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Herbal dream pillows are a great way to explore aromatherapy and encourage restful sleep with sweet dreams.
This is a quick and fun project that also makes for a great way to share dried herbs with friends and family as a gift.
Materials Needed
- Fabric cut into 6 Inch Squares – thin cotton is best to let the scent through (I often use old sheets)
- Needle & Thread
- Herbs of Your Choice (see below for ideas)
Sew Pillow Cases
Place two squares of fabric with right sides together. Sew three edges together, Using about a 3/8″ seam allowance. Don’t stress about the seam allowance, a little more or less isn’t going to hurt anything.
Sew the fourth edge together, but don’t finish it, leave about 2″ unsewn and open. You can do this sewing with a machine or by hand (learn how to sew a variety of hand stitches here).
Using that opening, turn the pillow case right-side out. Use a chop stick, knitting needle, or crochet hook to push the corners out.
Fill Pillow with Herbs
Loosely fill the pillow with your desired herb or herb combination – don’t overfill, it makes it very difficult to sew up that opening when it’s overflowing.
Do this filling over a bowl to easy collect any spillage. A funnel makes filling quick and easy. Simply use a rolled up piece of scratch paper.
Finishing
Tuck the raw edges of your opening inside the pillow and sew that opening closed. Clip off the strings and be sure to remove any herbs that might be sticking to the outside.
Your pillow is now ready for use or giving. If you’re giving it away, you might want to tell the recipient which herbs are inside and why you picked those.
Herbal Combinations
Use any good smelling herbs on hand for filling dream pillows. I tend to use things that are homegrown most of the time like lavender or anise hyssop.
However, certain herbs are better for certain things, here are some suggestions from my good friend and herbalist, Kristine Brown:
Inspire meditative dreams with any of these singles or combined Cedar, Sage, and Mugwort.
Get restful sleep by using Chamomile, Hops, Lavender, Rose, and Sweet Annie either by themselves or in combinations.
Beyond being used for sleep and dreams, these pillows can also be used to help with physical ailments of the body:
Clear stuffed sinuses with Eucalyptus and Rosemary.
Find headache relief with Peppermint and Lavender.
Other Dream Pillow Resources
- Making Herbal Dream Pillows: Secret Blends for Pleasant Dreams – This book has fantastic ideas and blends for every need.
Herbal Dream Pillows
Use dried herbs sewn inside dream pillows to encourage peaceful sleep and sweet dreams.
Materials
- 2 - 6" inch squares of fabric
- Coordinating thread
- Dried Herbs of Choice
Tools
- Sewing Needle / Sewing Machine
Instructions
- Place two squares of fabric with right sides together. Sew three edges together, Using about a 3/8″ seam allowance.
- Sew the fourth edge together, but don’t finish it, leave about 2″ unsewn and open.
- Using that opening, turn the pillow case right-side out. Use a chop stick, knitting needle, or crochet hook to push the corners out.
- Fill the pillow loosely with your herbs.
- Tuck the raw edges of your opening inside the pillow and sew that opening closed. Clip off the strings and be sure to remove any herbs that might be sticking to the outside.
What a great idea! I’m pinning this so I can make one!
I so happy I found this.i’m going to make some.what a great gift to give someone.thank you so much.my neighbor lost her husband.i’m going to make a few for her.a nice size.
We LOVE dream pillows! Thanks for posting. Sharing now :)
Amber – http://www.herbalacademyofne.com
I’m going to be growing bunches of herbs this year and this will make a lovely gift at Christmas time! Thanks for the idea!
I love these!!! Making some for my hubby today! thanks for sharing on Simple Saturday!
Hi, would you please tell me how long the scents last? Do you open up the pillow and use new herbs in it when the scent is gone from the herbs? Thank you
How long the scents last will vary based on the herbs and quality. You can always add a few drops of essential oils to the pillows to help refresh when the scent when it’s gone. I have a tendency to just toss the entire thing in the compost heap when it’s used up.
I’ve made these before and love them. Will try a couple of your recipes to give as gifts. Thanks Karen
Thanks! I make rice bags with lavender flowers…saw this and want to try this. Do you use only lavender flowers, or also the leaves? Rose petals only or the leaves as well? Looking forward to trying this!
For the lavender, the flowers and leaves work well, as both tend to have heavy scents. For roses, the petals are usually the most fragrant so I’d go with that.
Sorry I suppose some will think this is a silly question but do you sleep on it or do you put it next to your pillow or under the pillow under I don’t think you’d get the smell. Does it work for baby’s for peaceful sleep.
It’s not silly – I’d place it close to the head so next to the sleeping pillow. I imagine it could work for babies too but you’d want it kept where they couldn’t put it in their mouth and so the scent might not actually reach.
Are they washable? And if washed will they still have a scent? Typically how long do they last? Thank you
If you wash them the herbs will lose their scent. How long the scent lasts will depend on the herbs used – how fragrant are they to begin with, are they old, etc.