The Fifi eyemask

Sometimes the simplest gifts can be the loveliest things to make for someone you care about. Last Christmas (yes I am quite behind on posts… don’t judge lol), probably for the first time, I did actually make a few gifts. I didn’t want to make for making’s sake, so I tried to find practical items that I could make with care and hope they would be appreciated.

My sister is moving abroad in a few months and will be going on a very long flight to get there, so I wanted to make her something to make the travelling a little bit more bearable. I settled on a simple eye-mask as theyre cute but practical. I hunted around for a pattern and found the Fifi eye-mask from Tilly and the Buttons.  This free downloadable is designed to accompany the Fifi cami pyjama pattern which is completely adorable.

Sorry about my very tired old table – it’s seen a lot of abuse over the years!

This pattern is a great scrap buster – you only need 15cm of fashion and lining fabrics and enough to make the elasticated band, but you could also adapt it to use ribbon instead. Many years ago my sister gave me a beautiful vintage silk qipao to cut up into different projects, so I wanted to use a little scrap of that to make the mask for her. I went to John Lewis and found some matching turquoise silk for the lining, because beautiful cool silk will be lovely on a hot cramped plane! The silk is a little brighter in colour than the pictures show – I must have taken these late at night! You can see how good a colour match the silk from John Lewis was though, I was surprised to find any good silk in my local store at all!

I made no adjustments to the pattern and followed the instructions as written as they were so clear and easy to follow. I had heard from other sewists and bloggers  that Tilly’s instructions are brilliantly clear, but I have yet to make up one of her patterns, so I was pleased to find the hype was true. The tip for turning through the strap after sewing – so simple! This was a really quick make but it has come out so nicely. My sister seemed pleased to receive it too which is definitely the main thing – as long as it brings her a little comfort on her long journey I’m happy!

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