Grain sacks are a wonderful trend if you ask me. From their faded graphics to the texture of the fabric, I just can’t get enough of them. But cutting into grain sack fabric for upcycling crafts seems almost sacrilegious, doesn’t it? I wanted to create some DIY lavender sachets that looked like grain sack but not actually with grain sack fabric.
So, I started thrift shopping for just the right thing to upcycle. When I found this linen curtain panel at Goodwill, I knew it was the perfect thing to upcycle into grain sack fabric.
The linen curtain was exactly what I needed to create a faux version of grain sack fabric! It had the right color and texture, and I was getting a LOT of fabric for such a low price.
To get the look of feed sack fabric, I just needed a few more craft supplies. For creating some grain sack stripes, I needed painter’s tape and fabric ink.
And to mix it up with some “printed” grain sack fabric, I grabbed some rubber stamps, as well.
With everything in hand, I was ready to make some DIY lavender sachets!
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Grain Sack Fabric from a Linen Curtain Panel
I jumped right in to faking the look of grain sack fabric. First, I played around with the fabric ink and rubber stamps to get a feel for quantity of ink, pressure to apply, etc.
I purposefully used uneven pressure while stamping to get a “faded” look!
After I played around with the fabric inks, I was ready to start work on the DIY lavender sachets. First, I cut out matching sets of 4” and 4½” fabric squares.
Then, I cut thin, even strips of painter’s tape and pressed them carefully on the squares. In between the matching squares of fabric, I placed a piece of tin foil to keep the fabric ink from bleeding through.
This way, I kept the pairs together and didn’t have to re-match them up later on.
After effectively stenciling the fabric ink between the pieces of tape (using as little ink as possible), I let everything dry for several hours.
Once the fabric ink had sufficiently dried, I ironed the sets of fabric squares.
This not only removed the wrinkles, but also was an important step in “setting” the fabric ink.
And just like that, I had dozens of perfect little squares that looked like grain sack fabric! The painter’s tape worked perfectly as grain sack stencils, didn’t it?
Now I was ready to start making lavender bags with them!
DIY Lavender Sachets
Using my sewing machine, I then stitched all around each set of fabric squares.
I also left a healthy ¾” margin along each side and small 1” opening on one of the sides.
Next, I poured in plenty of dried lavender blossoms until the DIY lavender sachets were pleasantly plump.
If you have lavender essential oil on hand, you could also add a few drops to the dried lavender for longer-lasting fragrance.
To finish them off, I stitched the open hole closed (carefully lining up my stitches to make it as seamless-looking as possible).
Lastly, I took my pinking shears to the raw edges to clean them up and limit the potential fraying.
Grain Sack Fabric for Scented Sachets
And then voilà, I had an entire set of sachet bags made with my faux version of grain sack fabric!
That linen curtain from Goodwill worked out better for this project than I had even hoped.
These lavender bags are perfect for dresser drawers or packing away winter clothes for the season. They’re also excellent if you need some handmade gifts!
Either way, I love how my DIY grain sack fabric turned out. And I think there all kinds of applications for it. What would you make with some feed sack fabric that you made by upcycling a curtain from the thrift store?
Speaking of fabric crafts, I hope you’ll check out my book, “Crafting with Flannel”! It’s filled with all sorts of sewing and non-sewing project ideas with flannel fabric.
And if you enjoyed this upcycling idea for grain sack fabric, then you’ll also love this French farmhouse decor idea, too!
Craft on!
S
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Sarah Ramberg is the owner of Sadie Seasongoods, a website that celebrates all things secondhand. From upcycling ideas and thrifted decor to vintage-centric travel itineraries, Sadie Seasongoods is a one-stop shop for anyone who loves thrifting and approachable repurposing ideas. Sarah is also the author of “Crafting with Flannel” and has been featured in numerous media outlets and magazines.
How lovely, what a charming idea!
Thank you so much, Carole!
Lovely indeed.
Thank you so much!
Adorable!! I love the whole look.
Thank you so much!
You certainly did make these cuties seamless 😉 They’re perfect!
Thank you so very much, Angie!
Love them. You always come up with the best ideas!
These are so pretty, Sarah. absolutely love them!
Thanks, Marie!
Super idea, and what a great use of old curtains too! (And I must keep my eye out for some old French grain sacs, just in cas)
Very cute idea!
Thanks, Stephanie!
What a great repurposing project! I absolutely love lavendar as well – I’m feeling inspired to do the same. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thank you!
Stopped by from the Funky Junk link party. I often buy single curtains, flat sheets, even cloth shower curtains from the thrift stores because the amount of fabric for the money is so amazing. I will have to try the fabric dye – these are completely adorable!
Thank you so much, Janet!
They are very cute Sarah! Thank you for inspiration. I am pinning to make them one day!
Thank you, Nadia!
How do you see things? If I saw that curtain I would have just kept going! And you made beautiful sachets!! You are inspiring! Thanks for sharing on the Pleasures of the NW’s DIY party!
LOL! I always thought I was just plain weird, they way I saw things. Now, I know I was just meant to be a repurposing blogger. 😉
A fantastic repurpose of an old curtain. The sachets are so sweet and I bet they smell heavenly. Thank you for sharing with us at Vintage Charm.
Thank you so much, Sharon!
I buy old curtains to use as tablecovers, and I think what you’ve done here is very pretty. Thank you for sharing with us this week at Celebrate Your Story, have a great week.
I love these, they are so cute! You did a great job! Thanks for sharing them with us at the Family Joy Blog Link Party this week. I hope you will join us again next week.
Thank you, Melissa!
These are adorable! I’d never believe they weren’t real grain sacks! Just letting you know that I’ll be featuring them tomorrow night on Best of the Weekend!
Awesome, Amy- thank you! I’ll be there tonight with my latest. 🙂
Sarah, these faux grain sack sachets are beautiful and a very clever repurpose of those curtains!
Thank you so much, Keri!
I love these, they are beautiful!
Thank you so much!
Sarah, your grain sack sachets are fabulous! What a wonderful repurposed project. Thanks for sharing at Snickerdoodle. I’ll be featuring this at tomorrow’s party.
Thank you so much, Beverly! I’ll be there tonight with my latest. 🙂
Great upcycle and I love the linen section of the thrift store. You never know what you might find! #merrymonday
Yes!! I’m so lucky- the Goodwill near my house has the best, largest, and most organized linens section in the entire County. Lucky…but dangerous. 😉
What a neat idea!! 🙂
I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Those came out beautiful. I will be featuring this at my Winter Blues Wednesday party that opens on Tuesday evening at 8pm EST. Please stop by and pick up an I’ve Been Featured button. Thanks. http://diybydesign.blogspot.com
Thank you so much, Judy- I’ll be there!
I love these! I live in a small northern Indiana Amish community with several antique shops. They will start opening the first of April. I can hardly wait to look for some vintage/old craft material(s). These are a must do!!
Thanks, Marie- Happy Crafting!!
These are so pretty and would be easy for the ones that don’t like to sew (Me). Just stitch and take the pinking shears to the edges. Love it!
Hi Sarah, love all the little sachets and other ideas you’ve come up with for grain sacks! Last year I made grain sack drop-cloth chair covers. Will post them up in Upcycle Sharing for everyone.
Thanks for sharing,
Hugs,
Barb 🙂
These are cool! I know it seems sacrilegious to cut up vintage items but I have some vintage flour sacks (and other fabrics) from my grandma that I am going to either make sachets or something. Otherwise it will just sit in the closet of my craft room. I would rather family have a piece of it.
I know! I’ve got some flour sacks in my fabric bins that have lived there for years and years. It’s a struggle!