Friday 7 August 2015

Lavender Eye Pillows

would you like to make a lavender eye pillow for yourself or another person who may be very happy to have one of these?
here is a very easy and practical tutorial...



we generally use these eye pillows in savasana or meditation to help ourselves let go.
some people may not like using them, as it feels unconfortable and irritating especially due to cummunal use in yoga studios.
i was one of these people, but as i've always been in love with lavender fragrance and i thought it might be a good idea to have my own eye pillow.

and i also decided to add a new section on my ETSY shop called lavender eye pillows.

you may use different kind of natural fillings, i prefered flax seed and dry lavender. it is very easy to find both of them on eBay with affordable prices.

let's start with the materials you'll need;

1) 1 mug of flax seed (150-160 gr)
2) 1 teaspoon full of dry lavender (maybe 2 teaspoon full as you wish)
3) main fabric (outer layer): 22 * 22 cm
4) lining (inner layer) : 22 * 22 cm (optional)
5) 1 pc of small button or a small snap fastaner. (optional)

there are two options when sewing eye pillows; first one is you may sew only one layer and fill it up then sew the open parts.in this case  you will not be able to wash your eye pillow as it is full of filling.

the second option is the one i'm going to explain you below. outer layer (cover) is removable so it is possible to wash it in time.

if you'd like to make this process easier you may sew the pillow as a full rectangular shape. otherwise you may prepare a pattern as below, so there is a small hollow part for nose.
i will use this pattern for both inner and outer layers, if you wish you may use 1 cm wider pattern for inner layer or you can adjust this difference by changing seamallowance width. the point here is it is good to make inner layer only 1 cm wider (in every edge) than outer layer so it will fill all corners of outer layer nicely.




here we start with sewing steps one by one...

1. take both inner(lining) and outer(cover) fabric and fold them in the middle line as marked on the pattern above. 
then place the pattern on the fabric ( "folding line" should overlap with the folded edge of the fabric so top edge will be without seam. ) and trim it accordingly.
you should have below pieces.

2. inner layer (lining) : turn wrong side of the fabric and fold along the folding line which is marked as on the pattern above.
stitch 3 edges of it but leave 4-5 cm open (do not stitch)
so you have a hole to fill the flax seed&dry lavender mixture. turn inside out.
in the meantime mix the flax seed and dry lavender in a bigger bowl.
then fill this mixture in the lining layer.




after filling stitch up the open part of the edge.

so your inner part is ready:) put it aside for a while.

3. now we are ready to prepare outer layer.
as i have a "handmade" label i stitched it first on the left side of the fabric.


right edge of the outer layer will be open  to put the inner layer in so we need to make a clear stitch here.

so outer layer should look like as below photo;


then turn the wrong side of the fabric and stitch two edges, left edge and bottom edge. right edge which we stitched before should remain open.

if you have overlock machine you may overlock or directly make a clean seam if your seam allowances are wide enough. or simply you may make a regular stitch and then add a zigzag to prevent fraying.



turn inside out and make all edges( especially corners) very neat.

4. now it is time to add a snap fastaner to the open edge. if you wish this can be a button and buttonhole instead...

5. the last step is squeezing the inner layer (filling) into the outer layer.

  ta daaa!!!! it's ready :)



at the end of the project i was very happy with its dimensions and weight. its weight is  just what it should be, not heavy but enough to prevent light.

and lavender fragrance helps you to feel refreshed and cleaned.

Elmo also gave them a try today when she was meditating in the garden and she totally loved them. :)