Recently I was confronted with the daunting task of sleeping on an airplane. I don't often fly on planes and even less often am I able to fall asleep in sitting positions. To tackle this problem I wanted all the tools I could muster without breaking my wallet on expensive travel gear. One such tool is the eye mask. This quick tutorial will show you how to make an eye mask using only a wash cloth and bit of elastic string. That's right, we're doing it Macgyver style.

Materials:

• Bathroom washcloth - approx. 12" by 12"
• Elastic string - approx. 20" (non-elastic string can be substituted, although the mask may not fit as snugly)
  

Steps:

1. First fold the washcloth diagonally making a triangle.
2. Next, form a clove hitch on one end of the elastic string and pass one corner of the triangle through it. Check out the short video below to learn how to make a clove hitch.
3. Finally, make another clove hitch on the other end of the string, attaching it to the other corner of the wash cloth. You can adjust the length of the elastic by feeding the string through the hitch and pulling out the slack.
4. Slide the mask over your head with the third point of the triangle pointing down. The mask can be quickly assembled on the go and having a wash cloth on hand while traveling can be quite handy for cleaning up spills.

Is that clove hitch kicking your butt? Check out this video for an alternate tying method.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a little cat nap.