One of my most favorite things about the holiday season, is that I like to make gifts for my friends and family. Luckily, both are used to receiving my hand made presents, and I think if any thing I keep my friends curiosity peaked as to what in the world I will be concocting this year. I usually remember around Thanksgiving that I wanted to make gifts for the holidays, which leaves me with little to no time. So I thought I would share one of my quick and easy ideas with you.
Dream pillows, so easy to make and fairly cheap. For those of you who have never used a dream pillow before, they are little pillows filled with herbs that usually will aid you in sleeping. If you want to make it really easy on yourself, Earth Lore carries dream pillows that are already made. The dream pillow that we’re going to construct will be slightly different, most of the herbs we will be using will aid in helping one to sleep, while the stones aid in dream recall and enhancing the vividness of your dreams. Which is perfect because most of the time we need to fall asleep so we can dream. First I’ll share with you on how to construct a dream pillow, then I’ll give a recipe idea to work with.
- You will need 2 pieces of material, any kind – I prefer natural material such as cotton – it’s soft, and skin safe. Any pattern – children like patterns, nothing too exciting. Any color – some colors can be too stimulating for sleeping, it’s usually best to stay on the darker spectrum – like green, blue, indigo or violet. The 2 pieces of material should be equal in size and shape. A square is a good shape to start with, and if we cut them to 5”x5”, when we’re finished sewing it should be about 4”x4” completed. *Did you catch that sewing word? For those of you who don’t know how to sew, Earth Lore carries an array of beautiful pouches, you can skip the sewing put all the ingredients in a bag and tie it tight- it will serve the same purpose, it just won’t be a pillow.
- Place the 2 pieces of material together, one on top of the other, with the pattern or main color on the inside, ( facing each other). We’re going to be sewing inside out. Measure ½” to an 1” in from the side of the fabric, on all four sides. This is the seam line, if you use chalk or something washable it will also help keep your seam straight.
- Start sewing, you can use a machine or by hand, depends on how many you’re making. Completely sew sides together, all the way around. On the 4th side we’re going to only sew this side up ½ to ¾ ‘s of the way closed. The bigger you leave the hole, the more stitching that will show on the outside of the pillow. But don’t make it too small, because we need to turn the pillow inside out through the hole and fill it with herbs. Make sure your thread is knotted.
- Turn the pillow inside out by puling the material through the hole that you left open. When you’re done, your pattern or color should have a “square pocket”. Your corners might be slightly rounded, you can use the rounded end of a pen to poke them out, but be careful not to poke through your stitch.
- Fill your “ square pocket” with an equal amount of herbs (the amount depends on how big your pillow is- always use equal parts), add your stones and stitch the pocket closed, you will see an outside stitch, but hopeful if you left your opening small enough, it shouldn’t be too bad. * There is no filler in this pillow so the whole thing is going to have to be stuffed full, not to the breaking point, but enough to give it form.
Dream Pillow Recipe: Stones: Jade, Amethyst, Moldavite, Herkimer Diamond, Lapis Lazuli Herbs: Catnip, Chamomile, Eyebright, Kava kava, Mugwort, Rose petals, Lavender Happy Dreaming and Happy Holidays to all!!!