Cuddly Animal Heating Pad

Here is a new pal, Squidley!

Simply throw this cute little aquatic fella into the microwave for 1-2 minutes and use as a heating pad for sore muscles or to warm up a cold bed. Throw it in the freezer for an hour or two and use as an ice pack for bumps and bruises. Great for kids!

If you don't have the time to make your own, buy one at mahi.etsy.com

Step 1 What you need

What you need:

Fabric (I used felt for this but found cotton works better)
Pen (For drawing shapes)
Scissors
Long grain white rice (do NOT use instant rice)
Sewing machine/ needle and thread
Fabric glue (optional)
piece of paper (optional)

Comments

[Anathema_Herem]

Adorable critter. I may have to make one to use in my practice. Oh, and about the moisture with the heating pad--that's a good thing. I'm a massage therapy student, and my hydrotherapy instructor taught us that we're always supposed to use moist heat anyway; it's both more comfortable and more effective at soothing sore muscles than dry heat, and keeps the heating pad from dehydrating the muscle tissue. Also, always wrap your heating/ice pack in a towel. You don't want it directly against your skin, as that can cause damage.

[elishabaii]

I've just bought some ceramic pie weights for the same type of project, I understand they'll eliminate all concerns of hygiene and odor.

[sweetkits]

this is a cool project. me and my dad r going to go to michaels to get the supplies. thanks!

[TheCheese9921]

oooooooh now all it nead is LED eyes!!!

[duck-lemon]

microwave + glass =

FUN!

[sweetkits]

timer bomb+red wire=FUN!!!!!

[qwerty90210]

what? glass is microwaveable

ps gasoline+matches=fun :D

[master blaster]

this is very smart! I actualy have an outdoor playhouse and this would be perfect for heating up in the winter and cooling down in the summer.

[mcadwell]

I read somewhere that when heating rice bags like this you're supposed to spritz it with water so the rice won't dry out too much and disintegrate. I made some for Christmas about 8 years ago and dampen my rice bags and they're still going strong. I took some inexpensive pillow cases, cut in half lengthwise, sewed a seam up the cut part, filled with rice and sewed up the open end. Mine were not at all as cute as the rice squidy shown in this instructable but took a lot less work!

[VanessaEtsy]

Wow, I didn't know about such a thing!

[Bubbler]

I read somewhere you should use buckwheat for a filler. It is least likely to combust and I guess, least likely put out moisture as well. They are great for sore muscles, and this one has given me an appetite for some deep fried squid.

[Mahi]

Buckwheat is the other popular filler, as well as corn. For me, the rice is easier to find and makes this an inexpensive project!

[Lincoln]

Cute! I actually made something like this without character last year. It is just like a pillow filled with rice, but works great with a quick run in the microwave. One question though: I find that it is often outputting a sort of moist heat due to some moisture in the rice. Does yours do that?

[Mahi]

The rice does put out moisture, and the felt I originally made this with is really bad about letting the moisture out. Thicker fabrics do help although I don't mind some moisture.

[KelliShaver]

I'm thinking a rice-filled sock monkey would be pretty cool. I have a couple of these (well, just "pillows" basically, not characters) that I've used for years. They're great. The rice does tend to absorb some moisture, though.