What's Out There: Sachets
A co-worker has a lavender farm, and sells a number of products: soap, essential oil, flavored salt and other culinary seasonings, and best of all, reasonably priced non-culinary lavender flowers. A friend and I split a 1 lb bag, and my portion was a gallon ziplock full of lavender! It smells heavenly even from inside a sealed plastic bag, and I intend to make sachets. A whole LOT of sachets if that gallon ziplock is any indication!
My grandmother always kept sachets in her dresser drawers and closets. She had many different kinds. She had a few crocheted ones, and little satin pillows tied with ribbon. There were also small bags that gathered at the top, some teeny with powder in them, and some were larger and filled with potpourri. Most of hers smelled of roses.
In looking for sachet ideas, I found that sachets have been used for centuries to ward off insects, and make clothing and linens smell good. There were many recipes to deter different kinds of insects and rodents. Sachets with dried moth-repellent herbs like wormwood, southernwood, costmary, lavender, pennyroyal, lemon verbena, rosemary, rue, sage and tansy are called “moth bags.” Many areas of the world used them. In China between 200 BC and 800 AD, sachets were very popular to ward of odors, insects and evil. In Europe, bad odors, or miasma, was thought to carry the plague. Small fragrant sachets worn on a ribbon around the neck was thought to ward it off. Queen Isabella of Spain had a favorite recipe consisting of dried rose and carnation petals, orris and calamus root, and other ingredients like powdered coriander seeds. The oldest formula printed for a list of ingredients in an America scented sachet comes from a Colonial Williamsburg book, The Compleat Housewife, published in 1742.
Often, people grew their own herbs and flowers for their sachets in a kitchen garden that also grew vegetables for the household. Many plants can be grown here. Lavender, roses, lemon verbena, sage and thyme are all used. Often, a reusable drawstring muslin bag was used so that herbs past their prime could be tossed out and new ones added. A few drops of essential oils can extend the life of a sachet or rejuvenate an old one.
There are just as many recipes as there are kinds of sachets. Some are as simple as just pouring lavender buds in a little bag. Some have a dozen ingredients. At this website you can get a sachet recipe and a suggested bag color for your astrological sign. Some of the recipes sounded very nice, particularly the Yule one. However I must admit to a bit of skepticism that a combination of Mustard Seed, Comfrey, Irish Moss and Bladderwrack in a yellow bag will protect one while travelling.
For the bag designs, the web is full of ideas. This craft craft website is a great starting point. Looking through their ideas, I have fabric stamps and ink, could do a bit of embroidery on a small bag, or could even crochet the doily shown at far left. If I were inclined and had the machine, I could machine embroider a cute design on a small bag or pillow. I definitely have some beautiful handkerchiefs that could be used. So many ideas. I can’t wait to get started!
Happy Sewing!
Leigh Wheeler
President
