We are really getting spoilt at the moment with lovely guest posts from some of our recommended wedding suppliers, and today we have another DIY project to inspire all you crafty brides.  If you are looking for wedding favour ideas to make, then Katy and Kath at The Brides Table have a great step-by-step guide to making these pretty petal pockets.

If you love the look of these petal pocket wedding favours but don’t feel crafty enough to have a go making them yourself, or if you already have a wedding ‘to do’ list as long as your arm, then visit The Brides Table website where you can buy them instead.  They would also make beautiful bridesmaid gifts.

Over to Katy and Kath…

These petal pocket favours are filled with dried petals or lavender and not only do they smell divine, they look so pretty too!

You could ask your family and friends to save flowers from their gardens for you to use (roses work particularly well).  Just before the petals drop, collect them on a tray and leave to dry in the sun or on a very low heat in your oven.

You will need:

• Dried petals or lavender
• 1 linen square (4.5 inches or 11.5 cm) – try to choose a loose-weave linen if you can
• 2 linen rectangles,(each 3 inches by 4.5 inches or 8cm by 11.5 cm) – try to choose a loose-weave linen if you can
• 1 handful of dried garden petals
• Rose petal fragrance or perfume of your choice
• Lace or ribbon trim.

1. Take the two linen rectangles and place one on top of the other.  Starting at the top, and using a half inch (1cm) seam allowance  stitch for one inch (2.5cm) then stop.  Backstitch to start and finish.

2. Leave the next 2.5 inches (6.5 cm) unstitched and complete the seam by stitching the bottom 1 inch (2.5cm).  You will have a gap of about 2.5 inches (6.5cm) in the middle of the seam.  Back-stitch to start and finish.

3. Press the seam open then place the fabric, right side uppermost on your machine.  Top-stitch around the 2.5 inch (6.5cm) gap, stitching through all layers to make a constructed ‘buttonhole.’  This is the back of the petal pocket and should look like this.

4. Place the linen square on top of the completed back, right sides together.  Pin through all layers and stitch around all 4 sides, using the machine foot as a seam allowance guide.

5. Snip all four corners just beyond the stitching line.

6. Turn the pocket inside out, by pulling the top square through the constructed buttonhole.

7. Poke a pencil or scissor point carefully into each corner to bring  it to a crisp point.

8. Drop several drops of your Rose Fragrance or other fragrance onto your dried petals or lavender and swish them around to distribute the perfume.  Carefully fill the pocket with petals.

9. Slip-stitch the buttonhole closed.

10. Embellish the pocket: you can gather lace into a circle and top with a tiny motif button or bead or alternatively, stitch two lengths of lace together and wrap them around the pocket, finishing with a ribbon bow.

The Brides Table is a recommended supplier of The Natural Wedding Company. Based in Yorkshire, they make chair sashes, wedding favours, napkin cuffs, table runners, and accessories.  Their materials are often simple (humble hessian, vintage linen, antique lace) but their imagination is not.  Visit http://thebridestable.com for more details or contact them at katy@thebridestable.com.