A very DIY wedding | Spoonflower Blog

As a DIY bride, you may have taken on the task of crafting beautiful handmade gifts for your wedding party. We’re helping you check that project off your to-do list with DIY Sleep Masks to help your bridesmaids get a good night’s rest before the main event. Handmade lingerie expert, Sarah Norwood of Ohhh Lulu Lingerie, (her me-made lingerie is seriously swoon-worthy!) is showing us how to make eight mix & match sleep masks with a Fill-a-Project™ Cheater Quilt “hack” featuring some of her favorite floral designs from the Spoonflower Marketplace! With over 500,000 designs in the Marketplace, you can find a design to match each unique personality in your wedding party.

Simple and Sweet DIY Bridal Party Sleep Masks -Free Pattern Included | Spoonflower Blog
Featured designs

Simple and Sweet DIY Bridal Party Sleep Masks -Free Pattern Included | Spoonflower Blog

Sarah: Sleep masks are fun and quick to sew and make the perfect gift for your bridal party! My Clara Sleep Mask Pattern features a geometric insert which allows you to combine prints and colours to make a truly personalized sleep mask for each member of your bridal party. This project is simple, but does require some basic sewing knowledge like how to slash and notch seams as well as some sewing machine basics.

For this project, I wanted to create 8 unique masks in coordinating prints. I started by creating a collection of modern florals in blush pink and grey-blue hues with some geometric details. You can find my final picks here!

Simple and Sweet DIY Bridal Party Sleep Masks - Free Pattern Included | Spoonflower Blog

You don’t need much fabric for the sleep mask, just about a 6”x10” (13cm x 25cm) piece of fabric for the front and another 6”x10” (13cm x 25cm) piece for the back. I ended up using the 2 yard Fill-a-Project™ cheater quilt in Organic Cotton Sateen, which is one of my favourite fabrics for sleep masks! It is easy to work with and has the most subtle sheen, while the cotton construction is breathable and perfect for that delicate skin around your eyes.  I paired my prints with solid silk charmeuse in coordinating tones from my personal stash, but feel free to experiment with combining prints, or asking a designer to create a custom solid or blender for your accent fabric!

Mix & Match your designs with the Fill-a-Project Cheater Quilt | Spoonflower Blog

Mix & Match your designs with the Fill-a-Project Cheater Quilt | Spoonflower Blog
Mix & match your designs using the Fill-a-Project Cheater Quilt

Using my Modern Floral collection, I arranged 8 different yet coordinating designs on the 2 yard cheater quilt template. I was working with some large scale prints, so I wanted to have lots of room for pattern placement, and I also wanted to line my masks in the same print so that they would be reversible. Even with being picky about where to place my pattern, I had fabric left over for coordinating gift bags, and the rest went into my quilt box!

Simple and Sweet Bridal Party Sleep Masks - free pattern included! | Spoonflower Blog

To create each mask, you will need the following supplies:

  • ¼ yard (0.25m) Organic Cotton Sateen fabric for exterior and lining (or two 6”x10”/13cm x 25cm pieces)
  • ¼ yard (0.25m) Cotton quilt batting
  • ¼ yard (0.25m) Black cotton or other light blocking fabric for interlining (optional)
  • 7”x4” (18cm x1 0cm)scrap of satin or contrast fabric
  • ⅓ yard (0.3m) Fold over elastic (or any elastic you may already have)
  • Clara Sleep Mask Template
  • Coordinating Thread

*If using a lightweight fabric like satin, you will want interfacing for the back

Let’s get started!

Cutting your Exterior Layers and Placing the Pattern

Before starting my mask, I cut my 2 yard cheater quilt in to the 8 individual pieces so it was easier to work with. I love working with over-sized prints, so I took some time to play around with my pattern placement. When I was happy with the pattern placement, I cut out the the pattern piece.

Cut out your sleep mask pattern from the fabric | Spoonflower Blog

Cut out your sleep mask pattern from the fabric | Spoonflower Blog

Next, I cut out the upper portion of the sleep mask in a coordinating satin, and fused interfacing to the back.

Cut out the upper portion of the sleep mask in a coordinating satin | Spoonflower Blog

Cut out the upper portion of the sleep mask in a coordinating satin | Spoonflower Blog

Sewing the Triangular Insert

Using a washable or disappearing fabric marker, make a small dot on the back of the fabric ⅜” directly above the point of the Upper Mask, and ⅜” below the point of the Lower Mask.

Make a small dot on the back of the fabric ⅜” directly above the point of the Upper Mask, and ⅜” below the point of the Lower Mask | Spoonflower Blog

With the right sides of the fabric facing, pin the Upper Mask along one edge of the Lower Mask. Using a straight stitch, stitch together using a ⅜” seam allowance, stopping at the dot below the “point” of triangle.

pin the Upper Mask along one edge of the Lower Mask | Spoonflower Blog

Sink your needle down into the fabric, right into the small dot you made in the previous steps. Raise the foot and very carefully cut the Lower Mask towards the needle, as close as you can get. This will allow you to bend the Lower Mask along the remainder of the triangular seam in a later step. Pivot the sleep mask, aligning the raw edges of the Upper and Lower Mask and continue to sew the rest of the seam.

Sew the lower and upper mask pieces together | Spoonflower Blog

Stitch the upper mask to the lower mask | Spoonflower Blog

Press the seam allowance down and flat. You should have a nice sharp triangular point!

Press the sleep mask seams flat | Spoonflower Blog

Cutting the Interior and Lining Layers

Now that the front layer is assembled, we can use it as our pattern piece to cut out the interior layers and lining.

Cut out the exterior fabric | Spoonflower Blog

Cut 2 layers of cotton batting, 1 layer of lining fabric (I’m using the same fabric that I used for the exterior), and 1 optional layer of light reducing fabric, like a tightly woven black cotton.

Cut 2 layers of cotton batting, 1 layer of lining fabric and 1 optional layer of light reducing fabric. | Spoonflower Blog

Preparing the Strap

Cut a 12”-13”(31-33cm) length of fold over elastic (though any elastic will work!). The total length of your elastic may vary slightly based on the amount of stretch in your elastic. With the right side of the elastic facing the right side of the mask, baste the elastic onto the mask using the notches as a guide.

Attach a 12" strip of elastic to the front of your sleep mask | Spoonflower Blog

Sewing the Mask

Create a “Sleep Mask Sandwich” by layering your pieces in the following manner:

1. Batting (base layer)
2. Exterior right side up
3. Lining right side down (facing the exterior)
4. Batting
5. Black Interlining (optional)

Create a “Sleep Mask Sandwich” by layering your cut pieces of fabric | Spoonflower Blog

Using a ⅜” seam allowance, stitch around the perimeter of the mask, leaving an opening along the top so the mask can be turned right side out. Back tack at the beginning and end of your stitching.

Stitch around the perimeter of the mask | Spoonflower Blog

Stitch around the perimeter of the mask, leaving an opening along the top so the mask can be turned right side out | Spoonflower Blog

Using a sharp pair of scissors, carefully trim back the batting and interlining on both sides as close to the stitching line as possible. Trim all the way around, including the “open” area along the top.

Carefully trim back the batting and interlining on both sides as close to the stitching line as possible | Spoonflower Blog

In order to achieve nice smooth curves, carefully slash the fabric around the curve of the nose-area and notch the outward facing curves, being careful not to cut your stitches.” 

Carefully clip the fabric around the curve of the nose-area and the outward facing curves | Spoonflower Blog

Finishing

Turn the mask right side out through the opening along the top and smooth out the curves by running your finger along the seam line from the inside. Turn the raw edges of the opening along the top towards the inside of the mask and press.

Turn the mask right side out and press | Spoonflower Blog

Using a needle and thread, slip stitch the opening closed.

Slip stitch the opening of your sleep mask closed | Spoonflower Blog

 

Simple and Sweet DIY Bridal Party Sleep Masks - Free Pattern Included | Spoonflower Blog

By using the Fill-a-Project cheater quilt template, you can easily find fun and unique prints to match the personalities of each member of your bridal party. I love this project because it allows me to work with unexpected prints (don’t be afraid of large scale) and create new colour combinations – two of my favourite things to do when designing a new item. Want to go the extra mile? Stitch up custom robes featuring the same design you’ve chosen for the sleep masks with these 9 easy steps!

I’d love to see what designs you choose for your sleep mask! Be sure to tag your finished projects with #spoonflower and #ohhhlulu!


About our Guest Blogger

Sarah is a lingerie designer and pattern maker based out of her home studio in Washago, Ontario, Canada. When Sarah isn’t designing delicate new underthings, she can be found in the garden with her daughter or fixing up her 1920’s cottage style house with her husband. You can follow Sarah’s adventures in lingerie making on her blog, www.ohhhlululingerie.com