In the last post, I discussed how to harvest and dry Lavender. Now that you have your collection of dried lavender, what can you do with it? Well, if you search the internet, you will find TONS of things you can make with lavender. I am a big fan of simple. Usually, one of the biggest factors I consider is time. I like to keep things easy and try to use what I have around the house, if possible. So with that in mind, I thought lavender sachets would be the perfect thing to make. They are really simple to assemble and can be used in a variety of ways. I also should mention that if you do not have lavender to harvest, it can very easily be purchased online. If you just search "dried lavender" there are tons of places that sell it.
If you have lavender bundles that you have dried, you will want to remove the buds from the stalks. To do this, get two paper towels and place the bundle sandwiched in between them.
Once you have your Lavender bundle between your two pieces of paper towel, gently roll the bundle back and forth.
Lift the top towel periodically. You will notice the buds falling off. Keep repeating until most of the buds have been released from the stalks.
At the point which most of the buds have been detached, I will pick up the bundle between my hands and roll it to release the rest.
I scoop my collection of buds into a glass ball jar to store it. I like to use glass because plastic tends to absorb scents.
In order to make your sachets, you will need some fabric scraps. If you like to sew, this is a great way to use up your leftover scraps. You can use any cotton fabric (such as old sheets, pillow cases, thrift store finds, etc.). I actually happened to have some small squares I bought a long time ago. You can actually buy squares and circles at the fabric store, already pre-cut. Start by cutting two squares of the same size.
Here, you can see the pre-cut squares. These measure about 5 x 5". Cotton muslin is also a great fabric to use. It is so inexpensive. It looks great plain but you can also jazz it up with some embroidery for that special touch. If you are giving it as a gift, you could embroider initials.
To make the sachet, place your two fabric squares together, right sides facing each other (the nice sides of the fabric facing each other, as you will be turning these inside out.)
Line up your fabric pieces so that they match and sew around 3 sides, leaving about 1/4 inch around the seams.
Trim around the edges being careful not to cut the lines you just sewed.
Trim the corners at an angle, as shown in the picture above. Trimming the edges, allows the sachet to be more flat and neat after you turn it right side out.
Now turn the sachet so that the right side of the fabric is facing out. I like to iron it so that the creases are nice and flat. Now take the open side and fold it under about 1/4 of in inch and iron it to flatten out the crease. While the ironing is optional, I think it also makes it much easier to sew and neater looking but if you do not want to deal with the iron, feel free to skip that part and just finger press your creases (Just use your fingers to flatten and crease the edges.)
Here is the sachet folded and pressed and ready to be filled with lavender.
Fill your sachet 1/2 to 3/4 fill. The key is leaving enough space at the top to be able to sew it closed without the lavender buds getting in the way. For 5 x 5, I used about 1/2 cup and gave myself plenty of room. Mine were about 1/2 full.
Once you fill your sachet 1/2 full of lavender buds, now sew the open side shut, being careful to shake down any buds and leaving about 1/4 inch seam. Do the same to the additional sides. Before sewing, I had to shake and roll the seams to clear them of the buds before sewing.
After sewing, clip all the strings hanging off. There you have it! A lovely little, delicious smelling sachet.
If you want a little short cut, this is another option. Rather than sewing around all the sides, just sew the top closed. You can even add a little decorative stitch, if you like. You can use embroidery or fabric paint/markers to personalize your creations. These would be so cute as party favors for a wedding or baby shower. They would make great additions to a spa gift basket and would be great as gift toppers.
These can be used to freshen up drawers or closets and also to ward off moths! They also are great to use as dryer sheets to freshen up your clothes. Sew up a bunch to have ready to go for your favorite girlfriend, teacher, mother, sister, Aunt just to name a few!!!
Happy crafting!
Warmly,
Pam