Handmade Lavender Pouches

Our Art and Craft Workshop has been working on a lavender bag project. Participants have been learning how to use sewing machines and practising by making lavender bags using our handwoven fabrics from our Weavery Workshop and lavender grown in our Garden Workshop. Some of the lavender bags, made entirely by our participants, were sold at our Handmade Craft & Food Fair.

Over the last three months, the workshop staff have worked alongside the residents, teaching and showing them new skills to make these lavender bags. The residents have created their own paper template to help them learn to measure and cut fabric neatly. In addition, residents have had the chance to practice weekly, learning to draw straight lines with fabric pens, cut fabric as accurately as possible, and pin fabric together. Before sewing the final products, many practice bags were made beforehand.

Within this group, we have had two visually impaired residents who have also taken part in sewing lavender bags. Thanks to their vision, our staff adapted the activity to create a fabric cylinder that could be placed at the base of the sewing machine to feed the fabric continuously. They have created their own unique fabric by using many different stitches and patterns selected on the machine.

Our residents have shown their passion and dedication, putting in a lot of effort and love, so that they could be sold to the public.

Additionally, last year we received funding from the Jim Marshall Charity to purchase sewing machines, which the group used for this project.