Type: Health/Body
Difficulty: Moderate
Kid-friendly? Yes (adult assistance required for sewing)
A crisp winter chill in the air is the perfect excuse to treat a loved one – just whip up one or more of these delightfully scented bags to warm their heart! Also great for muscular pains, these little life-savers can be adapted in size and shape of your bag for the needs of your chosen recipient.
You’ll need:
- Fabric fat quarters in natural fibre (100% cotton works well)
- Sewing machine or needle and thread, as preferred
- Bag of uncooked rice
- Essential oil/s of choice (e.g. lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary, tea tree)
Making:
- Cut the fabric to the size and shape you want to make your pad/s, taking into account how they’ll be used – e.g. in pockets as hand warmers, or on the neck/shoulder region. Keep in mind that you’ll need to cut 2 x pieces of the same size and shape per bag.
- Place your 2 x pieces one on top of the other, with the print/outer surface facing inward. Sew three of the edges together, leaving one side open (if using a rectangle shape, make it one of the shorter sides).
- Take enough uncooked rice to fill your bag and mix it with around 10 drops of essential oil. Allow to stand for 10 minutes so that oils can be absorbed, then transfer rice mixture into bag.
- Fold over the material of the open side to conceal raw edge of fabric, then sew closed.
- To use bag, simply heat in microwave for 2 minutes, check the temperature to make sure it’s not too hot to touch, then place it on the chosen body part for as long as you like.