Materials needed
1 yard of black and white striped material, 60" wide
1/4 yard of fusible interfacing
black or white thread
small package of polyester filling or other stuffing material
20 inches of 1/2 inch elastic (available by the yard or packaged)
Tools needed
sewing machine
scissors and pins
measuring tape
straight edge and pencil
iron and ironing board
Before you start always pre wash the fabric, even if you do not plan on laundering your nemyss. Simply run the fabric through a short wash cycle, soap optional, and tumble dry. This will pre-shrink the fabric and remove excess starch that can cause skin irritation.
Cutting
1. From your yard of fabric, measure a square that is 53" across the stripes and 26" down. This should leave you with a 26" x 53" and a 10"x53" piece of fabric and about seven inches of excess material. Throw the excess away, you will not need it.
2. Take the larger piece of fabric, turn it over, and fold the long side down 6". Pin in place. Then fold the fabric in half lengthwise, wrong side out. Make sure the edges match exactly, and pin in place.
3. Measure and mark 8 1/2" in from the bottom right edge of the fabric, repeat 6" from the top (just under the folded over edge). Using the straight edge, connect the two lines and cut along the line through both layers. Then cut along the line 6" from the top of the fabric, discard the excess.
4. With the piece of fabric still folded, round off the bottom right corner of the top flap. Once this is completed, unfold the fabric lengthwise. You now have completed cutting the body of the nemyss.
5. Take the smaller, 10" x 53" piece of fabric and cut it down to 18" x 6". Fold it in half lengthwise. Mark 3" up from the bottom of the non-folded side and draw a line from that point to the bottom corner on the folded side. Cut along that line. You have completed cutting the tail of the nemyss.
Sewing
6. Take the nemyss body and finish all edges. This can be done by setting your sewing machine to a zigzag stitch and carefully sewing along the edges of the fabric. After you've finished the edges, fold the top flap over, wrong side out, and sew from the fold, around the curve, to the main body of the nemyss. Sew all seams 5/8" from the edge of the fabric
7. With the fabric still wrong side out, notch the curved edge of the seam. Be careful not to cut through your stitching. Turn the fabric right side out and push the flaps through like a pocket. Using your pencil, push gently around the inside edges of the seam so that all the fabric is folded out. Press along the curved seams and along the folded edge of the fabric.
8. Hem the sides of the nemyss body by turning them over and sewing down the edge. (You may want to use the same color of thread as the stripe you're sewing on so the stitching does not show as much.)
9. Measure from temple to temple across your forehead. Cut a rectangle of interfacing that is that long and 2" high. Find the middle of the piece of interfacing and the middle of the folded edge of the nemyss. Match the center marks and iron the interfacing into the inside of the nemyss. Check the interfacing manufacturer's instructions on how to apply it.
10. Take the nemyss tail fabric and finish the top edge. Fold it in half lengthwise, wrong side out. Sew along the long edge and the angled edge. Clip the corners and turn right side out. Use your pencil to gently press the bottom tip of the tail out, then stuff it with the polyester filling.
Finishing steps
11. Find and mark the middle of the bottom of the nemyss. Starting from the outside edges, fold the bottom edge into accordion pleats about 1" wide. Pleat one side to the middle, then pleat the other. Pin the nemyss tail to the bottom of the pleats and hand sew in place.
12. Take the elastic and extend it from temple to temple behind your head. Do not stretch the elastic, or your nemyss will fit too tightly. Cut the elastic to that length. Place the nemyss on your head and mark the center of your temples on the fabric. Attach the elastic to those points on the inside of the nemyss.
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