Farmhouse Lavender Sachets a Simple Yet Beautiful Dried Lavender Use

Maybe you haven’t heard, we are huge fans of lavender! It is hands down my favorite herb to grow and dry. I love creating beautiful things for our home and handmade gifts with lavender.  It’s so versatile and suits almost everyone, you can’t go wrong with lavender. I’m going to show you how to make lavender sachets with a few simple supplies. 

In fact, if you have a few pieces of scrap fabric to spare, a cup of rice in the pantry, and a bundle of lavender – you can make these in no time! 

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Handmade Lavender Sachets the Gift that Keeps on Giving

One of the great things about gifting handmade lavender sachets is that they truly are the gift that keeps on giving. They can keep your linens smelling fresh for years to come. 

How long do lavender sachets last?

Made with a combination of dried lavender buds, rice, and essential oil a homemade dried lavender sachet can hold fragrance for 20 years. You see, the rice helps absorb the essential oil and releases the fragrance over time. That’s quite a sustainable gift. 

Every few months, give the lavender sachet a massage or squeeze to release more of the scent. And over the years, you can add a few extra drops of essential oil anytime for a quick burst of scent. This comes in handy if you have guests arriving soon and you want the guest rooms, linens, or towels to smell fresh!  Lavender sachet uses extend beyond the guest room and gift-giving. Here’s a handful of ways we use lavender sachets in our farmhouse. 

Lavender Sachet Uses:

• Carry a lavender sachet in your gym bag to keep things smelling fresh
• Tuck one in the trunk of your car and under the seats for a natural car air freshener
• Toss a sachet in the dryer to replace dryer sheets
• Keep one in your PJ drawer to infuse your jammies with sleepy notes of lavender
• Have a baby? Keep one in the diaper bag or where you store swaddle blankets 
• Store a lavender sachet in your suitcase to keep the moths away if you don’t travel often
• The same goes for duvets, extra pillows, and sheets – use a sachet to deter moths
• Sew on a ribbon to sachets to hang in your closets for moth control as well 

No matter which lavender sachet uses you choose to enjoy, it all starts with harvesting and drying lavender. How do you dry lavender flowers? Use our tips for making this part simple and enjoyable. Or pick a bundle of dried lavender at your local farmers market or have it shipped to your door, like this bag of organic lavender buds. 

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How to Harvest Fresh Lavender:

• You’ll know it’s the best time to harvest lavender when the buds have formed but the lavender is not in full bloom. (Waiting too long to harvest lavender can result in a less potent fragrance.) 
• Harvest fresh lavender in the evening or mid-morning when the sun is less intense and the lavender is completely dry from any morning dew.
• Make sure to leave a good 2-inches of growth on the plant when cutting lavender stems. Do not cut down to the woody portion of stems.

HOW TO DRY LAVENDER: 

How to Dry Lavender Step 1: 

After harvesting fresh lavender remove the leaves.  (If you are drying lavender you’ve had arranged in water, be sure to cut off any brown parts as well.) 

Gathering Bundles to Dry Step 2: 

Next, gather lavender stems in bundles of 5 to 10 or 10 to 20. Wrap a rubber band at the base of the stems to hold each bunch together. As the lavender dries the rubber band will compensate, keeping the lavender in a tight bundle. Cut the bottom of the stems to an even length. 

Hanging Lavender to Dry Step 3:

To dry lavender slip a paper clip, clothespin, or twine under the rubber band to hang the lavender. Choose a dark area if possible like a barn or garden shed to hang lavender bundles upside to dry. (Hanging lavender upside down helps retain the shape of the blossoms. And the darkness helps the lavender preserve its vibrant color.) 

If you don’t have dark space to dry lavender in, you can carefully place each lavender bundle in a brown paper bag to shade from sunlight. You’ll also want to leave space around each bundle for good airflow and faster drying.

Drying Lavender Step 4:

After hanging each lavender bundle to dry, lay a flat white sheet or cardboard boxes you can reuse underneath all to catch buds that fall from the stem. Don’t let those go to waste – use them in your homemade lavender sachets!

Allow 2 to 4 weeks of drying time for lavender. The amount of time it will take for drying lavender often depends on the location you are drying in and the level of humidity. However, once the lavender is dried of all moisture in the stems, buds, and center of the bundle the wait is over. You now have dried lavender, ready for use! 

Removing Buds from Dried Lavender Step 5: 

To make lavender sachets among other things you’ll want to remove the buds from several dried lavender bundles. This step is best done over the sheet or cardboard boxes you placed under the bundles for drying. So, grab a chair in your barn or garden shed and remove a hanging bundle of dry lavender.

Gently remove the lavender buds from each stem by simply running your fingers over the buds from the bottom to the top. Allow every bud to fall onto the sheet or into the box beneath you. 

Repeat for as many bundles as you choose, then remove any stems that may have fallen with the buds into your harvest of dried lavender. 

How to Store Dry Lavender 

Now, that you have quite a pile of dried lavender buds it’s time to store your harvest. To help retain their fragrance and scent it’s best to store dried lavender in an airtight container away from direct sunlight. 

And as for your whole dried lavender bundles, you can store them as they are or decorate your farmhouse with each. 

HOW TO MAKE LAVENDER SACHETS

1. Cut and Iron Fabric:

Preferably using a fabric cutting board and a rotary cutter or scissors and a ruler, cut fabric into 10 4×6-inch rectangles. Iron each piece of cut fabric until flat. 

2. Stamp Fabric: 

After ironing, allow the fabric to cool before stamping. Tap stamp on a black stamp ink pad and press into the center of one prepared fabric rectangle. Repeat for each rectangle with the same stamp or alternate. (See my tip at the end of the article for selecting stamps for lavender sachets.) 

3. Sew Fabric to Create Sachets:

Layer two fabric rectangles together, with the pattern facing the inside. Sew three sides together with a half-inch border. For the fourth side, sew leaving a small opening to fill with lavender. 

Repeat for each pair of cut fabric rectangles until you have five sachets total. Iron again as needed and set aside.

4. Make Lavender Sachet Filler:

Pour 3 cups of rice into a medium mixing bowl. Add twelve drops of lavender essential oil and stir until evenly blended. Pour 1 cup of dried lavender buds into the mixture and stir well. 

5. Fill Each Sachet with the Lavender Mixture:

Create a little cone with a standard sheet of paper and place it in the opening of one sachet. Carefully spoon lavender mixture into the sachet until it is about ¾ full. Pin closed and sew the opening. Remove the sewing pins and repeat for the remaining 4 lavender sachets. 

How to Make Lavender Sachets Personalized

If these lavender sachets are intended for a gift such as a wedding gift stamp each sachet with a monogram. Or if you like to embroidery as I do, add a monogram with your hand stitches. Then stack a little bundle of 3 sachets together and tie with a ribbon and a sprig of dried lavender. What a heartfelt gift homemade lavender sachets can create! 

To use lavender sachets as homemade wedding favors you could have a custom stamp made with the bride and groom’s name or wedding date, like this one. I had Jeanne make us a custom stamp for the farm. 

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Regardless of how you choose to make lavender sachets a personalized gift, their soft calming scent and handmade appeal will be well received.  Have you harvested lavender before? I love to hear your tips – share it with us on Instagram tag #farmhousechicliving and don’t forget to Pin these steps on how to make lavender sachets.