Textiles Talk

Sachets

Question:

Hi everyone,  Out of curiosity I opened one of those paper envelope sachets to see what was in them. It looked like vermiculite, the stuff you add to potting soil. It makes sense, the granules would absorb the liquid scent, be light in weight and probably hold the scent longer than any other material.      Would this work in XS cloth sachets? Would the essential oil seep through? I would appreciate any other ideas. — XS forever, housework whenever X/USA/H+++(Tony)27yrs/Y21 X19 Y15 Y13/1C/1B/An Amish Table Grace XE/14A/D/:-X/SQ/M/na/b+/naS/K/E++/S/G/W+/P.Brosnon/Peretti DQ Banana pudding Blizzard

Response:

I’ve been intending to make sachets all fall. What you describe is cellulose fiber (as in trees) It is sold scentless at San Francisco Herb Co. for a 1.50 a lb… !  (they are on the net and you can order from there.) It is used in most commercial products instead of the traditional fixatives like Calamus and Orris Root – both of which are very expensive (comparatively) www.sfherb.com (Hey, it turned Blue !!!!!) Educational NOTES:  A fixative is just what it sounds like –   some kind of herb/root/resin that fixes or preserves the scent of the flowers, resins, spices and oils in a Potpourri or sachet.  Also, there are important differences between Fragrance oils and essential oils. Fragrance oils are often a mix of natural and synthetic  oils,  they can not be used for ood  - essential oils come (or should come!!) from natural sources solely and can be used safely for aromatherapy and food. The difference between a sachet and a potpourri is that a sachet was traditionally a powered mixture and was placed in small fabric envelopes and Potpourris were and are meant to be pleasing to the eyes as well as the senses and therefore contain whole herbs and spices. Modern store bought potpourris use many things that do not have any scent and depend solely on fragrance oil or even perfume for scent. San Francisco Herb is VERY reliable and trust worthy… I buy almost all my herbs from them and I’ve been dealing with them for years. They are also an excellent source of Black Teas and Medicinal  Herbs (Botanicals) and Spices. ( I buy my saffron from them in one ounce containers from Spain. OH, what a scent ! )  You can use the Cellulose with herbs. I would probably make a little inner envelope of a very thin fabric so the herbs/ cellulose don’t rest directly on the outer fabric. Most directions also suggest filling the sachet with some kind of batting or Fleece. If you do that the extra fabric envelope isn’t nearly as important. Just wrap your scent in the batting/Fleece and close the outer envelope as you see fit. I personally would try both ways and see which works best. (Looking at their catalog They have several sachet formulas which use the cellulose fixative and whole herbs, not exactly what traditionalists would use, but it will work fine.)   I’ve often worried about the oils getting on good fabric but I’ve never read any thing about the danger one way or other. I suspect it is a matter of experience and opinion. If you use a little fleece to wrap your herbs  I am pretty sure you have nothing to worry about – a friend made some scented sleep pillows with fleece and they did not stain at all. ( If you use ground ingredients I would suggest  using the inner fabric, still.)     OH , last note : a great cat toy is a sachet of Cat mint (catnip) !!!! make it out of strong fabric with no dye, my dear felines lick their toys. The SF herb company catalog has all kinds of recipes for potpourris and sachets. If You decide to go in that direction I’ll post a list of books. WELL have fun with your projects. Kathleen Mary. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi everyone, Out of curiosity I opened one of those paper envelope sachets to see what was in them. It looked like vermiculite, the stuff you add to potting soil. It makes sense, the granules would absorb the liquid scent, be light in weight and probably hold the scent longer than any other material.   Would this work in XS cloth sachets? Would the essential oil seep through? I would appreciate any other ideas. — XS forever, housework whenever X/USA/H+++(Tony)27yrs/Y21 X19 Y15 Y13/1C/1B/An Amish Table Grace XE/14A/D/:-X/SQ/M/na/b+/naS/K/E++/S/G/W+/P.Brosnon/Peretti DQ Banana pudding Blizzard

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi everyone, Out of curiosity I opened one of those paper envelope sachets to see what was in them. It looked like vermiculite, the stuff you add to potting soil. It makes sense, the granules would absorb the liquid scent, be light in weight and probably hold the scent longer than any other material.   Would this work in XS cloth sachets? Would the essential oil seep through? I would appreciate any other ideas.

 I think she was asking how to make scented sachets to perhaps give as gifts, using cross stitched bags. Vermiculite is inert; it doesn’t rot away or anything AFAIK.  I don’t see why you couldn’t use it in a sachet.  If you’re worried about the essential oils seeping through the XS fabric, I’d make a muslin liner bag to actually put the stuff into, then insert into your XS bag. Karen

Yes, Karen, that’s what I wanted to know. I had thought about using a muslin liner also.  I think that would work, and the fragrance would probably last longer than potpourri. BTW, I would’nt have caught your reply had I not checked at remarq.com.  Reading others complaining about their ISP not picking up all the posts, I thought I’d better do some checking myself. Linda * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Hi everyone, Out of curiosity I opened one of those paper envelope sachets to see what was in them. It looked like vermiculite, the stuff you add to potting soil. It makes sense, the granules would absorb the liquid scent, be light in weight and probably hold the scent longer than any other material.     Would this work in XS cloth sachets? Would the essential oil seep through? I would appreciate any other ideas. If you are speaking of the packets that are marked "Do Not Eat" usually they contain a form of silica. I would not use them for long term storage on your linens, but might if linens were wrapped in plastic. They still should be replaced minimum yearly.  Short term yes, if the packet looks in good condition. The packet’s paper should look crisp. If not, those little beads have already come in contact with a moisture source. The main problem with reusing them is that you don’t know what they may have come in contact with during their original use.

No, I think she was asking how to make scented sachets to perhaps give as gifts, using cross stitched bags. Vermiculite is inert; it doesn’t rot away or anything AFAIK.  I don’t see why you couldn’t use it in a sachet.  If you’re worried about the essential oils seeping through the XS fabric, I’d make a muslin liner bag to actually put the stuff into, then insert into your XS bag. Karen

Response:

Hi everyone, Out of curiosity I opened one of those paper envelope sachets to see what was in them. It looked like vermiculite, the stuff you add to potting soil. It makes sense, the granules would absorb the liquid scent, be light in weight and probably hold the scent longer than any other material.     Would this work in XS cloth sachets? Would the essential oil seep through? I would appreciate any other ideas. — XS forever, housework whenever

If you are speaking of the packets that are marked "Do Not Eat" usually they contain a form of silica. I would not use them for long term storage on your linens, but might if linens were wrapped in plastic. They still should be replaced minimum yearly.  Short term yes, if the packet looks in good condition. The packet’s paper should look crisp. If not, those little beads have already come in contact with a moisture source. The main problem with reusing them is that you don’t know what they may have come in contact with during their original use. Shawn WIPs Irises from Eden in Stained Glass International Round Robin

Response:

Filed under: fleece fabric

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