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Canning Day Quilt

Lavender Sachets

Far and away, the most useful flower in my garden is lavender.  I use it for a number of different projects including Lavender Eye Pillows, Lavender Bottles and Sachets.  I love they way it smells… clean and not too sweet.

Lavender sachets are not just for my lingerie drawer.  A sachet is wonderful in a linen drawer, or even in a desk drawer.  Your stationary will take on the slight scent of lavender.

If you don’t want or have time to sew, a sachet can be made from a lace handkerchief.  Put the lavender in the center of the handkerchief, pull the corners up to the center and tie a ribbon around the bundle.

If you have a small amount of fabric and a couple minutes, it’s easy to sew a sachet bag.  My favorite kind of sachet are ribbon closed bags, because it’s easy to open the bag and refresh the scent by adding a few drops of essential oil.  Or when it gets too old, it’s easy to replace the lavender altogether.

Here’s how to make sachet:

To dry lavender from your garden, cut the stems on a dry morning.  I place rubber band around the base of the stems, then tie a piece of twine in a slip knot around that.  I hang them in a cool dry place (my basement) for several weeks.  Once dry, they are ready to use.

The quickest way I’ve found to remove lavender from stems is to lay the dried lavender on a clean dishtowel.

Fold up the towel and roll it with a rolling pin.

Unroll the towel and discard the stems.  This method doesn’t remove every flower from the stems, but it’s fast and does a good job.  Shake the flowers from the towel into a bowl.

For a sachet, I prefer fabric with 100% natural fibers, such as cotton, linen or silk.  I’ve even cut up old linen bedding for sachets.  (Even when the bedding has some holes, it’s easy to find enough good fabric to make many sachets.

Cut a piece of fabric 11″ x 8″.

Fold the fabric in half lengthwise, right sides together.

Using a 1/2 inch seam, stitch along the long side and bottom of the folded fabric.

Fold the top of the fabric down a little more than halfway.  There will be no need to stitch the fold into place, as it will be tucked down inside the bag.  This method makes the top of the sachet very clean.  I’ve made them before with a hem at the top and it looks messy, this method is much better.

Press the top of the fold.

Turn the bag right side out, using a chopstick to make the corners crisp.  Fill with about 3/4 cup of lavender.  You can also substitute other herbs or spices that you love such as: cloves, lemon peel, cedar shavings, or cinnamon sticks that have been crushed.

Tie the top of your sachet with ribbon.

It’s ready for the drawer.  If it stops smelling as strongly, I give it a squeeze, which releases some of the oils.  A lavender sachet in a drawer will last for at least a couple of years…. sometimes longer.

Sachets are a great way to use up your supply of lavender from the garden.  And if, like me, you have a copious amounts of lavender, sew extra sachets and put them away for last minute gifts.



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8 Responses to “Lavender Sachets”

  • Julie:

    This is my first year planting lavender, and there are so many possibilities. I’m so excited — thanks for the fun ideas.

  • Erin B:

    Oh now I know what to do with my lavender & scraps of fabric! how delish! thanks Calli for the reminder!

  • Lisa:

    You have no idea how much I wish we were neighbors. Your crafts and recipes and gardening all inspire me. Out of the three, I can only cook. Teehee. Anyhow, while I was visiting the states I bought some totally cute fabric and a Simplicity “Sewing for Dummies” pattern for a very simple no frills apron. I’m determined to teach myself to sew because of all the simply lovely things that you make. I’m your biggest banana bread recipe fan… and now I am off to try and find lavender here in the jungles of Okinawa where I am sure I will not find it… but I must try anyhow because the ladies in the Bible study must all be gifted with these little darlings.
    :)

  • Timmi:

    I wish I knew how to be a good plant parent; my plants never survive my treatment….not even sure if lavender would grow in desert :o(

    These are super cute though!

  • norniea:

    Just discovered your blog, its one of very few I frequent, (after my son’s mission blog and PW’s) Your’s is a wonderful site.
    Thanks for the lavender post. I am drying my first cuttings off my ‘normal’ lavender bushes. I have a “spanish lavender” (I think) bush, (my abbynormal) bush, they are fatter at the ends and the little flowers stick out of the top? I’m not sure what to do with the cuttings. Any ideas?

  • I love your blog and I am linking you up on MIdchix.com in the Craft Mamas Flock!
    Have a wonderful day and come over and link up your recipes and projects at Midchix! I know our members will LOVE them!
    http://www.midchix.com//mod/riverdashboard/

  • […] Use sachets in your closets and drawers.  I wrote a tutorial for making a simple sachet here. […]

  • […] on the following activities. Yarn dolls using this tutorial, whirligigs using this tutorial and lavender sachets using this […]

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