Dryer Sheet & Lavendar Sachets

I hope you guys don’t think this is too kooky but … I have a hard time throwing dryer sheets away. They still smell good after one use and it seems such a waste. (I know you can reuse them but I don’t do that either. haha)

So I end up putting them in my dresser drawers to help keep the clothes smelling nice – but that’s getting a bit out of hand and messy looking.

I decided to whip up some little sachets to hold them, and being a girl, I decided they should be pretty at the same time. I have a bunch of lace and doilies that I’ve gathered. It’s something I always check for at yard sales and antique stores. And I buy it if it’s a good price even if there are spots and things, because I can always use parts of it.

So here is my little sachet made using a vintage doily. Actually, I got carried away. Here are the 3 that I made.

These are quick and easy. Kind of like making a tiny tiny pillow. Ready for the tutorial?

I used linen, doilies, ribbon, and some sheer fabric that I got on clearance at Target. Seriously – $2.48 for 2 sheer curtain panels? I can’t buy the fabric for that price!

I cut my linen into a 7 1/2″ square for the front and two 5″ x 7 1/2″ squares for the back. I also cut a square out of the sheer fabric just smaller than the doily size.

For the backs, hem the bottom of one rectangle and the top of the other. Cut some coordinating ribbon and add a piece to the bottom of your top rectangle and about halfway down from the top of the bottom rectangle.

Place the top rectangle over the bottom piece so that they overlap to make a 7 1/2″ square. Baste the two sides together where they overlap.

Set this aside and start on your top piece. Layer your linen square, then the sheer fabric, then the doily. Pin everything down. For this cotton type of doily, I sewed very close to the edge, then at the next section of needlework, to make sure to catch the sheer fabric.

Flip the linen over to the back. Just inside the second stitching line make a slit and cut the linen out. Make sure you don’t cut the sheer fabric.

I treated the inside with Fray Check just to be safe.

You can see the sheer fabric through the lace just a bit.

Place the front and back, right sides together, and sew around all four sides. Trim the corners to help it turn nicely.

You don’t have to do this, but I also zig-zagged around the outside, just to cut down on the fraying.

Turn right side out and press. See? Easy!

Here’s the back – it’s pretty too.

Add in your dryer sheets for a pretty smelling sachet. Pat yourself on the back for being a stylish recycler. ;)

Maybe at this point you get carried away too.

I decided that this would be a great way to use some Lavender I had, but I didn’t want it to spill out so I didn’t make the back the same.

I cut 5″ squares out of linen, sheer fabric, and a lace scrap I had.

Layer then together in this order – Linen, Lace, then Sheer fabric. Sew around the edges, leaving an opening in the center of one side. Trim your corners again and turn right side out.

Fill the square with Lavender – or other dried potpourri. You could even use dried tea! For this sachet I used a 1/4 ounce of Lavender. A funnel helps here too.

Hand stitch the opening closed and you have a wonderful smelling sachet!

Here are the three sachets again – the crocheted doily is a cheap one I found at Joann’s one day – I just zigzagged it onto the linen, leaving only the center ring open with the sheer under it. Just to be different.

I love that these are all about recycling, but they look and smell so pretty.

I think they’d make great gifts or stocking stuffers too – you could even use the sheer fabric to make up bags of potpourri to give with the larger sachets so they could be changed out. What do you think?