Introduction: Burlap Sachet With Peppermint As Flea Repellent

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We've recently made a foray into sitting dogs for fun and profit. One item not taken into consideration during planning was any fleas they may bring. We've got a few animals of our own and want to minimize their suffering and make the house as unpleasant a place for the fleas to reside as at all possible. To that end, we took up some of our peppermint (fleas hate all mint) from the garden, dried it, and made some sachets to put around the house. Here's how!

Step 1: Gather Mint

We have a peppermint plant in our garden and it is PROLIFIC! So in order to save the other plants, I chopped it back quite a lot, gathering a fair haul of peppermint for drying. Our method of drying consists of washing the leaves off and then hanging them from a clothesline (or reasonable facsimile) for about a week. The photo above is just after washing. This amount turned into approximately 1 ounce of dry leaves. After the peppermint is dried, I threw it all into a small paper bag and mashed it around a bit, then put on a Netflix video and picked out all the stems.

Step 2: Gather Supplies

Pictured above, we have some burlap from the craft store (I think this kind was for ribbon or something), sewing needle and thread, dried peppermint, and two buttons. The piece of paper in the photo is just for contrast.

Step 3:

We wanted the smell to easily waft out of the sachet, so the burlap fit the bill, if doubled up over itself. In the photo, you can see we used a clip to keep the burlap folded the way we wanted it while I readied the sewing needle and thread.

Step 4: More Sewing

I needed something to keep the thread from pulling through the burlap, and that is where the button comes in. As shown in the photos, I threaded the button, then threaded it back on itself to hide the unsightly clump of thread at the end. I am no master tailor and this is meant to hide in a drawer or underneath furniture, so aesthetics were not prioritized.

Step 5: Even More Sewing

Using the clip to keep the burlap folded, I quickly stitched a seam along each edge in turn, leaving the top for last. Filled the sachet with dried peppermint, and stitched the last seam. Done!

...If you are in the Atlanta area, come check out our makerspace in Marietta two blocks south of the historic Marietta Square.

Check us out at

www.theMakerStation.com meetup.com/Cobb-County-Makers-Meetup/

To visit Cobb County Makers Meetup, go here:

http://www.meetup.com/Cobb-County-Makers-Meetup/