A few years ago my mother-in-law decided to grow lavender on a large scale. It was a fun project for her for a number of years, and I ended up with so much dried lavender. I put it into soaps and scrubs and all sorts of things.
These sachets were fun to make and besides smelling great, are very useful
Why Use Lavender in Sachets?
The essential oils in lavender are known for being soothing and relaxing for most people, but they have a very different effect on insects.
Lavender acts as a repellant to moths and insects.
When you make sachets with dried lavender you can help deter the insects that will eat holes in your stored clothes, without using toxic, smelly mothballs.
Enclosing the lavender in a breathable natural fabric such as linen or muslin cotton will prevent any possible discoloration from direct contact of the lavender or oils with your clothes, but will still allow the fragrance to freely release.
Lavender sachets do not have to be used for long-term storage. They are also wonderful for releasing a faint scent in your drawers of socks and underthings.
How to Embroider and Sew Sachets
This project is perfect for dipping your toes into embroidery. You can easily practice a number of different stitches to gain experience before moving on to a larger project.
Even better is that even though these little sachets are beginner-friendly, they are highly valued and appreciated as sweet little handmade gifts.
I loved coming up with all the little embroidery designs.
Embroidery Supplies Needed to Get Started
- embroidery hoop (4″ is sufficient, but you could go larger)
- embroidery needle (one with a bigger “eye”)
- embroidery floss in coordinating colors
- sharp sewing scissors
- unbleached muslin or linnen
Also, to make the sachets, you’ll need some loose dried lavender flowers.
Tips for construction
It is easier to embroider on a large piece of fabric, so do not cut out the sachets until after you are done embroidering.
You can mark out the sachet in pencil on the fabric. Mark out a rectangle in a 1 x 2 ratio. (These were roughly 2.5 x 5 inches.)
Embroider designs as desired in one half of the rectangle– leaving 1/2 inch space around the designs.
I tried to stick mostly with the purple and green color scheme since they are lavender sachets. I embroidered on a recycled linen fabric that I think is really nice for it’s use as a sachet.
These designs were made using the basic embroidery stitches: backstitch, french knot, satin stitch, and a detached chain stitch.
Youtube is a great resource for watching beginner embroidery stitch tutorials.
Cut out the rectangles. Fold rectangle in half–like a taco–with the good side of the embroidery on the inside. Sew up both sides 1/4 inch from the edges.
Turn right-side out.
Fill with fragrant dried lavender. Don’t overstuff or you won’t be able to sew it closed.
Tuck the raw edges of the top down inside 1/4 inch. Topstitch close to the edge to seal the pocket
Using Lavender Sachets to Protect Clothes
Always make sure the area you will be storing clothes is freshly vacuumed, and that your clothing is freshly laundered.
Place clothing into a garment bag or plastic tote. Place a lavender sachet on top of clothes inside container.
Lavender sachets will need to be replaced when you do your seasonal swap every six months. Or you can refresh the scent of your dried lavender with a few drops of essential oil.