Flax & Lavender Eye Pillow Tutorial
Hi all!! Welcome to one of my first real Tutorials!! Yea!!
Have you ever had one of those crazy nights while your trying really hard to go to sleep but you can't because there is too much going through you mind and you just can't seem to relax?
I have them a lot (mostly because I am thinknig about fabric ;), so I found out that a great way to help you relax and de-stress and to drift away into a dreamy state of awesomeness... The flax has amazing qualities also, it can hold heat and cold for longer periods of time and the pressure of the flax lays right on your sensory points!
Flax & Lavender Flower Eye Pillow!!!!
I have been making these for a couple of years now and my biggest supporters are the yoga community. These work great for meditation also.
They can also be used hot or cold,( 45 seconds in the microwave or put in a ziplock bag in the freezer) and great for headaches & migraines!
So, lets get started.
First off your materials:
Fabric: 2 coordinating fabrics
( I prefer using 100% cotton, because I am a quilter and I have a little stash, ok a huge stash. You can also use satin)
Thread: 100% cotton, solid color or verigated
Machine feet: 1/4" foot & an open toe decorative foot
Filling: Flax seed (it's hard to say how much so start with a lb)
Lavender Flower
Lavender oil
You will also need a bowl, a spoon, and I use a 1/4 cup measuring cup as well.
Step 1: Take your fabrics and cut 1 each 4 1/2" x 11"
Step 2: Next, Iron a 1/2" flap over to the wrong side of the fabric on both pieces.
Step 3: Take your two rectangles and place them right sides together and pin.
Step 4: Using you 1/4" foot stitch down both long ends making sure you back-stitch on both ends.
**Leave opening a the top and bottom.
I also used me straight stitch plate so the fabric would not get sucked down into the machine, another quilters tip.....
Back-stiching....
Step 5: Next take it to your iron and press to set the seams, this helps "set" the threads into the fabric.
Next turn inside out.
And press the pillow flat making sure to "smoosh" the seams flat.
Now to mix your filling:
Step 6: Take your flax and lavender flower and place into a large bowl or a plastic bin that has a top, if you make a large batch you can save this for later use.
Next, mix together and add 5-10 drops of lavender oil and mix again.
You can always add more lavender flower if you want a more relaxing scent.
Step 7: Switch to your open toe decorative foot ( if you have a straight stitch plate on now is the time to switch it to your open mm stitch plate or you will break a needle.)
Now choose a decorative stitch, I used a leaf stitch, and stitch one of the ends closed. Make sure to do a small back-stitch at both ends.
This is where you can use a variegated thread, it makes it more fancy...ooohh....
Step 8: Now take your pillow over to your mixture and star filling until about 3/4 full.
Step 9: Take two large safety pins and pin through both layers. This will ensure that the mixture does not spill out while you are stitching the opening closed.
Now stitch the second opening closed using the same decorative stitch.
Viola!!! You have an awesome eye pillow!
These can also be used for sore muscles as well, just heat up in the microwave and place on the sore area and you can feel the pain melt away.....
Thank you so much for stopping by and any comments will be greatly appreciated!
~Namaste
Anna V
The purpose of our lives is to be happy.
~Dali Lama
