February Craft Time

Alright so, this month's craft I made and completely forgot to take progress pictures!  *Hangs head in shame*  I can still give you the tutorial and show pictures of the finished product so that's at least something.  This too is a quick and practical gift/project like last month's craft.  I chose this craft to make as a gift for a friend's birthday and I honestly think EVERYONE could use one of these!

Sleep Mask

What You'll Need:
-fabric in a shade(s)/pattern(s) of your liking
-coordinating fabric for trim (trim is optional...I had a hard time with it so I chose to opt-out of doing it the second time since I'm not graceful with curves and a sewing machine yet)
-a block of felt (I got a precut square from WalMart for 38 cents and it was about 12"x12"-it was enough for 2 masks)
-a piece of paper and pen (to create your mask template)
-fabric scissors
-coordinating thread
-1/4" elastic (I got about 3' worth for 97 cents at WalMart)
-sewing machine OR needle and thread for hand sewing
-bows/buttons/etc. for adornments (optional)

Step-by-Step
1. Draw a template for the mask with pen and paper.  You can make it as plain or intricate as you want but remember: the more intricate the more complicated sewing it may take.  I am a basic sewer so the easier, the better.   (I already had a sleep mask so I used it as my template but it's a basic half-mask shape that you can do free hand).
2. Cut the template out from the paper and shape it up a bit.
3. Using the template, cut a mask from the felt.  The felt will be your inside.
4. Using the template, cut a mask from your fabric.  You will need 2 of these so you can have a front and back.  You can use different fabrics or the same.  I chose the same.
5. Measure your head and cut your elastic accordingly.  Note: you'll want to cut it a bit smaller than you measured so it will have give and actually hold while your sleeping.
6.  Sew!  You can hand sew or machine sew.  You're literally sewing the pieces together.  Front-Felt-Back.  During this step you can also sew the elastic in on both sides (of the back).  Here, make sure to back stitch to really secure those bands.  I used the basic foot allowance on the machine.
7. OPTIONAL: Sew on the trim.  (I didn't do trim however, if I make more of these in the future I'll be hand sewing the trim since I made a hot mess using the machine, lol!)  Make sure your allowance for trim covers both the front AND the back stitches you made when sewing the three pieces together.
8. OPTIONAL: adorne with bows, ribbons, beads, etc.  This is a great way to make your mask more unique and fun.

Here is my finished product!

Front

Back

Beadwork

Beadwork

You can also check this site to see other adornments and trim she used on her homemade masks.  They're so cute!


Happy crafting, friends!  I hope you enjoy this quick and cute mask as much as I did!