Tuesday 6 August 2013

Herbal Hearts

There is a downside to this hot weather! That is the sudden invasion of insects I am confronted with indoors. Whether they are buzzing noisily at the windows; hovering threateningly over anything remotely edible or fluttering towards my linens - they are a pest. So today I decided to make a natural insect repellent and thus put my dried herbs to good use.


(Source)

I have been gathering and drying the herbs from the allotment over the past several months now 


and so I put together a combination of dried Lavender flowers, Artemisia, Nepeta, Mint, Marjoram and Thyme. 


A fresh scent of summer herbs pervaded the kitchen, bringing the outdoors inside.



Using scraps of floral linens (mostly from my favourite fabric shop Cabbages and Roses), I cut out several heart shapes.


After pinning, stitching and turning the hearts - I stuffed them with the dried herb mixture.




and then hand-stitched the openings closed and threaded through some twine to hang them from,


With the hearts hanging around my linens the air is full of their herbal scent, so I am hopeful that now the flies and moths will no longer be a nuisance, and they look pretty too - much better than using chemicals. Don't you agree?

xxx

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