An importance of a good night's sleep cannot be overstated. Seven to eight hours of rest will help you effectively relax, get rid of psychological anxiety and allow you to wake up rested and alert, getting rid of fatigue. However, if you have trouble falling asleep and often wake up from even the slightest noise or light, or if you travel a lot or, due to your work schedule, sometimes have to sleep during the day, then a sleep mask will come to the rescue. Such an eye protection accessory will allow you to quickly and permanently go to the land of dreams. In addition, a handmade sleep mask is also an easy and fun sewing project for a beginner in sew, as well as a great gift for someone special or yourself.
To sew a sleep mask you will need:
- sewing machine and tailor's accessories
- light cotton fabric as main material
- silk or satin as lining material
- wadding as a soft filler
- elastic band measuring about 40 by 1.5 centimeters
(all these sewing goods can be bought at sewstar.com.ua sewing store)
Step #1.
Download the sleep bandage pattern from the TillyAndTheButtons website and print it out on a piece of A4 paper. Next, using the pattern as a template, cut out blanks from the main fabric, lining material and batting. Next, you need to reduce the blanks from the lining fabric and batting. To do this, cut off the extra 3 and 15 millimeters of material along the contour. After that, cut a strip of 90 by 4 centimeters from the main fabric. It will serve as a blank for an elastic strap.
Step #2.
Fold the strap blank in half along the long side. Then attach the ¼ inch edge stitch foot to the sewing machine, and sew a straight stitch along the long side of the piece. After that, take a safety pin and pin it to one end of the elastic. Next, thread the elastic into the strap blank. When this job is done, stitch each end of the strap with a ⅜ inch seam allowance to secure the elastic in place.
Step #3.
At a distance of about 10 millimeters from the edge, baste each end of the strap to the sides of the sleep mask blank from the main fabric.
Step #4.
Place the main fabric sleep mask blank right side up. Lay the piece of lining material on top of it, face down. Align them and pin along the outer edge with tailor's pins. The strap should be in the middle, between the two layers. At the top of the blanks folded together, you need to leave a little free space through which you then turn the strap and sleep mask out. You can mark this place with pins of a different color. They will remind you that this section does not need to be stitched yet.
Step #5.
Using a sewing machine, sew both pieces together using a 15mm seam allowance. After that, cut off the excess allowances with scissors and make notches every 2.5 centimeters. Then smooth out the seam allowances with an iron.
Step #6.
Turn the sleep band inside out through the opening you left. Place a soft batting filler inside the hole and smooth it out. Then iron the seam allowances to the inside of the mask. Next, sew up the hole by hand or on a sewing machine.
So, it's all over! Now you also know how to sew a sleep mask yourself. Enjoy your selfmade eye mask and have a good night's sleep in style!