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DIY Rice Heat Packs - Organized 31
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DIY Microwave Heat Pack Tutorial

A simple tutorial for beginner sewing skills to make a reusable heat pack for just a couple of dollars.
Prep Time5 minutes
Active Time20 minutes
Yield: 1 Rice Pad
Cost: $3-5

Equipment

  • 1 Pair of Scissors
  • 1 Ruler
  • 1 sewing machine you can hand sew, if you prefer
  • 1 needle for hand sewing the opening closed

Materials

  • 1 piece cotton fabric fabric needs to be slightly larger than twice the size of rice pad you'd like
  • 1 spool cotton thread
  • 1-4 cups uncooked rice or grains listed in tutorial

Instructions

  • Cut 2 pieces of fabric into a rectangle, square or long rectangle for a neck heating pad. The two pieces should be the same size. Plan for a 1/2 inch seam allowance. That means you should add 1/2 inch to each measurement.
  • Place the 2 pieces of fabric with the same sides together. Line up the edges.
  • Sew a 1/4  inch seam around the outside of the rectangle, leaving a 1 1/2 inch opening for turning the pack right-side out. 
  • Clip the the corners of fabric before turning it right side out.
  • Once the bag is turned right-side out, sew a seam on the right side about 1/4 inch in from the edge all the way around the bag, but leave the opening open.
  • Fill the heating pads with rice or your grain of choice.  Use a funnel or index card rolled up to act as a funnel. Fill the fabric bag comfortably full, with approximately 1 cup of rice.  Leave enough wiggle room to be able to sew the opening closed, but other than that, it’s a personal preference how full you fill the pack.