(slide image to the left to see non-retouched version)
The “Goodnight Moon”: This version would be for a chic, goofy couple. This bowl is on their wishlist, and this plush nightlight is on their bed. One partner still wants the lights on at night? No problem, the moon lights up. But hey, the moon and other partner will be wearing eye masks because they’re tryna sleep 😤
Process:
Pattern: I drew a crescent moon with a face on cardstock, achieving the curve with pen + string tied to a center pin. Initially, I was worried about my ability to successfully create the pattern because I felt too stretched for time to learn how to draw it with proper curves on illustrator, break it apart for printer-sized paper, and paste it together to then cut into a pattern. Emma suggested the pencil + string method for hand drawing the curve and that worked great! Next time I would exaggerate the facial features in the pattern because with the hem and piping, the mouth and brow ended up getting lost in execution.
Materials: For this version, I used a white cotton knit, blue piping, a zipper, and poly fill. I had never sewn in piping or a zipper before, so that was a great learning experience. The piping was important to help define the white blobby shape, and the zipper is ideal for using the battery pack. I used an existing eye mask (shoutout to Rihanna’s savage fenty brand for passing these lacy purple ones out at Barclays Center once). Next time I might use a silk for the pillow, because the target buyer is looking for something more elevated than cotton (which also attracts hairs/lint/dirt more easily – not great for a white night light). However, I’d also be interested in a fabric with more structure, given the lumpiness of poly fill – maybe a white crushed velvet that still allows for light to shine through.
Sewing: Sewing was generally smooth, just a learning experience to add the piping and zipper. A few hiccups given the difference in stretch for the piping vs main cotton. I also didn’t have the best sewing machine foot for adding in a zipper.
Electronics: I used 7 cold-white diffused LEDs. I soldered them mainly into pairs, consolidating them into 1 positive and 1 negative wire per 2-LEDs, and then continued pairing the pairs. I cut out a .5 inch piece of white foam in a boomerang shape that I could slide into the pillow. I then cut slits along the outside of the foam where I’d slide in each LED to sit atop the foam. I did the arrangement congruously with soldering, to make sure that I was cutting wires to the right length. I then taped the LEDs atop the slits in the foam on one side and taped down the wires on the backside, so that neither would get shuffled when I added the poly fill. Next time, I would like to have more LEDs (16 or so) to light up the full pillow. I need to better understand Ohm’s law to calculate how many LEDs I can have per-battery pack in order to do so, but otherwise have space for them in the layout. I would also like to use a warmer-white LED, which is better for nighttime.
