Sewing For The Home: Sachets For Linen Closets And Drawer

Hello everyone!  One of my projects for this study is to reclaim my linen closet, which has become a storage area for toiletries and medicines instead of linens.  In addition to our usual linens, I have a bin of vintage linens that I'm eager to bring into use during the study.

I'd like to sew some dried lavender sachets to place between stacks of sheets and towels to help keep them fresh.  This seems like a very period appropriate thing to do.  I was thinking of trying to sew a very flat sachet from plain muslin with the dimensions of about 8x8 inches, and then perhaps to sew decorate covers for the sachets that I can slip the sachets into.  I already have dried lavender, lavender essential oil, and the plain muslin, as well as various fabric (new and vintage) that I could use for the covers, and some sheer ribbon to use as ties.

Does anyone have any ideas?  Perhaps patterns or magazine articles from the 1930s?

Hi, Kimberly F! You might already know I am a non-sewer at this point, but I switched to linen sheets and towels recently to give 'em a try and got some lavender sachets from the company I bought them from to do as you mention: keep them fresh. They are small, simple linen bags with the cloth folded in half and the two sides sewn. The top edge is raw and they are tied with a ribbon to keep the lavender inside until refilling. Finished, they are about 5'' by 7''. They smell lovely and are supposed to keep bugs away. Anyway, that's how they constructed theirs. After hearing your ideas, I may just embroider them.

Thanks so much for sharing your experience with the sachets, Stephanie G.  I had typed out a longer reply but must have closed the tab before posting :(  I'd love to hear how you like your linen sheets and towels -- I just received a linen duvet cover but haven't washed it or put it on the duvet comforter yet.

I like my linen sheets so well that I wash them and immediately put them back on the bed! (I have only one set.) I got fed up washing thick terry towels because they always seemed hard to wash and rinse without using a lot of soap and water. I like using the thinner linen towels, though I suppose that would be a personal preference. They dry very quickly. All of the linen washes beautifully, and I love the homespun look of them. (I have rough linen.) I have a linen duvet cover too, and I love it, but I put my old comforter in as a fill and it kept scrunching toward the bottom. Maybe the sizes are mismatched, though it looked the right size. Or maybe there's some duvet magic that everyone knows but me to keeping it in place. :) It's my first one. When we had the terrible cold snap, I ordered the woolen insert the linen company makes for the duvets. I haven't received it yet, so couldn't tell you if it stays put better! 

I like natural fibers but I know they don't last as long as man-made fibers. Some of my undyed, color-grown cotton clothing has had a shorter life. I am wondering if the linen will turn out the same way. It's expensive stuff and I am trying to learn how best to preserve its longevity. I haven't had the linen long enough to know about its lifespan, but I have had it long enough to know that it softens with each washing. It's grows more beautiful that way, but I am wondering if it means the fibers are weakening.

From what I have read linen naturally softens over time with washing because there is pectin in the fibers that washed out.  I don't think getting softer makes it less strong.  One thing I'm care full with with my vintage linen pieces is to not dry them in direct sun for long periods of time (actually I try to be careful with all line drying when the sun is high) because I do think that weakens fabric.

We've been using duvets and covers for about 20 years now.  We started with IKEA duvets, which don't have loops sewn to them, or ties inside the covers.  Most of the time the duvet stay in place well enough with daily maintenance (holding the cover and duvet together at the corners on one end and shaking the rest of the duvet down to the other end).  I think it partly depends on how slippery the fabric of the cover is, as the duvets don't shift in the flannel covers, don't slip much in the cotton  percale covers, and slip far more in cotton sateen covers.  However, our newest duvet has loops, and we have a cover with ties, and this is the best thing for keeping the duvet positioned in the cover.  Our new linen cover also has ties.

Your linen towels sound like the have similar properties to Turkish cotton towels.  We were gifted two Turkish towels and use them in our camper van, and I love how soft they are and how quickly they dry.  We don't need new bath towels at present, but when the time comes I plan to sew my own bath towels, either from 100% linen or from Turkish cotton.

I'm going to get my craft room straightened out this week, and plan to make sachets either at the end of this week or beginning of next.  I need to enjoy having a craft room while I do, because in May we have to turn it back into a bedroom when my oldest graduates from university and moves back home, and I will be crafting in a room that is a combination TV watching room, library, and office for my husband on work-from-home days.

Thank you for letting me know about the pectin and about drying in the sun! I'll be careful about the direct sun from now on. 

Thank you also for telling me about the loops and ties. If the woolen one slips, I'll definitely sew some in. The old comforter is getting downgraded to Extra or Emergency Blanket when the new one arrives, since I'm trying to better prepare for the cold, and the possibility of losing power. 

Sewing your own towels -- that's brilliant! What a wonderful idea! I can barely sew a straight line with my machine, but maybe I can make some washcloths. My linen ones look simple enough. You're very talented! :) 

I'm not a talented or experienced seamstress, but I can sew a straight seam because my husband bought me a used fancy Janome sewing machine (10 years ago now!) that has an "AcuGuide Cloth Guide", or sometimes I use a quarter foot with a seam guide.  If want to do rolled edges on the towels instead of pressing them, I'll have to practice with the rolled hem foot.

At least the sachets don't have to be perfect!

Stephanie G, I am a linen geek and love my linen bed sheets, towels, table cloths, dresses... Linen is said to be twice as durable as cotton, and if you can get high quality linen sheets they most likely last for decades, just like they used to do. I recommend to get another set (or two, or three..)  to prolong their life for not being constantly used and washed. Linen fabric has also healing properties or benefits (linen is used for sutures as well). Miriam in Finland

Miriam K Thanks for the information. Linen sheets are low on the priority list as far as spending,  so I should probably switch them out with my cotton sheets until we get more. Apparently we Americans like very smooth linen because we don't want anything scratchy. The process to smooth it makes it not last as long. I bought the rougher linen so it would last as long as possible. At the price I paid for it, it had  better be good quality! 

The other lovely way to keep your linen closet fresh is to store new (unwrapped) bars of soap on the shelves in between the sheets, towels, etc. This not only gives a lovely fresh scent to the linens but also helps to harden the soap so it lasts much longer than if used fresh from the packet.