Lavender Vanilla Rice Heat Pack

9:42:00 PM

I wanted to do this rice heating pad over the weekend, but then I got sick--fever, chills, cough. And then, somehow, while sick, I hurt my neck. So I really need to be able to have a rice heat pack for my neck--you know, a heating pad that isn't attached to the wall--but I was hurting too bad to try to make one! Oh, the irony! But now I seem to be on the mend--both the cold and the neck injury--and now I can make this heat pack.



While I was laid up, I was able to do some research, and I assure you I am not the first person to come up with a rice heating pad. My design is similar to an image I found via pinterest with a link to www.thegreenwife.com. But the link didn't work for me--it appears to be broken, so I took a look and developed my own version. I have made it a little different from the picture: first of all, it is a little longer and thinner since my neck pains sometimes go down my arm--I wanted some more flexibility. But the more important difference in my mind is that instead of taking two pieces of material and sewing all around, I am taking one piece of fabric and folding it in half lengthwise. Why? First of all, I wanted as few places as possible for rice to escape--I figured whole fabric worked better at that. Second, and more important to me, on my last craft post I shared how my sewing machine and I are fighting. I wanted to sew as little as possible to get this project done!

Here's the materials:


a piece of tightly woven material, 9 inches by 22 inches
rice
thread
scent (I chose lavender vanilla, but craft stores have all kinds, chose one you like)
various sewing tools: sewing machine, pins, hem gauge

Make sure that you press your fabric before starting. It will help with the measuring, pinning, and the sewing. I also went ahead and folded the fabric in half lengthwise and pressed it again to get a crease where the bottom of the heat pack will be.

First take the two long sides and hem them--I did about a 1/2 inch hem.




 Fold the fabric longwise so that the right side of the fabric is on the inside.

Sew a seam along each of the short sides. Snip the corners of your seam and then turn it right side out. You will now have something that resembles a very short pillowcase. Measure the fabric in the long direction and divide it into four sections--I used a pin to mark the lines. Sew these lines so you now have four little pockets.



Take the rice and mix in some of the scent. I used about 3 cups of rice and I didn't want it to smell to strongly, so I used 3 drops.

Fill the pockets of your fabric with rice--but not too full--you want the rice pack to give some when its closed, not feel like a rock!

Once you have a section filled with the rice, hold it closed with some binder clips until you can sew it closed.


Just simply run a seam down the open end.



Now, I wish I could tell you that my sewing machine behaved during this little project. I do. It did better than last time, but it was still a little snarky. I'm hoping that it decides to straighten up because I have a couple more projects I want to sew up! But now, I'm going to relax with some rice powered heat--just going to warm it in the microwave for a couple of minutes!





Sometimes I link up at the following places: 413 Sparrow Lane, 504 MainA Little TipsyBlessed with Grace, Crafty Scrappy HappyEat at Home, Finding Fabulous, Gingersnap CraftsHouse of HepworthsHow to Nest for Less, It's OverflowingMade in a DayMomTrendsNot Just a HousewifeOrganizing JunkiePositively Splendid, Simply Sugar and Gluten FreeSix Sisters Stuff, Sugarbee Crafts, Tidy Mom, The Finer Things and I Dream of Clean’s Spring Cleaning Challenge,  The King's Court IV, and The Finer Things in Life.

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4 comments

  1. Love this idea! But I have a question for you about the scent you used, was it an essential oil? Can you share the brand? I have been afraid to use a scent because of what it might do to the fabric, but I am inspired. Thanks for sharing!

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    Replies
    1. For this project, I was out of dried lavender, so I used a scent product for candles. It was only a handful of drops in the rice and I mixed it up really good before I put it in the rice. Since rice is a dessicant (it dries stuff out), I think it'll be ok. But if you're worried about staining the fabric, I'd go with dried lavender or another herb. I also used a darker color with a pattern, which also helps with any staining that may occur. Thanks so much for the question!

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  2. These rice heat packs are so nice!! Never thought to add the scent to it. We love this idea! We are so thrilled to have you link up to our "Strut Your Stuff Saturday". We hope to see you again next week! -The Sisters

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  3. These would make great Christmas gifts for some co-workers. Pinning this for future reference!

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