Little pillows filled with fragrant, sleep inducing herbs have been used for hundreds of years to help encourage a restful nights sleep. It's easy to make your own and they make a thoughtful gift.
One of my Farmers Market friends had the wonderful idea of making the project at her little girl's sleepover! The girls mixed the herbs and filled the little pillows Lisa had stitched up ahead of time. As the children sewed the fourth end of their pillow closed, the herbs worked their magic, everyone got a good sleep and the guests had a pretty favor to take home!
SLEEP MIX
Start by adding 1/4 teaspoon each of bergamot and lavender essential oils to a fixative such as oak moss or cellulose fiber chips. Shake well and let set in a glass container with a tight fitting lid for at least two days. This allows the fixative to fully absorb the essential oils so their scent will last longer.
Next, mix your dried herbs. I usually use 2 cups of rose petals, 2 cups of lavender, one cup of chamomile,one cup of lemongrass, one cup of lemon verbena and 1/2 cup of peppermint. Other herbs you can use are sweet woodruff,marjoram, thyme, rosemary, cinnamon chips and hops. Use care with the hops. The scent can become a bit unpleasant if you use too much!
Add your scented fixative to the herbs and blend thoroughly. You can add the mix to the pillows at this point or let it age in a container with a tight fitting lid for 2-6 weeks to let the scents blend. If you age it, the scent will last much longer.
The pillow can range in size from 6"x6" (which is a good size to tuck into your main pillow) to 12"x16" (for the serious insomniacs in your life!) The larger pillows can be used on top of the main pillow or tucked underneath.
One of my Farmers Market friends had the wonderful idea of making the project at her little girl's sleepover! The girls mixed the herbs and filled the little pillows Lisa had stitched up ahead of time. As the children sewed the fourth end of their pillow closed, the herbs worked their magic, everyone got a good sleep and the guests had a pretty favor to take home!
SLEEP MIX
Start by adding 1/4 teaspoon each of bergamot and lavender essential oils to a fixative such as oak moss or cellulose fiber chips. Shake well and let set in a glass container with a tight fitting lid for at least two days. This allows the fixative to fully absorb the essential oils so their scent will last longer.
Next, mix your dried herbs. I usually use 2 cups of rose petals, 2 cups of lavender, one cup of chamomile,one cup of lemongrass, one cup of lemon verbena and 1/2 cup of peppermint. Other herbs you can use are sweet woodruff,marjoram, thyme, rosemary, cinnamon chips and hops. Use care with the hops. The scent can become a bit unpleasant if you use too much!
Add your scented fixative to the herbs and blend thoroughly. You can add the mix to the pillows at this point or let it age in a container with a tight fitting lid for 2-6 weeks to let the scents blend. If you age it, the scent will last much longer.
The pillow can range in size from 6"x6" (which is a good size to tuck into your main pillow) to 12"x16" (for the serious insomniacs in your life!) The larger pillows can be used on top of the main pillow or tucked underneath.
mmmmmmm I wish I had one of those little pillows with me tonight...
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea, wonder if I could find all the ingredients though. Thanks for sharing, great blog too. Love it. Off to read more.
ReplyDeleteHi, How many little 6 x 6 pillows would this recipe fill? If I can't find the verbena, how much of an impact would this have? (I will just get it online if I need to, but then I must come up with more stuff to order - not hard) Thanks = )
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