SOOTH THOSE ACHES AND PAINS WITH A DIY RICE HEAT PACK.
Rice heat packs are a great solution to sore muscles, aches and pains, cramps, swelling, etc. It’s a great idea to have a few of these on hand for when they are needed. It’s also a great idea to have some in the freezer for ice packs as well. Then when you need some cold packs they are all ready for you, instead of using a bag of peas like I did growing up. These are quick and easy to make. I will also show you how to keep the rice from getting in your way while sewing.
Are you ready to make your own? Let’s get started! This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more)! Read my full disclosure policy.
Material needed to make a Rice Heat Pack
- One or two cotton coordinating fabrics (6″x20″)
- Matching Thread
- Rice
- Measuring cup
- Funnel
- Scissors
- Wonder Clips or Pins
- Sewing Machine
How to make a Rice Heat Pack
Step 1. Prepare Fabric
Wash, dry and iron your fabric. Cut out two pieces that both measure 6″ x 20″. Lay them on top of each other, right sides together.
Sew a 1/4″ around the two short ends and one long edge. I also sewed around the top two corners like in this picture so I have all four corners created.
Then trim the corners and turn it right side out. Then press with a hot iron, also while turning the open long edge in a 1/4″ .
Then we are going to top stitch around the three sewn edges, 1/8″ from the edge. We are topstitching these right now, so we don’t sew over rice grains, when doing it later.
Next, use a fabric pen that will disappear with water or heat, to mark the lines that will make the sections. I measured the length of my heat pack, which was 19 inches, and then divided that by 5, for 5 little pockets that are going to hold the rice. That gave me 3.8″. So I marked every 3.8 inches with my pen.
Here is a demonstration of where the lines would go.
Sew almost all the way to the top, where the topstitch will go when closing the whole heat pack.
Next, it’s time to fill these little pockets with rice. You can use a mason jar funnel or create a paper funnel. I poured about 3/4 cup rice into each pocket.
Pin each pocket closed with two pins, close to the rice. This will keep the rice away from the edge you are going to sew shut. Then topstitch all the way across the long open edge.
Remove all the pins and spread out the rice to fill the rest of the pocket.
You can heat these in the microwave or keep them in the freezer as a cold pack. When microwaving I like to microwave it for 30 seconds on each side as a start and go up from there, depending on how warm I need it. You can also make matching Rice Pack Handwarmers, which I have a tutorial on here.
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