My husband ALWAYS has cold hands, so I made him a couple of "hand warmers" to keep them warm. I simply cut out soft fabric into 4 (4 inch) squares. Sew right sides together leaving about 1/2 open. Turn, fill with rice and sew shut.
He just pops these in the microwave for 30 seconds or so and voila! his hands are nice and toasty. These would make nice gifts for someone who has poor circulation. Just put one on top of the other and tie a ribbon around and put a cute tag on. You can also make these in kiddy fabric and let them put it wherever their "boo boo" hurts or on their tummy. :)
I think you could make a larger one and use it in your bed if your feet are as cold as mine always are! Should work better than a heating pad that has to be turned off and has hot spots. Also, I might like one for my little dog's bed to encourage her to stay put at bed time.
I don't use knits as they are a pain to sew. Also, rice may come through. I like fleece, any soft material you have laying around, really. I use about 1/4cup rice. You dont want to pack them tight. There should be some room once you add the rice. This is the same as the ones they make for the neck. All you need to do for that is use a long tube sock (if you have it) and fill or make2 pieces the length you want and finish as for the hand warmers. The big ones are great for cramps! I have made these for years and have never needed to use more than one layer of fabric.
You should use a closely woven cloth. This will keep bits of grains from squeezing out. Might be a good idea to make 2 cases. One would be the inner pouch and the one your hand touches, soft cloth.
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Request: Making Hand Warmers
Archived on 06/06/2008
I was considering making hand warmers for gifts. Any suggestions?
Thanks.
Holly from Richardson, TX
Answers:
RE: Making Hand Warmers
How about sewing palm sized pouches filled with rice then stitching them to dollar store gloves. They could be microwaved to heat up. flax seed is another option. (10/13/2007)