The DIY Diet

When you’ve finished a bowl of warm, hearty stew and are ready to settle into your favorite recliner to watch a good movie, you’ll want to cuddle up in a Sofa Sack.

My mother created the Sofa Sack design.

She would sit in her recliner wrapped in a polar fleece throw trying unsuccessfully to keep the throw wrapped around her feet.

To solve the problem she designed a pocket in the bottom of her throw in which she could slide her feet and sewed it by hand using the same color knitting yarn that was used to edge her commercially-made throw. It worked so well that I bought some polar fleece and made a prototype for myself. I gave it a name: Sofa Sack.

Here’s how to easily make your own.

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When my eyes are tired or swollen, I lie on my bed or in my recliner and cover my eyes with this lavender-scented eye pillow. The weight of the flaxseed-filled eye pillow on the acupressure points around the eyes is said to help to relieve eyestrain, swelling, headaches, tension, and insomnia. I suppose it could be simply the fact that I’m taking the time to lie back and smell the lavender, as it were, but the fact is that lavender has been used for centuries to help relieve headaches and migraines, and flaxseed has been harvested for its nutritional oils.

Here’s how to make your own eye pillow. You can do so with only the most basic sewing skills, and you don’t even need a sewing machine. You can sew the pillow by hand.

To make the Lavender Eye Pillow, you’ll need the following supplies:

• One piece of elegant fabric (10 inches square) of your choice (satin, brocade, silk, whatever beautiful fabric you find that you think would feel good on your eyes).
• One piece of muslin or plain cotton (10 inches square) for liner.
• One pound bag of flax seed (you won’t use it all). Some people use raw rice; I prefer the flax seed.
• Thread to match elegant fabric.
• Fine needle for hand sewing (if you intend to sew the pillow by hand) with a sharp point (provided you aren’t using any kind of knit fabric, in which case, you will need a ball point needle).

1. Cut a 10 inch by 10 inch square out of muslin or other simple, soft, cotton fabric. Although it isn’t absolutely necessary to have a liner, I prefer to use one. Flax seeds are small and sharp, and I don’t want to take the chance of them poking through my elegant fabric. Besides, I think using a liner is simply the mark of a quality product.
2. Cut a 10 inch by 10 inch square from the piece of elegant fabric you chose for your eye pillow.
3. Fold the muslin fabric in half as marked on Illustration A with the wrong side of fabric to the outside.

 



Illustration B

 

4. Stitch 1/2 inch from the edge of the fabric on two sides as shown in Illustration B.
5. Clip across the edge of the corner as shown, being careful not to cut into the stitching.
6. Turn fabric right side out.
7. Repeat steps 4, 5, and 6 with the piece of elegant fabric.

 



Illustration C


  

8. If you wish to stitch the eye pillow by hand, Illustration C shows you how I do it. Put your needle through the fabric and bring it back up again about 3/16" away from the other. Put the needle down again close to the point where you first put the needle down through the fabric and up again about 3/16" away from the second stitch. With this method you should get a good sturdy stitch. Make your stitches nice and small and in a straight line.

 



Illustration D

 

9. When you’ve stitched and turned both the elegant fabric and the muslin, press the fabric, and turn fabric along raw edge toward the inside 1/2 inch from the edge as shown in Illustration D.
   
10. Take the muslin pillow and fill 2/3 full with flax seed. I use a funnel because the flax seed tends to fly around. Put about 5 drops of pure lavender essential oil onto a cotton ball or piece of extra cotton fabric then insert into the pillow in the midst of the flax seed. Stitch the edge closed. When you think you need additional scent for your pillow you can either open the elegant fabric outside pillow and add a little more lavender essential oil onto the fabric or simply add it to the elegant outside fabric. I like putting the essential oil on the inside pillow so that I don’t risk making an oil stain on my fancy fabric.
11. Put the muslin pillow inside of the elegant fabric pillow then stitch the elegant pillow closed using a nice fine, whipstitch closure stitch as shown on Illustration E.

Illustration E

To use your pillow: If you are feeling a headache coming on, or are feeling tense, are having trouble sleeping, or your eyes are just plain sore, put the lavender eye pillow into the microwave on high for about 10 seconds, then lie back and enjoy the weight of the flax seed soothe your eyes while you let the mesmerizing scent of lavender relax you.

Lavender Heat Wrap Sewing Instructions

A Lavender Heat Wrap is a nice addition to your Lavender Eye Pillow. Use the heat wrap on your shoulders, neck, or anywhere you need some immediate heat relief. It would be easiest if you make the heat wrap with a sewing machine, but if you have the patience, you can certainly stitch it by hand if you like.

1. Cut a piece of elegant fabric (18 inches by 24 inches), hopefully matching the eye pillow fabric, and fold in half with the best side to the inside, as shown in Heat Wrap Illustration A.

 

Heat Wrap Illustrations A & B




2. Also cut a piece of fabric against the selvedge edge (if you have one) that is 1-1/2 inches by 5 inches. This is for the handle/hanger to be used at each end of the heat wrap. Heat Wrap Illustration B shows this handle/hanger.
   

 

Heat Wrap Illustrations C, D & E

 

3. Turn the hanger fabric (as shown in Heat Wrap Illustration E) in toward itself in thirds with the selvedge edge on top, then sew it down to hold it into place. This piece will form your handle.
   
4. Place one length of fabric designated for the handle on one end of the heat wrap as indicated in Heat Wrap Illustration C. Stitch 1/2 inch away from the edge of two sides of the piece in Illustration C, leaving one end open. Turn elegant fabric so that the beautiful side of the fabric is facing out.
5. As indicated in Heat Wrap Illustration D, stitch two long tunnels the length of the heat wrap, stitching through both layers of fabric. You will add the handle on the open end of the heat wrap when you have completed the other steps.
6. Make three long tubes, each should start with muslin fabric measuring 2-3/4 inches by 24 inches turned with the right side to the inside. Stitch a seam 1/2 inch from the edge around two sides of the tube. Turn the tube so that the right side is to the outside.
7. Fill tubes 2/3 full with flax seed using a funnel to control the seed going into the tube. It tends to scatter if you don’t use a funnel. Put a few drops of lavender essential oil onto a piece of cotton and insert along with the flax seed.
8. Turn the raw edge to the inside and whip stitch closed. Insert the the tube into the three sections of the heat wrap, then stitch close the end of the heat wrap, stitching the hanger into the seam as you finish the end.

To use hot: Place the Lavender Heat Wrap into the microwave for 1 - 2 minutes. If the microwave doesn’t have a turntable, flip it over half way through the heating process. Since all microwaves heat differently, check every 30 seconds to avoid burns. If not hot enough after 2 minutes, heat another 30 seconds. You can also heat the wrap in a 350ºF oven. Wrap in aluminum foil and heat for 15 minutes. For moist heat, mist the Lavender Heat Wrap with water before heating.

To use cold: Place the Lavender Heat Wrap in a plastic bag and put into the freezer. I store mine in the freezer so that it is ready to use if I need a cold pack. If I need a heat wrap I can easily pop it into the microwave. Enjoy!

If you decide to make the Lavender Eye Pillow and the Lavender Heat Wrap as a gift for a special friend, be sure to include a pretty tag with the instructions for use of each item.