women made cheese and butter.

In the evening they would bring the cows back in from the forest.  It was a big responsibility, and many things could go wrong.

My grandma always told me that her mother, Anna Lena, left Sweden because she didn’t like taking care of the cows.  The first time I visited relatives there in 1981, I told this story and they told me about the fäbods. Perhaps it was life at the fäbod that Anna Lena didn’t like.

The fäbod system died out decades ago, but some of the old buildings still exist in some areas.

This summer we were lucky enough to visit one near the village of Äppelbo.

Our host, John, told us that many of the old buildings were taken down in the 1930’s and the logs were sent to Stockholm to be used as firewood!

 

We fed the calves hard bread!  Who knew calves liked hard bread!?!

 

We also took turns blowing the horn to call the cows.

 

No cows came, but we all got some sound out of the horn!

 

It was a wonderful day.

When I was in Sweden this summer, Sven-Eric allowed us to go into his attic and look through four trunks of very old clothing.  It was like finding hidden treasure!  Among the wonderful finds there were two old leather aprons.

Every farmer, blacksmith and craftsman probably had an apron like this.

Even though they were stiff as boards, Torsten tried them on.

One had a lovely, hand woven neck band.

Sven-Eric generously gave one to Torsten, who has worked some conditioner into it and made it soft and supple again!

Torsten has formal Nåsdräkten, but also the everyday clothes, which he has on here.

Don’t you love the birch bark knapsack?

It’s great to see new life given to old things.

Of course Midsummer’s Eve is the big summer holiday in Sweden, and I love being there.  We enjoyed music in the church that morning.

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Everything is decorated with small birch trees and birch branches, even the entrance to the church.

In the afternoon we went to the folk park for the community celebration, which starts when the musicians arrive.

Many of my Swedish relatives were already there.

And the maypole was decorated and waiting to be raised.

I love seeing everyone in their folk dress, especially the children.

Everyone from the parish has the same dress.  This is my relative, Inga-Britt, whom I hadn’t seen in many years!

Here’s Emmy in her Nås dress, and don’t you love the man’s clothes?  I especially love Torsten’s frock coat.

With lots of help, the maypole gets hoisted into place.

It’s hard to take a picture with people and a maypole!

The park is right on the river, part of the same park where Ingmarsspelen is performed.  I told Torsten that during the intermission of the play, we were walking along the bank and we heard violin music coming from across the river.  It was hauntingly beautiful.  We looked and looked and Bob thought he could make out someone standing in the reeds on the other side.  Torsten said, “Oh, that was Näcke!”  At first I thought he was naming someone he knew, then I remembered that Näcke is the water sprite who makes beautiful music!  It must have been him!  Sometimes Näcke lures humans to a watery death, but other times he shares his talent for making beautiful music with them.  How lucky were we?

The wild lupine is in full bloom at midsummer and it has been a tradition to have my picture taken standing in a field of lupine.

Bob got creative with the camera!

We were invited to Sven-Eric’s for a midsummer meal.  It’s also traditional to mow around the daisies that bloom in your lawn!

The food was delicious, and there was plenty of it!

The weather was getting cloudy but it was nice enough that we could eat outside.

Two very happy guests.

And we even had room for dessert later as we sat up and talked into the wee hours of the morning.

Fabulous memories!

About a year and a half ago I bought a signature quilt on Ebay.

I bought it because I was intrigued by the design–and I love signature quilts.

When I was trying to determine the block pattern I first saw the blue pinwheel in the design, but then the rest of the pattern didn’t really make sense

Finally I realized that it’s a variation of a Rail Fence with three rails sewn around a red center.

The seller knew nothing about the quilt.  She had purchased it at an estate sale in California.  I surmised it was a World War II raffle quilt—members of a group like a Ladies Air or Auxiliary solicited people to pay a dime or a quarter to have their name embroidered on the quilt, then the quilt was raffled off.  You could tell by the different writing that many women had participated in creating the embroidered blocks.

I felt so sad that I didn’t know where this quilt had been made.  BUT, here’s the best part of the story.  My friend Jodi was visiting and I showed her the quilt.  Like me, she loves history and quilts, and she’s a geneologist!  She asked if she could take the quilt home for a bit and do some research, perhaps discover where this quilt was from.

A few weeks later we met for lunch and so she could return the quilt.  Well, you’ll never believe this.  Not only did she find out where the quilt was from, she had found a book on the history of the area–Pulaski County, Illinois!  She presented me with the quilt and the book.  She had transcribed all the names–all 505 of them!  She had found references to several of the people from the quilt in the history book.  What a treasure.  My first thought was that I should see if there’s a historical museum in the county and send the quilt there, but I remember saying to Jodi, “I’d rather the quilt went to an individual who has a connection with this quilt.”  And that was the end of the story—for awhile.

                             Photo from Pleasant Home

Jodi blogged about the quilt and eventually that blog came to the attention of a someone in Pulaski County!  When he read the post, he saw the names of his maternal grandmother and grandfather, his mother, an uncle, a great aunt and uncle, a cousin of his mother’s and his great-grandmother in one of the photos!  What were the chances!?!  Oh, and are you ready for this?  He’s a quilt collector!  I knew this quilt had found it’s home.

Last week I sent it off and this quilt is now back where it belongs.

I was cleaning up some photo files today and came across these photos of my shop.  It was a fun trip down memory lane!

Inmarsspelen is a play that has been performed in Nås every summer since 1959.  It’s presented in a beautiful setting along the river.

It’s based on a true story and adapted from the book Jerusalem by Selma Lagerlöf.

The story focuses on Ingmar Ingmasson and the Ingmar farm.  The farm is one of the largest and most respected in the village.  There has always been an Ingmar Ingmarsson on the farm.  But young Ingmar wasn’t oldest enough to inherit the farm when his father died, so the farm has passed to his sister, Karin and her husband, Halvar.

Ingmar is in love with Gertrude, and he wants to buy the farm back.  Halvar agrees to sell the farm to him if he can earn the money, so he goes into the forest to start a sawmill to make the money he needs.

While he is gone a preacher comes to the village preaching fire and brimstone.  Many people in the village become followers of Helgum, including Halvar.

Karin isn’t convinced, but a strange affliction has caused her to lose her ability to walk, until one day when her little girl almost drops her doll into the well and and Karin runs to save her.  She converts after that.

Even Gertrude becomes a follower of Helgum.

One day Helgum says that the world will end and the only place that will be saved is Jerusalem.  He wants his followers to sell their farms and belongings and follow him to Jerusalem.  He asks them all to listen for the God to call them.

When Ingmar returns from the forest and learns that his brother-in-law is going to sell the farm before he has enough money, and the Gertrude is planning to go to Jerusalem, he is angry and heartbroken.

Eventually, Gertrude decides to stay with Ingmar and marry him, even though he won’t have the farm.

The farm goods are auctioned off and plans are made to sell the farm.

But Ingmar is approached by a wealthy merchant who says he would like to buy the Ingmar Farm and give it Ingmar as a betrothal gift–if he will marry his daughter.

Ingmar has a dilemma.  In the end, he chooses the farm and marries the merchant’s daughter.

Gertrude goes to Jerusalem.

Footnote: In 1896, 38 farmers sold their farms for a pittance and moved to Jerusalem and join the American Colony there.  Families and friends were torn apart.  They day they left the skies grew dark and thundered rolled across the heavens as their wagons rolled out of town. You can read more here.

Some photos were taken from the Ingmarsspelen website.

 

In Swedish travelogues, I often see images from Millesgården, the sculpture garden created by the artist Carl Milles.

This trip  it was a priority to see it.  Sven-Eric accompanied Bob and me on a beautiful, sunny day.

We wandered the terraced grounds, enjoying the statues.

The movement of the figures is amazing.

Many of them have their necks arched, which I found very interesting.

The self guided tour starts out on a terrace where the artist’s home sits.

There are many sculptures there, and fabulous views of that hint of more to come.

The lower terrace is the most amazing, with this large Poseidon statue.

And pedestals…

…with sprites playing instruments.

The delicate balance of the sculptures is incredible.

To me, the most fascinating is The Hand of God.

An amazing day.

I love Skansen!  It’s the outdoor museum in Stockholm.

It has historic buildings from all over Sweden.  Some are prominent public buildings.

Others are typical farm buildings.

Many of them log construction.

Including this one from our family farm in Nås.

The fences are charming.

A raised bed garden!

And I particularly love the leaded glass windows.  Outside…

..and in!

There’s a lot of symbolism on this old candlestick.

Shoes made from birch bark!

Swedish horses.

A rune stone from Uppland.

We had “fika” — a coffee break!

Geraniums in the window, of course!

And a Mora clock.

A lovely day!

A visit to Sweden wouldn’t be complete without some time in Gamla Stan — the old town.

The narrow streets…..

…and charming architecture,,,

…hold such appeal.

There’s something to see up every street.

Other parts of the city are charming as well.

There are many green areas and fountains in the city,

We had some wonderful meals—and great desserts.

Pretty yummy, but made even better with the addition of some delicious chocolate sauce!

And, of course, there are bicycles everywhere.

And even though it was summer, some of them had studded tires!

That was a new one on me!