I have been making heat therapy rice bags for several years. They are simple to sew and make great gifts.
They are perfect for aches, pains, and even cold feet. If you would like to make these heat therapy rice bags follow the instructions below.
Supplies Needed
- Fleece Fabric
- Cotton Fabric
- Rotary Cutter & Mat
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Thread
- Pins
- Sewing Machine
- Rice
- Funnel
Instructions
1. Cut two pieces of fleece and two pieces of plain cotton fabric to a size of 6 inches by 12 inches using a rotary cutter.
Note: You can make fleece bags in any size you choose. 6 inches by 12 inches has been a good size for our family. I have also made “headache helpers” with fabric cut to a size of 3 inches by 8 inches.
2. Sew the two pieces of cotton fabric together using a 1/2 inch seam allowance using a triple stitch. Leave an opening on one short end that is at least 2 inches wide.
Note: I like to use a triple stitch to ensure that the seams will be strong to keep the rice inside.
3. Clip the corners as shown in the picture below and then turn the fabric right side out through the opening.
4. Sew the two pieces of fleece together using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Leave an opening on one short end that is at least 2 inches wide just like you did in step 2.
5. Clip the corners and turn the fleece right side out through the opening just like you did in step 3.
You now have two bags, one of cotton fabric and the other of fleece.
6. Insert the cotton bag into the fleece bag.
7. Place a funnel into the opening of the cotton bag and fill it with rice until it is half full.
Note: The funnel pictured below was made by cutting the top off of a water bottle. I did this because my regular funnel didn’t have a big enough opening and the rice kept getting stuck.
8. Pin the cotton bag closed.
9. Sew the opening of the cotton bag closed by sewing close to the edge of the fabric.
10. Push the cotton bag into the fleece bag so that it is out of the way of the opening of the fleece bag.
11. Sew along the edge of the fleece bag to close the opening. Alternatively, you can hand sew the opening closed so that the finished bag will have no seams showing.
These heat therapy rice bags go together very quickly and they hold heat for a long time. They only need 1 1/2 to 2 minutes in the microwave and they work as well as an electric heating pad.
If you want to add a little something extra to these bags you can place some dried lavender in with the rice before sewing the bags shut.
I gave several of these rice bags as Christmas gifts this year. I also made a few headache helpers that work great for headaches or for small children. They can even be placed in the freezer for use as a cold pack.
If you would like to print out the tags I have created simply click on the links below. My poems may be a little cheesy, but I think they make for a cute addition to the rice bags when giving them as gifts. 🙂
Heat Therapy Rice Bag Tags
Heat Therapy Rice Bag Teacher Tags
Headache Helper/Boo Boo Bag Tags
One thing I would like to note is that these rice bags cannot get wet or they will be ruined. If you would like to make it so the fleece can be removed and washed you would need to sew velcro on one short end instead of sewing it closed like in the instructions above.
