Lavender Sachet Business Cards

Well, I'm back from Alt.  I had great intentions of posting while I was there, but I really didn't have a moment to spare.  I'll share more about my experience when I've had a couple days to process all that a did and saw.  But, I will tell you, it was a fantastic experience and I'm exhausted mentally and physically.

In the months leading up to Alt, I kept reading about the fantastic business cards that people made and shared at Alt.  I wanted to come up with something memorable and unique.  So, I made these Lavender Sachet Business Cards.  I knew I wanted something with fabric and something that would leave a lasting impression.  These cards grabbed the attention of a few senses, not just sight, but also touch and smell.

So, here's how I made these personalized lavender sachets.  To start, I printed my business card on fabric at Spoonflower.  In Illustrator, I drew out my business cards to fit on a fat quarter of fabric.  I made my cards 4 1/8 by 2 5/8", so that I would have a seem allowance to make them almost exactly business card size when they were done.  I was able to fit 35 cards on the piece of fabric.  Spoonflower is a fantastic company, with excellent customer service.  I've printed fabric with them before.  For mother's day, I printed one of my Grandma's hand written recipe cards onto linen and made it into a tea towel for my mom.

Then I found a really great grey and white ikat cotton to back them with.  So that the lavender would not show through the front of the card, I lined it with white cotton.  I cut all 3 pieces to exactly 4 1/8 by 2 5/8".  

I placed the white piece on top of the printed piece and them put right sides together and sewed the card  all the way around leaving a 1/2" opening on one end.  I trimmed the corners and then turned the card right side out.  I ironed it flat and crisp and then filled each one with about 1/4 cup of good quality lavender.  

To close the opening, I first tried just machine top stitching them, but I really didn't like seeing the seam. I knew I didn't have time to hand stitch them all, so I tried something I have never used before.  I'm kind of embarrassed to say it, but I used fabric glue (Fabri-Tac permanent adhesive).  It kind of feels like cheating, but really is worked amazingly and gave me the clean seamless finish I was wanting.  But, standing in line at the fabric store with this glue in my hands was a little embarrassing.  I kind of wanted to explain myself to everyone else in line.  Like "I DO know how to sew, really!!"

They smell fantastic and it was nice having one in my suitcase while I travelled.  I have plans to make more of these for favors for a future event.  The possibilities are endless when you can print ANYTHING on fabric with Spoonflower.  Wouldn't these be perfect for a spa themed shower favor?