I had a small scrap of fabric leftover from the Hmong pillows I made a few weeks ago. I’m trying not to let too much time pass between sewing projects (my sewing machine has sat unused for too long) so I brainstormed another easy DIY for the scrap…lavender sachets!
Assuming you have a sewing machine, scissors, needle, thread and paper on hand, this project requires only a few supplies: fabric, leather lace and dried lavender flowers. As I mentioned, the fabric was leftover from a previous project. It was roughly 12″ x 11″. I found the leather lace at JoAnn’s for less than $3 on sale. (It’s with the jewelry supplies.) The bag of organic lavender was $19 from Amazon but it looks like it isn’t available directly right now so the price is screwy. Maybe check it in a few days or weeks and see if Amazon has it back in stock. Or this looks like a similar alternative. Of course, you could always opt for a difference scent if you wanted, too.
I ended up making two sachets (with plenty of leather lace and lavender leftover for future sachets). Here’s what I did…
1. I cut two 11″ strips of leather lace to create hanging loops for the two sachets.
2. I cut my scrap fabric into four equal “squares.” (With my scrap, this equated to four pieces that measured roughly 6″ x 5.5″. They weren’t perfect squares.) I layered two squares on top of each other – wrong sides facing out – and repeated with the other two fabric squares.
3. I folded a leather strip in half and placed it between two layered squares leaving ~½” of the loose ends sticking out past the fabric. I placed the leather loop about an inch or so away from the top right corner. I repeated this with the other strip of leather lace and remaining fabric squares.
4. Starting at the leather loose ends, I sewed around the squares in a clockwise manner but stopped about 2″ shy of my starting point to leave an opening.
5. This is how the inside-out sachets looked after sewing and leaving a small opening at the top. I trimmed the excess fabric around the edges then turned the sachets right side out.
6. I used the eraser end of a pencil to help push out the corners.
7. I made a makeshift paper funnel and used it to fill the sachet with lavender. I filled each sachet with about 1 cup of lavender.
8. I closed up the small opening at the top of each sachet using a blind stitch.
Voila! A super simple sachet that smells pretty amazing. As you can see, I switched up the fabric so one sachet has solid fabric showing and the other has patterned fabric showing. I like them both! The leather loops allow me to hang them up almost anywhere. The possibilities are endless.
Try one on a hook near the front door so guests are greeted with a gentle waft of lavender.
Hang one on a bathroom doorknob to keep things smelling fresh. *BONUS* – Steamy showers will help release the scent even more.
Instead of wearing perfume, loop a sachet over a hanger in the closet to scent clothes for a special occasion.
If you own thrifted or vintage furniture pieces, try tossing one in a drawer to ward off musty odors.
Sachets aren’t just for the home. Hang one from the rearview mirror in your car.
Handmade sachets are a great gift idea, too. Personally, I like giving gifts that are one part bought and one part handmade. Pair a handmade sachet with a pretty scarf or sweater for a more thoughtful gift. Seeing as how I have a bag of lavender leftover from this project, I can’t wait to hit up some local fabric stores for discounted scraps to make more sachets. Wouldn’t they make cute teacher gifts for the holidays?
Anyway, these were a lot of fun to put together and I’m happy I used up all the Hmong fabric. Two sewing projects in two months?! My sewing machine doesn’t know what to think.
images: Dana Miller fro House*Tweaking
budget decor, DIY, inspiration