As you may know, Tajana and I had a handmade gift exchange recently – I made her a WIP bag for her knitting and a matching ‘phone case, card wallet and coin purse.

And Tajana made me……..

…….THIS!

A beautifully knitted shawl in a totally gorgeous shade of blue and the sweetest crocheted brooch that matches perfectly.

I love them both so much – but that’s not all, she also must have spent ages embroidering this cute sheep and hen. I put it into an embroidery hoop immediately.

It now hangs in my studio to inspire me every day.

Tajana professes to be a novice when it comes to sewing, so imagine my delight when I unwrapped this to see all those tiny, perfect little stitches in such a pretty design.

For a while I wasn’t sure what to do with it but it’s far too nice to just leave as it is, and then I thought ‘lavender bag’ – ideal for my wardrobe and I will be reminded of the lovely Tajana every morning when I get dressed.

So here’s a quick run down of what I did: –

After folding the piece in half, I stitched just outside the outline and cut it out, leaving a small gap in the stitching at the shoulder edge.

It was turned to the right side and lightly filled with dried lavender.

A cut down wire coat hanger was inserted, then the opening stitched together by hand.

It’s already in my wardrobe making all my clothes smell wonderful.

Thanks a million T!