Turn a Shoulder Pad into a Sleep Mask

Here's a quick accessory refashion for you! I'm always trying to come up with new ways to make shoulder pads useful. I come across so many when I'm refashioning, it'd be a shame to waste them, so here's one idea I came up with to put them to work! I've seen fashion bloggers turn them into all kinds of things like sunglasses protectors, but this is something I've actually needed, so as my mantra for this blog -- to make the most out of what you have -- I figured this would be perfect. It was quick and easy too! All you need is one shoulder pad and some stretchy fabric. I used a scrap I had laying around, and since I happen to be working on another refashion at the time, I chose a shoulder pad that came with it, which is black -- perfect for blocking out light.

So first, kind of a given, remove the shoulder pad.

Pin in a weak "W" shape, like you're making sunglasses. You can even use a pair of sunglasses to "trace" around the bottom in order to make it big enough to cover your eyes.

Use a Zigzag stitch to sew in place of the pins. As an extra precaution against fraying, I sewed over the Zigzag with a straight line stitch. I'm not sure it's necessary so you can decide whether you want to do the same. When you're done, it should look like this:

Then, just cut along the outside of the stitch.

Now, measure the circumference of your head, at eyebrow height. For example, mine is 22".

"I feel like, I could be in....GATSBY! Grrrreat Gatsby!" Also measure the length of the shoulder pad, at the very top. As you can see, mine is 9".

Now subtract your circumference measurement, by the length. (Ex. 22 - 9 = 13). This number should be the minimum amount of fabric you will need, depending on how stretchy it is. Mine was pretty stretchy, but the first time I made it exactly 13" and it was too tight and bothered my eyes, so I had to use the seam ripper and redo it. I ended up using 15" of fabric, that's including room for the seam. There's not an exact science to this since everyone's head is a different size so you'll just have to go with your instinct.

Double-up your fabric about the width of the pad, and pin the sides and middle to help keep it in place. Stretchy fabrics like this like to move around so it's recommended to use a ballpoint needle when sewing, but not to worry if you don't have one -- I didn't. It just makes it more difficult. Cut along the edge to form a long rectangle. With the fabric still wrong-side out, using a straight stitch, sew along the length's edge to form a long tube. It doesn't have to be too perfect.