DIY Aromatherapy Eye Pillow Sewing Tutorial

Years ago I made a giant heating pack by sewing a fabric tube with and filling it with rice… and I use it all the time. I keep it in the freezer for those mornings when I might have had a few too many glasses of wine the night before (wink wink). And then sometimes I heat it up in the microwave on a cold winter night. But I found myself wishing I had a smaller version. So of course I made one. And this one has an elastic band to keep it firmly attached to my face.  

This eye pillow will cure a sinus headache in ten minutes. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration. But it feels really amazing. And it smells fantastic too because of the addition of essential oils. Here’s the easy DIY tutorial.

1. You’ll need the following items for the project:

– One cup of uncooked rice
– 2 fabric rectangles in contrasting colors, 4.5×10 inches each
– 17 inches of elastic, 1 inch wide
– Thread
– Essential Oils (not pictured)

2. Begin by sewing down the long edges of the fabric, with right sides together. Use a 1/2 seam allowance.

3. Flip the tube right side out.

4. Fold the edges in on one end (so they aren’t raw) and then pin the end of the elastic inside. Now sew down the fabric with a quarter inch seam allowance so that it’s secure.

5. Pour the rice inside. Add 3-4 drops of essential oil. The scent will be strong at first, but don’t worry – it will dissipate after a day or two and you’ll be left with a subtly pleasant aroma.

6. Hold one end, letting the rice drop down to the bottom. Now pin across the line where the rice stops, keeping it all on one side.

7. At this point, try on the eye pillow to make sure that the elastic is the right length (you should have about 1/2 an inch of excess so you can attach it to the other end of the fabric). Cut off any extra and then pin and sew the elastic to the other end of the fabric as you did in step 4.

8. Now distribute the rice evenly between the two halves of the pillow and sew down the middle. And that’s it – your aromatherapy eye pillow is finished!

It can be kept in the freezer if you prefer a cold pack, or you can heat it up in the microwave. If starting at room temperature, it only needs about 20 seconds on high. If it’s cold, you’ll have to experiment a bit.

I can’t recommend these eye pillows enough – they’re addictive. I’ve used mine every night since I made it. Beware though, you’ll probably fall asleep 5 minutes after you put it on. So if you suffer from insomnia, this might be your answer! 
Oh, and they make great gifts too.

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