Recently a dear family friend contacted me to see if I would make some sachets out of her, and her mother’s, wedding dresses. I gladly agreed. She and her family have been friends of our family for many years. In fact, I used to babysit their daughter who now has children of her own. She sent me pieces of lace and buttons from her gown and then a piece of satin from her mother’s dress. Her only request was that some of the sachets be made with a combination of the lace and the satin and some just from the satin. Here is what I came up with: my DIY lavender sachet tutorial.

These sachets are a wonderful keepsake for families and are easy to make. They are also practical and make your drawers and cabinets smell lovely.

Looks at the beautiful fabrics I was sent!

I will admit that sewing with satin and lace can be tricky, but I took my time, used a couple of sewing tricks, and it worked out perfectly. See how they are made in my YouTube video or follow along below.

What You Will Need

• Various pieces of a wedding dress – I had lace, satin and buttons
• Dried lavender buds
• Fusible woven interfacing – I used interfacing for 2 reasons – 1 – Satin slips and stretches and the interfacing makes it easier to work with, 2 – I did not want the lavender buds to stain the satin.
• Funnel or other tool to get lavender buds into the sachet (optional)
• Tool of turning the sachet inside out (optional)
• General sewing supplies

Some of these items, along with my favorite tools can be found in my Amazon store.

As an Amazon Affiliate I Earn From Qualifying Purchases

Cut the Pieces

To make one sachet you will need to cut:

• Two pieces of wedding dress fabric (in my case the satin). I cut mine 5″ square.
• Two pieces of the fusible interfacing cut the same size as the fabric squares.

Prepare the Fabric

Following the fusible interfacing manufacturer’s instructions, adhere the interfacing to the back of the fabric. On the satin it is the non-shiny side.

Adding Other Embellishments

Before sewing the two sides of the diy lavender sachets together you may want to add embellishments. In my case I had some lovely lace and buttons that I wanted to add. I made four sachets using both the mother and the daughter’s dresses and I made each one a bit differently.

On all 4 sachets that I made using the satin and the lace, I added a 5″ square of lace to one side.

For the sachet pictured on the left I added a 5″ strip from the buttons on the other side. I

n the center photo I added parts of the strip of buttons on the corners and cut out a lace florette and added a button in the center.

For the one in the third photo I added the lace from the strip of buttons around the edge.

To secure the embellishments I sewed them on before sewing the two sides together. I used coordinating thread and in my machine I used a Microtex 70/10 needle because the fabrics were delicate. when possible I tried to hide my stitching so it would not be obvious.

Sewing the Sides Together

Once the embellishments have been added it is time to sew the two sides together. I used a generous 1/4″ seam allowance.

First, line up the two sides together with right sides facing. Second, using wonder clips, secure the layers in place around all four sides. Note: Satin and lace snag easily so I suggest not using pins. Third, sew around all four edges leaving a 2″ or 3″ gap so you can turn the sachet inside out. Make sure to backstitch at the beginning and ending of the opening so the seams don’t rip open when turning the sachet inside out.

Snip the corners to help get sharper corners. Then turn the sachet inside out. Because of all of the layers this can take a bit of time and care. It is easy to snag the lace so I suggest taking your time with this step. Also, because of the layers, the corners are not as sharp as they might be if it was just one layer of fabric.

Add the Lavender Buds

Using a funnel or another tool, add the lavender buds. From time to time you may have to tap them down to get more in. I had problems with my funnel being too small so ended up using a piece of paper folded in half. A spoon would work too.

Once you have filled it as much as you’d like, it is time to close the sachet up.

Sew the Sachet Closed

There are a couple of ways to seal the sachet up. You can use your sewing machine or you can hand stitch it closed.

I decided to use the ladder stitch to close mine up because I did not want to see the stitches. You could easily use a decorative stitch around the edges and close it that way.

Note: My video tutorial demonstrates how to do a ladder stitch if you are unfamiliar with it.

DIY Lavender Sachets

Enjoy your new sachet.

My friend will be giving these to her family members as a special keepsake and I was honored to have been asked to make them. I love that some of them incorporate the dresses of both the mother and the daughter.

If you have a special wedding dress (or dresses) that you want to preserve, these DIY lavender sachets are a wonderful way to do that. An added benefit is that your sewing room will smell awesome while you are making them!

My Other Keepsake Projects

I love making projects with special fabrics. Here are some of my other tutorials made with items that I saved after my father had passed away.