Make a tussy mussy

The causes of diseases were not understood in medieval times. One theory was that bad smells could make people ill.

Tussy mussys were believed to be a way of protecting from diseases, particularly the plague, by guarding against bad smells. A tussy mussy is a sweet-smelling bag of herbs.

Follow these simple steps to make your own…

YAC HQ

Adult supervision is required.

Type of Activity : Crafting

How many people required (minimum) : 1+

Safety Measures : Be careful when using scissors!

Ages : All Ages

Time Required: 30 minutes

Step 1

Use your compasses to draw a circle about 14cm in diameter on your A4 cardboard. Cut it out with scissors.

Step 2

Draw around your circle template onto your piece of material, and cut this out so you have a circle of material.

Step 3

Pick three or four different herbs to go into the tussy mussy and add a teaspoon of each into the centre of the material.

Step 4

Fold your material in half and then gather the material together to make a small bag containing the herbs.

Step 5

Tie the neck of your bag together with the string leaving enough thread to attach the bag to a belt or the wrist.

Step 6

Sniff at regular intervals to protect from diseases such as the plague! Why not try? You don't have to use the same herbs as us. You can use anything safe which smells nice. Why not try some different combinations; what is your favourite?