Heating Pad with Rice and Spice

This winter my family was cold, so I found the softest worn-out sheets in our mending pile, and sewed microwaveable warm packs that hold heat for a long time. I filled them with dry rice, and added herbs or spices. It takes about 10-15 mins to cut, sew and fill.

I had fun adding herbs and spices to them to create lots of smells.  Deciding what spices to put in is like cooking. I've made one with lavender, one with a mixture of Indian-inspired spices that reminds us of Indian sweets, another with cumin, black coriander, bay leaves, & pepper, and some other experiments. Or you can leave out the spices if you want to keep it simpler.

There are lots of instructables for neck, hand, and other warmers made from fabric and heatable fillers. I've included mine because I wanted to emphasize how much fun you can have creating a spice mixture, how you can use almost any kind of fabric, and to give detailed sewing instructions for a handy multi-purpose size.

Worn-out sheets and pillowcases are great; you can use any fabric you want. Worn-out things around the house are soft and smooth, such as flannel from nightclothes or knits from old T-shirts. Of course you can use new yard goods. This project shows one made from an old sheet, one from a T-shirt, and one from some soft old towels. 

Step 1 Gather Materials

Gather up fabric (you will need either big scraps from an old sheet or pillowcase, or fabrics that you can cut pieces of about 8" by 12"). Any kind of rice, you will need 1.5 to 2 lbs (3 to 4 cups). Scissors, sewing thread and machine. A ruler is helpful but you can eyeball the measurements. Optionally you can enjoy putting in spices. I have used lavender, mixtures of whole culinary spices, herbs, and seeds that I have cracked or ground in a small grinder, vanilla pods, and pre-ground spices.

Comments

[Pavlovafowl]

The herbs and spice idea is great! Best Wishes from Basse-Normandie Pavlovafowl aka Sue