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Here's a very fast and inexpensive way to create a wonderfully luxurious gift. It uses just tiny amounts of the gorgeous specialty fabrics you see at your local retail store (a quarter yard would yield nine cuts). You could also use up those small pieces of luxury fabric you couldn't bear to throw away from previous projects. It was quite difficult to write this article, because once these beautiful, fragrant, soothing pillows were done, I didn't want to take them off my eyes. A lightly scented filling of rice and flax seeds give them the perfect weight and smell.
Fabric that feels cool and comfy against the skin is recommended for the bottom with something a bit heavier for the top, like crushed velvet or silk brocade. We selected silk charmeuse, which is a lightweight satin, for the bottom of ours. However, the silk charmeuse is a bit thin, so lining it with a piece of muslin or other thin cotton gives some durability and smoothes out the surface.
Sewing Tools You Need
Fabric and Other Supplies
- Scraps of various luxury fabrics
- Scrap piece of muslin or light weight cotton (optional)
- All purpose thread
- Sharps machine needle (for fine fabrics)
Note: For more need information, see: Machine Sewing: Selecting the Right Needle for the Job
- Hand sewing needle
- ½ cup flax seed
- ½ cup white rice
Note: You need a cup per pillow, so multiply your quantity as necessary
- Essential oil (lavender, eucalyptus, sandalwood, etc.)
- Bowl, spoon and measuring cup with pouring spout or funnel
- See-through ruler
- Fabric pencil
- Iron and ironing board
- Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
- Straight pins
Shopping Note: Essential oils, white rice and flax seed can be purchased from any health food store. The oils can be expensive but a little goes a long way. The rice and flax seed can be bought in bulk for as little as $1 per lb (1 lb of each yields about three pillows). The rice absorbs and retains the oils while the flaxseed provides a smooth, soothing texture.
Getting Started
- For each pillow, cut one piece of luxury fabric at 4½" x 8" for the pillow top and another type of luxury fabric at 4½" x 8" for the pillow bottom. Remember, you want a cool and soft fabric, like satin, for the pillow bottom, which is what goes on your eyes.
- If using a thinner fabric, like the silk charmeuse, cut a piece of muslin or other thin cotton at 4½" x 8".
- Mix together rice and flax seed and set aside.
At Your Sewing Machine
- Pin the muslin piece to the top piece (silk charmeuse in our sample), WRONG sides together.
- Stitch, using a ¼" seam allowance, around all four sides. These two pieces will now work as one.
- Pin the bottom piece (crushed velvet in our sample) to the top piece (silk charmeuse in our sample) RIGHT sides together.
- Stitch, using a ½" seam allowance, around all sides, but leaving a 3" opening in the middle of one long side.
- Clip the corners on a diagonal and turn right side out. Gently push out corners, using your finger or a long tool with a blunt end, like a large knitting needle.
- Mix a few drops of your selected essential oil into rice and flax seed.
- Measure one cup of the finished filling, and carefully pour it into the opening of the pillow.
- Pin opening closed and stitch by hand using a slip stitch.
Hints and Tips
If you are making multiple pillows with multiple scents, it's nice to label each one with the therapeutic properties and appropriate times of day for use. For example: Lavender is calming and best used to relieve stress before bed.
Other machines suitable for this project include the Pfaff expression 2038 and the Bernina aurora 430.
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