Holiday Projects: Herbal Sachets

Sachets are a small luxury that can make a special handmade gift.  Whether you create a simple drawstring sachet, or a more detailed flower shaped sachet, your handmade project will make a wonderful gift for family and friends.  In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to create two different sachets.  Both projects can be made with almost any fabric, but thinner, more breathable fabrics are best.

Herbal Sachets make great last minute holiday gifts because you can create them from scrap fabric, and leftover herbs or teas.  They are surprisingly quick and easy to make, and so pretty!  Stuff them in stockings, give them as small gifts, or as complimentary gifts to clothing, bath baskets, or linens!

Herbal Sachet Filling
For my sachets, I used the same filling that I used to create the Sweet Dreams Bedtime Sachets in April.  The great thing about this project is that you can use pretty much any leftover herbs, potpourri, or even loose herbal tea to fill sachets with.  To liven up their aroma, add a few drops of Essential Oil to the mixture.  Lavender, Rose, or Grapefruit are all popular aromas for sachets.  You can also use a few drops of your favorite Candle Fragrance Oil to add extra aroma to your sachets.

Drawstring Sachet
Creating a Drawstring Sachet is very easy.  You’ll need one 5″ by 6″ rectangle of fabric, a 6″ – 12″ Ribbon, and matching thread.  Fold the fabric in half (lengthwise), and stitch one short side, and one long side closed, leaving one short side open.  Fold the open side down by 3/4″ and stitch a hem.  Make sure to stitch the hem deep enough to allow room for the ribbon to be threaded inside.  After the hem is stitched, cut a small opening in the hem somewhere inconspicuous, then turn the bag out.  Thread the ribbon through the small hole in the bag’s hem.  To make this easier, try attaching a small safety pin to the ribbon first.  Once the ribbon has been threaded all the way through, you can fill the sachet with its Herbal Filling, and tie the bag shut with its ribbon.

Flower Shaped Sachet
The directions for this sachet are a little more complicated, but it is still surprisingly easy to make.  Start out with two matching circles of fabric.  You can use any round household object to trace your circles with.  The larger the circle, the easier the sachet will be to work with, so if you are a beginner, I would recommend making your circles at least 6 inches wide.  Stitch your two circles together following the round outer edges, giving yourself at least a 1/2″ seam allowance.  Stitch almost the whole way around, leaving a good sized opening for you to fill the sachet with.  To make this as easy as possible, I would recommend leaving an opening that is large enough for a spoon to fit through.

Once you are finished stitching, turn the circle out and fill it with your Herbal Sachet Filling.   Fill the sachet about 3/4 – 7/8 of the way up, then use a slip stitch to close the opening.  Now that the sachet’s body is finished, you’ll need to embellish it using embroidery floss, and a matching button.  Thread a large embroidery needle with a long length of floss.  You’ll need about 6 times the width of the flower.  For example, if your flower is six inches across, you’ll need about 36 inches of floss.  Secure the floss with an anchor stitch, or by tying a large knot at the end of your thread.

Stitch through the middle of the sachet several times, pulling each stitch tightly.  Next, form the petals by passing the thread over the outer side of the sachet and pulling the thread through the middle.  Repeat this step eight times to create six even petals.  (You can see an illustration of this technique being used to create a pin cushion here.) Once the petals have been formed, stitch through the middle several times in the same spot to secure the stitching.  Use the remaining thread to attach the matching button and you are done!