Guest Author - Fran Loudas

The Origins of Dream Pillows - Part 1

The craft of making dream pillows goes back many centuries in Europe. In our history, people assigned magical powers to herbs. Certain herbs under a pillow were believed to protect against evil, foretell the future or bring lovers. Some old stories even tell of herbs that were used to calm bad dreams, bring about good dreams or quiet a restless sleeper.

Today modern reasoning tells us that herbs can’t predict events or ward off evil. However, pleasant fragrances from herbs and flowers do have a positive effect on dreaming.

At one time, dream pillows were called comfort pillows and were used in sickrooms to ease the nightmares that may come with medicine and the smells of illness. Relaxing herbs were respected for their usefulness in easing the sleep of crying babies.

Dream blends are very different from potpourri – do not expect a dream blend to have the same strong smell as that of potpourri. Dream blends do not contain essential or fragrance oils. It is not recommended to use any kind of oils or fixatives in dream blends; the results are just too unpredictable. Dream blends are subtle, their fragrance released as you move about on the pillow during sleep.

Herbal dream pillows are a pleasant way to promote creative dreaming and restful sleep.

Mixing the Dream Blend

A dream blend consists of carefully selected herbs, flowers, needles or leaves that are combined and then allowed to sit overnight in a closed container so the fragrances blend. You can place the mixture in a cloth of your choice; sew up the end and you’re ready to use your pillow. It’s that easy!

Selecting Herbs and Flowers

Use the very best herbs you can find. The best herbs are the ones you grow yourself – they are free of pesticides and are fresh.

From healthy plants, choose whole leaves, flowers, needles and other parts as described in the dream blend recipes.

Preparing the Herbs and Flowers

Pick herbs or flowers in midday, after the dew has evaporated. Don’t wash the herbs; washing removes some of the fragrant oils. If there is soil clinging to the leaves, shake the herbs or rub them between your fingers.

Place the herbs on the shelves of a food dehydrator and dry on the lowest heat setting until they are crisp. You can also rubber band the herbs in small bunches and hang them in a warm, airy, dark place. When dry, store in airtight plastic containers or zipper bags, in a dark place, until ready to use.

You can also put herbs loosely in a paper bag, or on a cookie sheet and place that in the trunk of the car on a hot day. Remove the herbs as soon as they are crisp and dry (about one or two days), then store in airtight containers in a dark space (such as a cupboard).

Blending the Herbs and Flowers

Choose the dream blend you want to create. Assemble all ingredients listed, in the amounts indicated, and place them together in a plastic zipper bag. Stir or shake to mix the ingredients, seal, and put them away for 24 to 48 hours to let the fragrances blend.

Creating A Dream Pillow

A dream pillow is a small bag or pillow made of cloth and filled with herbs. The bag or pillow is ticked inside your pillowcase. The herbs will be crushed slightly as your head moves during sleep. As the herbs are crushed, they release their subtle aromas.

Materials:

One 5” x 12” strip of fabric
One handful cotton batting or fiberfill
½ cup Dream Blend

Instructions:

1. For a decorative pillow, choose a piece of cloth that is attractive to you and fits the theme of the blend you are using (flowered cloth for romance or boldly colored cloth for creativity). A natural fabric such as Cotton is preferred over synthetics.

2. Cut out a piece of cloth that is 5” x 12”. Fold it in half with right sides together so that you have a 5” x 6” piece of cloth. Stitch up two sides of the pillow, leaving the folded side not sewn and one end open.

3. After you have cut and sewn your cloth, launder and dry it without using any fragrance or fabric softener. (Dyes and sizing smells in new cloth can cause headaches).

4. Turn right side out and place a cotton balled sized amount of cotton or fiberfill material in the bottom of the cloth “pocket”.

5. Add about ½ cup of your chosen dream blend and place another small amount of cotton or fiberfill on top. The padding is to make the pillow soft.

6. Fold over the remaining open end and sew shut by hand with a running stitch. Your dream pillow is now ready to give as a gift or to place inside your pillowcase.

Part 2 to follow