Saturday, February 13

Hand Warmers & Heat Pack Gift Set

We've had some nice, warm days blowing through the Midwest this winter. We even spent one Saturday in January at the zoo when the temp hit almost 60! Then February rolled around. And it's downright chilly around here. Brrrr. So today I'm sharing one of our favorite ways to cozy up and beat the cold... easy homemade heat packs (with bonus handwarmers for when you have to be out and about!).


Just pop the heat pack in the microwave to warm up your hands or feet, or use them to sooth aching muscles (you can also put them in the freezer to make a cold pack in the warmer months). And trust me, once you try these you'll want to make some for all your chilly friends!


The handwarmers are great to slip in your gloves when you're heading out to shovel or play in the snow. You can make a perfect little gift set by bundling together a heat pack with a pair of handwarmers. Try tucking a set in a gift bag with some hot chocolate and go surprise your bestie with some extra warm goodies on a chilly day!




These are so easy (and affordable)! You can make up several sets in no time.  Here's all you need:
  • 1/4 yard fabric
  • thread
  • dry rice
Start by cutting your pieces. For the larger heat pack you need two pieces that are 7x20". For a set of handwarmers cut four pieces about 5x5" square. Start by cutting out the the larger heat pack, then cut the handwarmers as large as possible from the extra that's left over. Two of my sets were almost 5", but one was closer to 4" because I bought it out of the remnant bin and it wasn't quite 1/4 yard. Anything in the 4-5" range will be fine, but I prefer to be on the larger end of that.


Stack the two heat pack pieces with right sides together. Sew around the edges with a 1/2" seam allowance, leaving a 3-4" opening on one side for turning. Clip the corners.

For each handwarmer, stack two pieces with right sides together and sew around the edges with a 1/2" seam allowance leaving 2-3" open for turning. Clip the corners.


Turn all the pieces right side out. I find making multiple sets goes faster if I work assembly line style. Cut out all the pieces, sew them all, clip all the corners, turn them all right side out, etc.


Now you can start filling them with dry rice. I used about 1/4 cup in each handwarmer, and about 3 cups in each heat pack. You can add more or less depending on how full you want your heat pack to be. I found filling it too full made the pack pretty stiff and I prefer it a bit floppier, so 3 cups was plenty for me. A funnel makes this job much easier!



To finish it off, just tuck in the seams at the opening and sew right along the edge to seal it. Now your set is ready to go, and you just need to bundle up any extras for your buddies! I like to fold the big heat pack in half, stack the handwarmers on top, and tie it all up with a string.


I had soo much fun picking fabrics for this project, and even found some great options for the guys!


That's it! These guys are easy, cheap, and fast. So what are you waiting for? Go warm yourself up!


What's your favorite way to warm up on chilly day?

2 comments:

  1. Now I have an idea on what to do with small fleece scraps that I could bare to part with it. My hand warmer will be warm AND fuzzy. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is a perfect scrap project! Sounds toasty!

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