DIY rice-filled hand warmers
One of my friends has the coldest hands ever. Grabbing her hand is like grabbing a frosty block of ice. She’s also a nurse – and I always imagine her poor patients leaping way from her chilly clutches.
That said, she’s always got a smile and is one of the warmest people I’ve ever known –– so I suspect the old saying “cold hands, warm heart” may have a grain of truth.
So, thinking of her (and the fact that I’m FREEZING all the time because California actually got some real weather this winter), I whipped up these easy hand warmers. It took me less than 20 minutes to pick out some pretty fabric scraps, sew & stuff them with rice.
So easy to pop in the microwave (30-60 seconds) when you need a quick warm up!
What to get:
-Fabric (at least 5” x 5” inches) I used some scraps we had leftover from Craftcation 2016 courtesy of Michael Miller Fabrics
-Scissors
-Pencil
-Sewing machine
-Rice (about 1 cup per bag)
-Thread to match your fabric
-Iron and ironing board
-Funnel
-Straight pin
What to do:
1. Fold fabric in half with right sides (printed sides) facing in.
2. Using a ruler measure and mark a 5” x 5” square on the fabric.
3. Cut the fabric into a 5” x 5” square.
4. Starting one inch to the left from the middle of one of the sides sew a straight seam across all the edges of the fabric square until you reach the side where you started where you’ll need to stop about two inches from where you began. *This opening will allow you to turn the square right side out as well as fill it with rice.
5. Turn the square right side out. Iron if needed.
6. Use a funnel to fill the bag with rice about ¾ full.
7. Push all the rice to the side of the bag opposite the opening and use a pin to keep the rice in place.
8. Sew the end closed with the sewing machine if you don’t mind seeing a seam or hand sew it closed for a more finished look.
