The ol’ herb garden is in full swing, which means I am giving away giant wads of cut herbs to vaguely-puzzled neighbors* and looking for things to do with the rest. I’m thus somewhat startled to discover that I’ve been running this blog for over five years and haven’t ever mentioned dream pillows. Apparently I never pay attention.

Dream pillows are simply largish sachets, filled with herbs that are reputed to have calming properties and/or a sweet scent. They are super-easy to make, and if you don’t have a garden you can easily purchase the herbs online.

The pillows are intended to lay on top of a regular pillow inside the pillowcase so the sleeper can inhale their scent. They should thus be reasonably flat and can be fairly small; a 6-8″ square is more than sufficient. Since they aren’t really meant to be seen you can get away with making them out of plain muslin, although if you’re making one as a gift you might want to use pretty fabric–a vintage handkerchief would be a good choice–or decorate it with embroidery or fabric paint. A natural fabric such as cotton which doesn’t have an overly tight weave is the best choice for releasing the maximum scent.

The easiest version of these pillows is just a square bag: Fold a piece of fabric in half, stitch two sides, turn right-side-out, fill with herbs, then slipstitch the other side closed. If you want to make the pillow washable and/or refillable, finish the open end with Velcro or add a ribbon drawstring (to keep bits of herbs from spilling out, you might want to enclose them in a smaller mesh or muslin bag and insert that into the prettier drawstring cover). If you want to get fancier, Tipnut has a nice roundup of sachet tutorials. And if you don’t want to bother with sewing at all–or if you have a large number of pillows to make–you can find drawstring muslin bags inexpensively at craft stores or online.

The herbal filling usually contains a small amount of hops or mugwort, which are reputed to be sleep-inducing, plus some pleasant-smelling additions like lavender or peppermint. (Hops, in particular, can be rather pungent if you don’t mask the scent with something else.) If you don’t happen to grow either of these, they’re easy to find online: One of my favorite mail-order places is Monterey Bay Spice Co., which offers a huge selection of dried herbs, spices, and essential oils. They carry both of these herbs (hops | mugwort) in regular and organic varieties. (If you want to try growing them yourself, I happen to like Richters, which ships worldwide.)

Make sure your herbs are thoroughly dry (they’re likely to mold otherwise) and then mix in a ratio of about one part mugwort/hops to three parts other herbs: Lavender, jasmine, lemon balm, peppermint, and rose petals are common–and easily grown or purchased–additions. Some other suggested herbs and their reputed effects are:

Angelica, Calendula, Cinquefoil, Hibiscus, Poppy, Yarrow – Inspire prophetic dreams
Anise, Cedar, Mullein, Rosemary – Repel nightmares
Marjoram, Meadowsweet, Skullcap, Valerian – Relaxing
Bay, Thyme, Vetiver, Yarrow – Repels “negativity”
Bergamot, Chamomile, Lemon Verbena, Lemongrass, Linden – Sweet scent

Some suggested blends:

1 C mugwort
1 C lemon verbena
1 C chamomile flowers
1 C rose petals
1 C peppermint
1/4 C hops

1/2 C mugwort
1/2 C rose petals
1/4 C lavender
1/4 C marjoram

1/2 C hops
1/2 C marjoram
1/4 C linden flowers
1/4 C bergamot
1/4 C lavender
1/4 C chamomile flowers

1 C mugwort
1 C rose petals
1/2 C hops
1/2 C lemon verbena
1/8 C lemongrass
1/8 C jasmine flowers
1/8 C peppermint

Any of these would make a thoughtful gift, either on its own or paired with a dream journal. Do remember, however, that these are botanical substances so make sure that allergies aren’t an issue before presenting as a gift.

Making the pillows is a fun group activity as well: Set out a supply of pre-sewn bags and containers of herbs at a “scent bar” and let each person mix-and-match their own blend.

If you’re looking for a fun, easy project or just for a way to use up an herbal overload, dream pillows are an excellent option.

*If you stride over and hand a big bouquet of lemon verbena to a sweaty guy on a riding lawnmower, no matter how winningly you smile he’s going to look at you funny.