How to make a sleep mask

DIY Sleep Mask

Nap time is becoming increasingly difficult to find. With ever rising workload and tons of other responsibilities under whimsical deadlines, sleep gets down the priority chart. What especially suffers is the transition from awake to asleep, with screens of all kinds being the major distraction. More than often, we are staring at glaring screens right before we sleep or even worse, there is someone working in the bedroom so we cannot shut out the lights. If you take an afternoon sneak sleep, you sure know how irritating the light can be. The body is accustomed to darkness to slip into dream land, and the distracting luminosity can harm not only the quantity but also the quality of sleep. Luckily, we have a small DIY solution to this problem. 

You’ll need –

1. Sleep Mask Template (See pictures)
2. Two patterns of cotton fabric about 10” x 7” each
3. One scrap of black or dark solid fabric, about 10” x 7”
4. Two pieces of batting, both about 10” x 7”
5. 24” of .25 inch bias tape
6. 15” of elastic, soft
7. Basic sewing supplies (pins, scissors, sewing machine, thread)

What to do now –

1. Print and cut out the eye mask pattern and pin the pattern onto your material. Cut out your eye mask shape.
2. Cut out fabric and batting using the template: Three pieces of fabric and two pieces of batting in total. In case you were wondering, the black fabric gets hidden in the middle and is to help block out more light. Trim the batting and the black fabric slightly (less than ¼ inch) so it’s smaller than the two pieces of outside fabric.
3. Make your “mask sandwich” in this order: Fabric one + batting + black fabric + batting + fabric two.
4. Stitch around the outside using less than a ¼ inch seam allowance, or use a zigzag stitch. This secures the layers. Trim to even out the edges.

5. Attach the bias tape around the edge by using pins and a straight stitch, stopping   frequently to make sure it’s secure. (Here’s a tip: If you finish sewing and there are any gaps where the bias tape is not fully attached, just use a zigzag stitch to secure!)

6. Measure your head to determine how long/tight you want the elastic band. Pin. Attach the elastic using a pin and a few straight stitches and back stitches.

7. Now you're ready to decorate! And then take a nap!

Decorate with –

• Use some felt half circles to create your eyelids and cut a length of fringe to create your lashes. Attach your features with some fabric glue and pin in place until the glue has dried. This will give a cute eyelash look.
• Try experimenting with stitching alphabets like “ASLEEP,” “GOOD NIGHT,” “Sleeping,” or anything that pops in your head.
• Using simple texture stitching, or painting with simple motifs can make it look absolutely cute.
• If you are making such sleep masks for both you and your partner, try giving a common theme or design.

Image: Praise Wedding