36 PHOTO:VIORICAIONESCU; MICROGEN/ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
november/december 2017yogajournal.com.auInfuse your rituals with home-made yoga
goodies: from your beauty routine,
to your asana practice, to Savasana.Savasana aromatherapy
eye pillow
BY HOLLIE SIMMONSThis easy-to-make eye pillow takes less than half
an hour to complete and is great as a gift for yoga-
loving friends, or as a kid’s craft project. You’ll need
a sewing machine, but only beginner sewing skills.
Use fabric off-cuts, op-shopped fabric or even an
old tablecloth for extra eco-friendly bonus points!Test your eye pillow out! After all that crafting
you deserve a mini-meditation. Eye pillows help
to reduce sensory stimulation, relax the muscles
around the face and eyes and help you go deeper
in your relaxation. Add a drop or two of your
favourite essential oil (make sure it’s on the side
facing up as you don’t want to cause any eye
irritation), roll out your mat and get comfortable
in Savasana.Hollie is an all-round artist, silversmith and creator
of Stay at Home Gypsy, specialising in unique,
crystal jewellery made with love and intention
in Byron Bay. http://www.stayathomegypsy.comMATERIALS REQUIRED:
2 x 12cm x 26cm scrap pieces of non-stretch
fabric. Cotton drill works best. Make sure
the fabric is clean, ironed and the two pieces
match up to the same size.
1 cup of rice/lentils/buckwheat/popping
corn (whatever is on hand and roughly
no larger than a pea)
1/2cup of lavender buds/rosebuds/chamomileDIRECTIONS:
If your fabric is patterned, make sure your two
fabric rectangles have the printed sides facing
each other, then pin them together.
Sew the two panels together on three sides,
leaving a 1cm seam. Leave one of the shorter
sides open to fill with your mixture.
Make sure you reinforce the seams by sewing
over your stitches more than once. Sew around
the three sides a second time, half a centimetre
closer to the raw edges to reinforce and stop
any leaks once your eye pillow is complete.
Remove pins and turn inside-out so the
patterned side of your seams are on the
outside and your raw edges are hidden inside.
Iron flat, then tuck the raw edges inside on the
fourth side around 1cm. Pin that side together
so the edges match up, iron flat then remove pins.
Mix the filling together and pour into the pillow.
Holding it upright, make sure the raw edges are
still tucked into the eye pillow where you ironed
the seams then pin the two pieces of fabric
together a second time, close to the top.
Still using your sewing machine, stitch along
the edge a few times, making sure to sew all the
way to each side.
Remove pins, give your pillow a little shake and
check for leaks.