“MARCH, 1846-- I have at last got the little room I have wanted so long, and am very happy about it. It does me good to be alone, and Mother has made it very pretty and neat for me. My work-basket and desk are by the window, and my closet is full of dried herbs that smell very nice.”
~ Louisa May Alcott, Diary Entry
(I had promised more ways to use your abundance of dried peppermint!)
Mix up some of your favorite, dried, moth-reppellent herbs...
bay leaves
chamomile
cinnamon sticks (crushed/broken)
cloves (whole)
eucalyptus
feverfew
lemon verbena
peppermint
rosemary
wormwood
Scoop them into a little sachet (hand-made or store-bought)...
We sewed ours. We didn't hem the sides (we left them raw). I think it looks prettier this way...
You can use some of your old fabric scraps or something like ours which were already pre-cut to size...
Once the herbs are inside the pocket, sew up the opening.
Store them away with your seasonal coats, woolens, clothing and blankets
to keep the moths away during the summer months...
Add some liberally into your closets and drawers to further protect your fabrics and provide a sweet scent.
Herbal homemaking is a quiet, gentle and romantic art that slows one down in this busy world
while giving us time to reflect on what is truly important.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
~ Matthew 6:19-21
Note: To remove any form of deception, I normally would not have much time for such sewing pursuits. It would seem like a project like this would be last on a busy homemaking list. However, I save these sorts of gentle doings and desires for our mother-daughter time together. When making these moments of bonding, I am also able to share a slower lifestyle where the loving details do matter, light conversation, some basic sewing procedures, instill a passion and knowledge for herbs and good, pure, old fashioned homemaking. Perhaps you now have permission to enjoy a project like this with your children? Even boys can be involved by foraging for some of these herbs (i.e, climb those eucalyptus and bay leaf trees)!
All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays, The Scoop, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop, Wow Us Wednesdays, Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, From the Farm Blog Hop, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, Shabbilicious Friday, Simply Natural Saturdays and Clever Chicks Blog Hop. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).
What a lovely idea! The fabrics you used are so pretty too. : )
ReplyDeleteThank you Sarah! The fabric swatches were a gift and we really enjoyed sewing with them! :)
DeleteDear JES, I love what you tacked on at the end about using this project as a source of quality mother-daughter (or son) time. Thinking of it that way, I am much more likely to do it. Like many others I am sure, although I love the idea of sewing pretty things, it feels like a luxury and so always comes last on my to-do list. I even got a new sewing machine this year, but I haven't touched it since March when I made some play food for my daughter's birthday. I think it's time to dust my machine off, despite the weeds in the garden! Thank you for the inspiration. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Laura! I know exactly what you mean which is why I included the P.S. :) These kinds of projects are a luxury but bonding is a necessity! Why not make some time for both, right?! Have a lovely week and hope you are able to enjoy that new machine soon!
DeleteBeautiful sachets! I put herbs in drawers and storage containers with woolen clothing, but they are in plain off-white bags that aren't pretty at all. Must make.
ReplyDeleteI am even imagining those plain, white bags with some embroidery on them! How sweet would that be! Perhaps an herb picture on each bag! :)
DeleteFirst, thank you for that last paragraph. I feel better about all I cannot get to!
ReplyDeleteSecond, where do you get your ingredients?
Sending a smile your way! :)
DeleteLet's see, the ingredients:
bay leaves (I dried them from a neighbor's tree)
chamomile (local health food store)
cinnamon sticks (crushed/broken) (pantry)
cloves (whole) (pantry)
eucalyptus (dried them from a tree in our back yard)
feverfew (did not use)
lavender (dried them from our lavender bush)
lemon verbena (did not use but have now found a source, yay!)
peppermint (had some in our apothecary, and grow ourselves and dry too!)
rosemary (found in our pantry)
wormwood (did not use)
Hope this helps!
JES, I have the peppermint and the lavender growing in my herb garden so I'm going to stitch up some of these little beauties. Thank you for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteThat will make a lovely and frugal combination when you grow them! Wonderful Patsi! :)
DeleteSweetest JES, this is such a wonderful idea! Thank you so much for sharing with us, my friend. I hope to make some of these soon :) Hugs and joy!
ReplyDeleteI am sure you will make up some lovely, romantic, pretty sachets! I would love to see them! :)
DeleteJes, this is just lovely and I cannot wait to make some. I adore herbs as repellent. So much nicer than chemical things! Mimi xxx
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more Mimi! Thank you for sharing here today :)
DeletePerfect timing all of a sudden in my cottage I have been seeing small moths flying about.. I can't wait to make some yours look so pretty.. I think I will hand sew mine, and I think it is a great sewing learning project for the grandchildren. Thank you for sharing this. Happy weekend with lo e Janice
ReplyDeleteSome hand sewn sachets will be darling! I like the idea of using double embroidery floss to get that homespun look! And crafting with the grandchildren is a great idea! :) Thank you for stopping by Janice!
DeleteOh yes, these are a great idea JES! I have had pantry moth trouble this year so I think these would be perfect! They would make lovely gifts too.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing,
xTania
I think they would make lovely gifts too! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
DeleteLove these. I want to make some. Great gift idea too!
ReplyDeleteJes, I'm thrilled you shared this at Five Star Frou-Frou. I also shared it in the Tray of Bliss Facebook group, so I hope you got some bloggy love, Mimi xxx
ReplyDelete