Sheepic sleep mask
A friend of mine is finally crossing the Atlantic to visit us in Europe this summer. For her birthday I prepared a little traveling kit whose highlight (unless you are really, really fond of Imperial Mints) is a sheepic sleep mask. I just took an ugly airline polyester one and used it as a template. Here is what you need if you want to sew one too:
- my pattern, or use a mask that you like as a template
- fabric for front (I embroidered sheep from - again - this great book)
- fabric for back (this should be übersoft, having some of this one would be lovely...)
- batting
- elastic band
- bias for piped edges (optional)
- cord for piping
I started by embroidering sheep on the front fabric.
Then came my favourite part: the piping! I've never used piped edges before and now I am mournfully thinking about all these fabulous opportunities to use piping that I have missed; it is that easy and that pretty! All you have to do is cut a stripe of fabric for the piping and pin the cord insight it (see photo).
Next sew along the binding as close to the cord as possible, unless you have a zip foot you’ll probably have to sew by hand.
Finally pin the raw edge of the piping to the raw edge of the right side of the mask’s front panel and sew close to the stitching line on the piping. Easy, right?
The next step is the most voluminous one, you have to stack a layer pile: batting, backside fabric, elastics, frontside fabric (the right sides of both backside and frontside fabrics are facing one another). The are two little marks on each side of the mask pattern, transfer them and pin the elastics in place. They will be hidden under the sheep, make sure that you do only sew over them where the marks indicate to do so. Now you sew along the lines of the mask, leave an opening of ca. 4 inch.
Cut away excess fabric/batting and clip out some V shapes in the seam allowance to reduce bulk where the mask curves. To turn through to the ride side, pull the mask through the hole, iron and stitch the opening together.
Voila, you’re done.
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Reader Comments (3)
sew sweet! I love it! Thanks for sharing.
So cute!! What a nice gift for someone.
Hi, I have featured this lovely idea in a blog post called 20 ways with piping. Please check it out if you’d like.
http://sewandthecity.blogspot.com/2011/09/twenty-ways-with-piping.html
Best regards
Irina