As a mom of an infant and preschooler I struggle to find time to myself. Sometimes my only moments alone during the day are when I can just sit alone and close my eyes for a couple minutes. I absolutely love this eye pillow – the scent of the lavender and flax is earthy, the pillow is cool on my eyes and it’s something pretty that’s just for me.
Linen has a strong weave, but is still loose enough to let scents through. I also find that it is much cooler than cotton and it’s not rough next to my eyes. I started with two pieces of linen cut into a 12 inch by 8 inch rectangle. Then I stitched three of the sides, leaving one of the short sides open (this is how you will fill the pillow. I used this opportunity to utilize one of the prettier stitching functions on my sewing machine; whether you are machine or hand sewing keep in mind that you will want a tight stitch so none of the lavender buds or flax seeds fall out the sides.
The scent of Lavender has been suggested to help aid in stress relief, may help reduce anxiety and can improve sleep. If you find the lavender scent diminishing over time you can squeeze the pillow to help release more of the oil from the lavender buds. Flaxseed oil is incredibly helpful in reducing inflammation (my puffy allergy eyes thank me for this addition). By using the ground flaxseed in this pillow you are adding the most natural form of the oil to your pillow as the seeds release oil when ground. I found that an equal two cups of both the lavender buds and ground flax seed efficiently filled this pillow. You can fill it less or more – just beware that filling it more will make it difficult to sew the end shut on a machine.
I found that as I was sewing the end shut on my machine the weight of the eye pillow pulled on the seam. I ended up having to heavily pin the end to help keep the fabric where I wanted it. You could place something underneath the part of the pillow off the end of your sewing machine to help support the weight. After I had my pretty rectangle sewed shut I went to work pulling and trimming the edges. Linen can “shed” when the edges are unfinished like this so I took it as an opportunity to make the pillow have pretty sides and giving it more of that high end look. After I had the edges frayed to my liking I was able to enjoy this cool pillow on my eyes and enjoy the lavender and flaxseed scents.
Materials:
- 2 pieces of linen cut into a 12 x 8 inch rectangle
- 2 cups of lavender buds
- 2 cups of ground flaxseed
- Needle and thread or sewing machine
Method:
- Using a small stitch, see three sides of the linen leaving about a 1/4 inch edge.
- Mix together flaxseed and lavender and fill the pillow through the open end.
- Stitch the open end closed.
- Pull and trim loose strings from the edges creating a frayed look.
- Enjoy your pillow!
The Petite Homestead 