Sleeping Mask

7-8 hours of sleep sounds mighty good to me. But I always find it difficult to crawl into bed early enough to fulfill those hours. Especially when my mind is churning so quickly with new ideas for my next project.
This sleeping mask will be a good reminder to work 24 hours a week 7 days a month and take frequent cat naps. My new creations was made for the recent slumber party with my girlfriend. If you’re ready for a challenge here’s the step by step instructions below.

​Supplies needed:
Poplin- 1/4 yd multi print stacks from Purl Patchwork
Silk- 1/2 yd lining fabric from Mood Fabrics
Quilt batting- 1/4 yd from Daytona Trims
1 yard of flat metallic soutache
Metallic lamé
Framed glasses
Pencil
Ruler
Scissor
Satin pins
Iron
Fusible
Magna tac
Safety pin
Needle and thread
Sewing machine

​1 Create a pattern
A- Create pattern for the front. Trace around frame of glasses for your guideline of the width and the length of mask. Fold paper in half, around the arch of the nose. Sketch 1/2 of the mask. Then transfer to other side with a light-box or against a lite window. Add 1/4″ seam allowance around edge of pattern. If you understand pattern making you can create different sections for contrasting fabrics to create a patch work look.
B- Create lining pattern. If your front pattern is just one piece you do not need to recreate another pattern. If not, create one pattern then add 1/4″ seam allowance around edges.
C- Create separate pattern for the interfacing; quilt batting. This is essentially the same as the lining but without seam allowance.
D- Create a pattern for eyelash and ears,no seam allowance necessary.
E- Lable all pattern pieces so you know what you’re working with and how many you’ll need to cut with each specific fabric.
2 Tada …were done! j/k
We’re at lease done with the patterns.

2 Choose fabrics. Poplin for the front and silk for the lining. If you’re going with the challenging patchwork look choose two contrasting fabrics that will sit well together. If not, one will be just fine.
3 Take poplin, lining & lamé fabric and iron on fusible to the back of the fabrics. Use a scrap piece of fabric between iron and fusible to prevent adhesive from melting onto iron. Fused fabric will give your fabric more body, control and stability. (Note: Adhesive on fusible is the rough side of the fabric. Which should iron on to the back side of the fabrics.)
4 Place patterns on fabric. Pin and cut out.
A- Floral printed fabric for front of mask.
B- Silk for lining, so it’ll be smooth when mask is against your face.
C- Lamé for eyelashes and ears.
5 Use Magna Tac and glue eye lashes on to pattern.
6 If your front printed mask has multiple patterns, piece them together either by hand stitch or by machine and iron the seams flat.
7 Place cut pattern of polyfill onto back side of the patterned poplin fabric. Center the polyfill leaving the seam allowance of the patterned fabric exposed.8 Pin polyfill in place.
9 Pencil in a couple of  lines on the polyfill. These lines will be hand stitched. Using a blind stitch technique. This will hold the polyfill in place. If you have seams from the front of themask.You can blind stitch in the crack of the seams.
10Take your yard of flat metallic soutache and cut in half.
11 Looking at the front of the mask. Place1/2 the soutache at both sides of the midway point (Fullness of soutache s/b in the inside of the mask.) I coiled the excess and safety pinned it in place.
12 Hand stitch the soutache in place. Stitch onto the seam allowance of the front mask.
13 Place lining and front of mask together (right sides facing each other.)
14 Sew together with sewing machine. Leave about 3″ unsewn on top of mask.
15 Flip mask inside out and hand stitch the remaining closed with the blind stitch technique.
16 Use iron and steam the mask so that the edges will look nice and crisp.
17 Use Magna Tac and glue on Lamé ears.
18 If this wasn’t enough you can decorate the ends of the soutache with gold tassels.

Are you still with me… if so, Congratulation! What do you think was it worth the effort? This can also be used as a blind fold for various games like pin the tail on the donkey. It can also be used for surprising your friend with a gift or leading them into a surprise party or dinner. I just love the little touches.