Sunday, December 19, 2010

diy heat pads

i'm worn out. first day on the hill, lots of deep powder, and my legs are very tired. unfortunately, visibility was terrible and we didn't even make it for a full day. powder loses some appeal when you can't even really see it, let alone anything else farther than about 50 ft. hard to have fun when you're worried about hitting things and other people, and can't really see the slope of the snow either. but it was still a fun first day out with a couple girl friends, and i feel like i got my exercise for the day.

heat pack - homemade gifts

so i promised yesterday that i had a little last minute gift idea to share. the comfort pad, microwaveable heat pack, whatever you want to call it. this is not a tutorial really, as a quick google search will give you several others to choose from. i was inspired by parikha's post, although i skipped the awesome gathered top she did as the ones i made are for men. but i will tell you how i made mine, in brief form anyway.

heat pack - homemade gifts

i made a rectangular pouch, roughly 14" by 7", by cutting white quilting cotton twice that length, folding it in half, and sewing it securely closed while leaving an opening of a few inches at one end. i then turned it right side out and pressed it flat. i filled my packs with flax seed, roughly 900g each (they might be a little too full). there are many options for fill, but i thought flax was a suitable and cheap option. i also managed to spill it several times - i recommend a funnel to do this properly! i then top-stitched the opening closed (make extra sure you sew securely - i obviously did not the first time and had a little flax seed leak, again!). this is your main pack.

heat pack - homemade gifts

i then made a washable cover for the packs that can be removed easily. in this case i chose some soft chambray that i had on hand, and added a few patterned stripes inserted in the middle to liven it up (again, without getting too "crazy" for the boys) . i cut these the long way again, and made them a few inches longer than the original rectangles, so that i could fold over and stitch the ends neatly. i then folded the rectangle so that the patterned stripes would be positioned on the front and the ends at the back would overlap while leaving an opening (right sides facing in). through the sewing machine again along the long edges to finish the pack (you can see one inside out in the above pic), then turned right side out and pressed again. i then slipped the white cotton pack inside the cover, and voila, finished heat pack.

heat pack - homemade gifts

again, these instructions are probably not particularly clear, so please let me know if you have any questions, or check out parikha's tutorial above. i think these are great idea for a quick gift (i made two in about an hour) that will be appreciated by most people - who can't use something warm to soothe the aches and sore muscles once in a while?

7 comments:

kate said...

Lovely!

I made boo-boo bags a few years ago for friends with kids - similar idea.

I can only imagine how blustery it must have been on the mountain today. Good on you for getting out there anyhow. We did get out for a walk this afternoon when the rain eased a little.

Tara said...

Great gift idea. I especially like the idea of a removable washable cover.

Anonymous said...

Very attractive and practical at the same time - love that paisley fabric - V

Sonia / COZY MEMORIES said...

what a neat idea indeed, and they look terrific !!
I also love the idea of the washable cover. Oh, I just noticed the link to the truffle post, thank you so much :)
Merry Christmas to you & yours, K !
xoxo

room thermostat said...

This is really an easy to do thing. It is so practical and resourceful.

plumbing said...

Good tutorial. This diy heat pads is a really helpful thing for me because I commonly get colds and muscle pains.

playmobil school said...

The removable cover was a very practical idea, though somewhat very usual. But then the fact that you made it on your own was a very great feeling isn't it?
keep it up. More creation, more post from you!