DIY: Bowie-Inspired Leather Eye Mask

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Donatello works at night and often has trouble sleeping during the day. Apart from noise and temperature, darkness is so important in getting a good sleep. We have blinds, a black out curtain, but the bedroom still wasn’t dark enough. The polyester eye masks from the airplane never stayed put, so I decided to invent my own. These two graphic leather eye masks are the result.

The soft texture of a supple piece of leather makes a super comfy eye mask, much better than those polyester freebies from the plane. One variation uses leather cord for the straps, while the other uses a thin elastic. I think the elastic is superior, but the cord works fine too. Just use what you have handy in your craft stash.

Bowie-inspired leather eye mask

Supplies

• leather scraps, at least 2 pieces measuring 11cm by 7cm in contrasting colours plus extras for embellishments
• wax coated thread, in colour of your choice
• superglue
• thin coated elastic or soft leather cord, 90cm
• leather glue

Tools

• leather needle
• rotary cutter and self-healing mat
• leather hole puncher
• pencil and paper
• regular paper scissors

Directions

1. Using the rotary cutter and self-healing mat, cut two rectangles approximately 7cm by 11cm in two different colours.
2. Using the hole puncher, make one large hole in the first rectangle in the middle of the 7cm edge, about 1cm from the outer edge (see photos). Repeat on other rectangle.
3. To make Bowie (or other) enhancement, trace shape of a star or lightning bolt onto a piece of paper with a pencil. Lightning bolt final measurements are 10cm tall by 7cm wide, while the star is approximately 7cm by 7cm.
4. Using regular scissors, cut out shape and place on wrong side of another piece of leather. Use the pencil to trace the shape onto the wrong side of the leather and cut out shape using rotary cutter and self-healing mat.
5. Lay two rectangles side by side, like in the photos, with two 7cm ends that have no holes touching. The punched sides face outward. Using thread and leather needle, stitch the two rectangles together from the top to about 60% down or 4cm from the top. Turn around and stitch back over same area to strengthen the nose area.
6. Using some glue, attach the embellishment over one rectangle of the eye mask. Allow glue to partially dry and sew embellishment onto rectangle, securing it to the eye mask.
7. If using leather cord, tie one end to punched hole using a non-slip loop knot. Repeat with other hole, and cut cord in half.
8. If using the elastic, fold in half and use both strands to tie a non-slip loop knot in one hole. Try on mask and fit elastic snugly around head to measure for length to fit. Tie second knot in other hole. Place a drop of glue on both knots and allow to dry. Trim ends if necessary.