Lavender
Buttons &
Stitches

It all started with a bag of Lavender and a theme for an afternoon tea.

I had missed having my usual afternoon teas in December because we were visiting relatives for the Christmas Season. Now it was March and April was fast approaching. I remember when I was little, on a rainy day in April, my dad saying, “April showers bring May flowers.” That would be my theme. Flowers. As I sat looking out at the willow tree slowly turning green after a very long cold winter I thought back to my childhood days in Scotland. We lived in a small stone built cottage with a very large garden. I remember seeing the snowdrops in February then the crocuses and the bright yellow daffodils heralding in Spring. Following close behind were the tulips in great abundance with a rainbow of colors. I then remembered the smells of the garden. The freshly dug earth awaiting mum to plant the beds of fragrant Sweet William. The honeysuckle climbing up and over the rustic fencing which framed the path leading to the bottom of the garden. The climbing roses outside our bedroom window and the fragrance wafting in through the open window on a still summers night. Lastly the lavender bushes. On my way down the path to our front gate I would pass the bushes and I would often run my fingers over the fragrant flowers. Sometimes gathering a few heads into my pocket and rubbing them between my fingers while sitting on the bus on my way to school made think of that garden. Lavender bags – yes that will be my gift for the ladies at my next themed tea. I took my bag of lavender from the Cape Cod Lavender Farm, my fabric scraps and got started. Now what would make these sachets different and very special.
Buttons – read on.

This was definitely turning into a project filled with memories and reflections as I retrieved the old “button tin.” My mum had a square button tin which had once held tea. Her sister – Aunt Jean- had a preserving jar and my granny had the button tin seen in the picture. I have a small heart shaped tin given to me by a dear friend. As I poured out the buttons I saw so many things that brought back memories. Leather buttons from a duffle coat, a trench coat button, a button from an overall, many small buttons which were obviously from shirts, a collar stud and even part of a ladies suspender. Probably no one knows what a suspender belt is. It was used to keep up ladies stockings long before tights were even invented! Years ago everyone had a button tin and I remembered my mum and my granny always cutting the buttons off torn or well worn garments before throwing them out. We never needed to buy a shirt button! I started to look through my granny’s button tin for buttons to match the fabric. Everyone would have a little bit of history from “Granny’s Button Tin ” on their lavender sachet.

You may think this is the end of the story but it is not. While I was looking through the buttons I saw a gold colored ring and thought that it was probably a curtain ring. I remember my granny saying that during the war people did not have money or the resources and would get married with a curtain ring. Whether this was true or not I do not know. I looked closer and saw markings inside HS 9 375 and a picture of an anchor. I looked up the markings on line and it was a 9 carat gold ring with Birmingham UK Assay Office. The company that sold it was H. Samuel hence the HS stamp. This was a jeweler that hade been in Dundee, Scotland for years. Who did this belong to I do not know but it is now safe and out of the button tin.

All of my little sachets were completed now. Everyone was different – just like all the ladies that I had made them for. I said a prayer for each person as I hand stitched the small lavender sachets and gave thanks for all the memories and joy that this little project brought me.

The fabric of life
is held together
with the stitches
of Love.

Made with love by Heather

Find instructions HERE.