How to Make Herbal Sachets

You’ve probably bought at least one herbal sachet in your lifetime. If not, likely you’ve held one in your hand and taken in its intoxicating aroma. Making herbal sachets is a really easy garden craft, they make wonderful handmade gifts, and it’s a great way to use some of the bounty from your garden.

What to Put in Your Herbal Sachet

I personally like to keep a sachet filled with lavender in my lingerie drawer. I absolutely adore the smell of lavender so the longer I can keep savoring it, the better. Making a lavender herbal sachet is a great way to do that, but lavender isn’t the only thing that smells good!

Hint – these would make a beautiful Mother’s Day gift! But don’t forget to print out our free Mother’s Day cards too. 

Fresh herbs from your garden work great in sachets as well. Hint: it’s good luck if you find a toad in your garden as he’ll keep the bugs away! Be sure and welcome him with this adorable herb garden sign.

If you have an extensive garden, you may want to make these rock garden markers so you remember where everything will come up each year. Don’t have a lot of room for a garden? Make these darling herb pots and keep them on your patio or in the kitchen window!

Did you know that sachets that are filled with lavender, rosemary, dried lemon peels, rose petals, cedar chips and/or thyme will deter moths? Dried lavender has a wonderful scent where fresh rosemary is stronger than dried. Rosemary is easy to grow indoors in a pot, so you can grab your cuttings all year long, not just in the warm months.

Lavender is a perennial, so you can enjoy its beauty and aromatic scent every year after planting it only once! Cut the stems that have flowers and place them in a tall jar, do not add water. The flower will dry as it stands and can then be kept in an airtight jar to maintain its scent.

Can’t decide what type of herbal sachet to make? Sachets filled with mint, cedar chips, citronella, lemongrass and/or lavender prevent flea manifestation, while those filled with bay leaves, cloves and/or basil ward off flies. Popular herbs for aromatherapy include lavender, mint, lemon verbena and rosemary, thus making them perfect for lingerie drawers.

How to Make Herbal Sachets

You’ll want to use a breathable fabric, such as lightweight cotton, burlap, hemp, linen or tea bag mesh. Simple ribbon or twine works great for keep your herbal sachets closed as well as adding a little rustic elegance. You can make your own little bags using my instructions below, or you can buy bags that are already made. This is especially helpful if you are making multiple sachets.

You will need:

• Breathable fabric or premade drawstring bags
• Ribbon or twine
• Sewing machine or needle and thread
• Dried herbs and/or aromatic flower petals or dried flowers of your choice
• essential oils (optional)

Determine what size you would like your sachet to be and add about 1/2-inch to each side. Cut two pieces of fabric with this measurement (my larger bag is approximately 4” x 7”). Lay the two pieces of fabric so that the right sides are facing each other.

Pin the two pieces together to hold them in place. Start by finishing the top of your sachet. Fold down the fabric at one end, folding down by about 1/2-inch.

Sew a straight stitch across the folded fabric.

This will hide any frayed or jagged fabric edges inside the sachet. Repeat this process for the second top edge.

Sew a straight stitch through both pieces of fabric to close the sides and bottom, creating the sachet.

Remove the straight pins as you go.

The only end left open should be the top of the bag. Trim off all excess hanging threads.

Turn the fabric inside out.

Iron the fabric to remove any wrinkles.

Tuck herbs inside the sachet. For this one, I used fresh rosemary which is very fragrant.

In another, smaller sachet I used dried lavender buds.

Simply tuck them inside the sachet and tie it closed with ribbon or twine.

These make wonderful gifts and can be made in about 30-40 minutes.

It’s a wonderful way to share your garden’s bounty with a friend!

Come spring, remember which sachets were your favorite so you can stock up on the potted plants that you loved in your herbal sachets! Plant them in these adorable Strawberry Terra Cotta Pots or as mentioned before, these distinguishable Herb Pots.

Love garden crafts as much as I do? Don’t forget to swing by some of my most popular garden crafts like my Watering Can That Pours Crystals. This beauty adds a touch of whimsical charm to your garden! Or maybe a simple craft that children can help with as well, like my Ladybug Painted Rocks! Bursting with color and exploding with cuteness, you’ll love stumbling across them throughout your garden. Happy crafting!

If you love simple sewing projects that serve as gifts, try my dammit doll. And here are lots of sewing projects to make as gifts!

Print Project

How to Make Herbal Sachets

Author: Amanda Formaro

Supplies

• Breathable fabric
• Ribbon
• Sewing machine or needle and thread
• Herbs and/or aromatic flowers of your choice
• Essential oils 1-2 drops are optional

Instructions

• Determine what size you would like your sachet to be and add about 1/2-inch to each side. Cut two pieces of fabric with this measurement (my larger bag is approximately 4” x 7”). Lay the two pieces of fabric so that the right sides are facing each other.
• Pin the two pieces together to hold them in place. Start by finishing the top of your sachet. Fold down the fabric at one end, folding down by about 1/2-inch.
• Sew a straight stitch across the folded fabric.
• This will hide any frayed or jagged fabric edges inside the sachet. Repeat this process for the second top edge.
• Sew a straight stitch through both pieces of fabric to close the sides and bottom, creating the sachet.
• Remove the straight pins as you go.
• The only end left open should be the top of the bag. Trim off all excess hanging threads.
• Turn the fabric inside out.
• Iron the fabric to remove any wrinkles.
• Tuck herbs inside the sachet. For this one I used fresh rosemary which is very fragrant.
• In another, smaller sachet I used dried lavender buds.
• Simply tuck them inside the sachet and tie it closed with ribbon or twine.
• These make wonderful gifts and can be made in about 30-40 minutes.

This post was originally published on this blog on June 28, 2017.