Turn rice into a warm indulgence.
If you have a stiff neck or aching back, you know how good applying a heat source can feel. The muscles loosen up and the pain melts away. Rice bag heating pads can be the ideal gift for many people in your life. They warm to just the right temperature for soothing aching muscles and can be form-fit around any body part. After two minutes in the microwave, a rice bag heating pad will warm an ache for half an hour or more. This handy item is very easy to make and you can create a dozen or more in an afternoon. Choose a colorful variety of fleece fabrics and you'll have a lot of rice bags to give as gifts.
Instructions
1. Cut out a piece of fleece fabric that measures 11 inches by 18 inches. Lay this fleece rectangle on the table in front of you with the right side up and the longer sides at the right and left.
2. Fold the left edge over to the right edge to fold the fabric in half. Pin along the bottom and right side edges.
3. Sew the bottom and right side edges using a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Make sure that your machine is set to a short stitch length. You will now have a rectangle-shaped bag with an open end.
4. Turn the bag right side out. Push the corners out with your hands to make sure that they are square and not bunched up inside.
5. Fill the bag with plain rice until it is half full. Stand the bag up on end to help with filling it. Do not overfill the bag.
6. Fold the edges of the open end inside the bag and pin the top edge closed and flat. Sew a topstitch along the folded end, to close the bag opening.
7. Lay the bag on a table and shake it around to distribute the rice evenly. Get half of the rice in each half of the bag. Fold the bag in half. Wrap an attractive ribbon around the folded bag and tie it in a bow.
Tags: right side, bottom right, bottom right side, right side edges, side edges