Anne B - avert your eyes! I know how much you hate opening your Christmas gifts before Christmas. Turn away now.
She gone? Let's proceed.
These rice bag things are great for easing aches and pains (if heated in the microwave), and for boo boos (if put in the freezer). You can turn them in to therapeutic aids by adding aromatics like herbs or essential oils. They're also simple to make. A monkey could make these. I know, because one of them had to teach me how to use the sewing machine. If you think I'm joking, I don't want to tell you how long I spent trying to make my sister's sewing machine work before I realized it wasn't turned on.
Ahem.
Start with some cute fabric that is double size of what you want the end product to be.
Figure out what part of the fabric will be the "top" and then fold a little edge over on to the ugly part of the fabric; you're basically just hemming it on one side.
Then fold it in half. Turn it inside out, and make a basic stitch around the sides. You'll want to leave the top open.
Next, turn it inside out so that the pretty part of the fabric is showing. Then, sew a straight line from the long end to the top. You'll want to make a few of these lines. This is creating "segments" so that the rice doesn't just flop around.
Fill the different "divides" of the bag with rice. White rice is the cheapest. You're using this as a heating pad - not eating it.
The next part is the most complicated because you need to figure out how to sew the open end without spilling rice all over. Not that I did that or anything... I found that the best thing was to use simple binder clips on the various openings until you were ready to sew it. You're connecting the edges that you hemmed earlier.
Finished product.
A few of what I churned out.
To date, they've been shipped to people around the country, but mostly they're being used as sandbags for epic battles for Star Wars Christmas tree ornaments. They are also the key part of a game called "Bad Guys" in which Jack throws them at Troy and yells "bad guys".
Happy sewing!
SO EXCITED!!!!
ReplyDeleteI have 2 of those my daughter made last year and I call them my "husband substitutes" as in when I go to bed before he does. They warm it up for me. :)
ReplyDeleteI think the divides are called "baffles." I took a sock and poured rice in it because I wanted to be warm now, not tomorrow when I could sew something proper to hold rice. The smell of the rice kept me awake. Do your rice bags have a smell? It is not unpleasant. But, it makes me hungry. I should make these for other people since I seem to be the only person who can smell hot rice.
ReplyDeleteGOOD IDEA!
ReplyDeleteMy friend lent me one for my neck pain a few weeks ago (that her sister had made) and I LOVE IT! It smells like popcorn and I wonder what she used to fill it. I have some left over culinary lavender (just the flowers, no stems) that I might try adding to one.
Love these, wish i was on your christmas list this year :(
ReplyDeleteAnne - you're such a peeker!
ReplyDeleteYolanda - I'm giggling at "husband substitutes". Since my rice bag doesn't snore, I might keep this one!
Practical - "baffles"? You must know how to sew; them's fancy terms! Mine doesn't make me hungry, but I did debate filling them with popcorn when I ran out of rice. I thought that potentially it could be a bad idea!
KEQ - might I recommend you don't um, make one, until um, after Monday's dinner? Um...?
Laney - how did your vanilla turn out that you were making?
I caved and checked archives. GOLD!!!
ReplyDeleteI also did not like the rice smell so I substitute field corn in my socks. Doesn't have a smell and works fantastic. Of course being from rural Nebraska, corn is a given. I warm in the microwave for about 1 minute and 15 seconds. Stays warm for a long time. I also sprinkle warm sock with essential oils if I am craving a smell.
ReplyDeleteI just made these with cherry pits (idea from Martha Stewart) - they give a moist heat vs. the rice filled ones that have dry heat. Cherry pits retain their heat longer as well. From one 4lb. bag i was able to make 6 smallish (7x10ish) bags plus i have a tiny bit left over for ice packs/hand warmers!
ReplyDeletesorry, forgot to mention - cherry pits also don't smell. My son hated the smell of the rice bags which is why i searched for an alternative filler.
DeleteI love these! I have frequent ear pain and as soon as I put one of these (heated) against my ear I have instant relief.
ReplyDeleteI make these with "feed corn" (plain). They are much larger kernels than rice, and therefore have a different feel, which some may not like, but I think they hold heat longer than rice does, and it is quite economical. You can buy a 40-50 lb bag of feed corn at a farm store, for about $10!!! That makes you a lot of corn bags!!! ...Make them with friends, and split the bag... Lots of gifts and lots of warmth!
ReplyDeleteNOTE: You can also place them in ziploc bags, in the freezer, to use as cold-packs! =)