How to Make a Lavender Sachet

I'm here today to share a simple secret: Many herb projects that make great gifts go together fast and are inexpensive. You don't even have to grow the ingredients yourself. You can buy four or five herbs in bulk to make culinary blends, potpourri or bath infusions to keep or give away. Fill decorative jars (or bags) with them for office gifts or hand them out at your next family reunion.

Making Gifts with Herbs Is Easy and Can Be Inexpensive

People like it when you give them something you've made yourself. It creates a bond. A few generations ago, care and effort meant spending valuable resources to ride into town and buy something ready-made. These days, care and effort means expending time more than spending money. It's always about giving what's most precious.

Using Lavender in Fast, Simple Herb Crafts

I like to make crafts with lavender because lavender isn't a strictly girlie scent, so men are more likely to appreciate it. It makes a nice air freshener because it covers other odors without leaving a cloying, flowery fragrance behind. It's a flower, but after being used in soap for generations, it's most often associated with freshness and cleanliness. Among other things, lavender is a muscle relaxer. Drinking lavender tea or just smelling the fragrance is a good precursor to bedtime, and may even be one of your best friends in bed -- when you put a lavender sachet under your pillow.

Closeup of twine drawstring

How to Make a Lavender Sachet

The following visual tutorial will show you how easy it is to make an attractive lavender sachet -- in less than three minutes. It uses  2.75" x 4" muslin bags. You can buy them in bulk in multiple sizes. These are from a bulk bag of 50 that cost around $10.00. I purchased the lavender buds in bulk to supplement what I grow myself. It's culinary grade (you can use it in cooking and tea). A pound costs around $12.

Tying the ribbon and twine

I'm replacing the inexpensive twine drawstring with a ribbon. This will make the bag more suitable for gift giving. The ribbon roll cost 50 cents at a local variety store. The process is simple:

Clip the twine drawstring that comes with most muslin bags and tie one end to the ribbon. Pull the other end of the twine, drawing the ribbon through the track in the bag. Once in place, snip off the twine end of the ribbon and tie a knot in each end of the new ribbon drawstring to keep it from accidentally slipping into the track when you open the bag.

After the ribbon is in place, fill the bag with about two tablespoons of lavender buds or flowers. Close the bag with a knot or bow.

Pulling the ribbon through

That's it.

Uses for a Lavender or Other Herb Sachet

You can place the bag under your bed pillow to help you sleep, slip it in an empty suitcase (or a drawer of lingerie) to keep it smelling fresh or add it to your bath water for some natural aromatherapy (it is reusable). (If you reduce the quantity of lavender to a single tablespoon, you can even use it as a teabag -- although there are smaller bags available for that).

The scent should last for a month or more and can be renewed with a couple of drops of lavender essential oil. You can also just replace the lavender in the bag.

Finished lavender sachet

Variations on a Lavender Sachet

Make blended recipes for your sachets using rosemary, rosebuds, orange peel, sage or dried lemon balm. You can add a decorative gift card to dress it up. Make multiple sachets: some for teas, some to tuck under your pillow for a better night's sleep and some to add to the bath. It's up to you.

If you purchased the bag of lavender, muslin bags and ribbon above, you could make thirty lavender sachets and have bags left over for other things. The project would cost under $30 and take less than 90 minutes. I know. I've done it.

You can buy more expensive, larger or smaller bags,  make your own bags (or pillows) using gauzy fabrics or lace, embroider names or motifs on the bags - whatever you want. These are fun, attractive, quick and inexpensive.

Fast and easy -- but a rather charming grace note -- don't you think?