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Stitch up some fast, cute little hand warmers for those cold winter days! In just a few simple steps, create a simple pouch that is filled with rice, or a washable sleeve filled with a separate rice pouch.
Hand warmers make great winter gifts, and with your embroidery, it's easy to make them as personal as they are practical.
Read on to learn how to make cozy comfort hand warmers!
Supplies
- Rice (for filling -- see below for other filling options)
- Small piece of 100% cotton fabric (I used flannel)
- Small piece of 100% cotton print fabric (I used quilter's cotton)
- Medium weight cutaway stabilizer
- Temporary spray adhesive
- Air-erase pen
- Essential oil or dried herbs (for fragrance)
Supplies continued (for inner pouch option):
- Small pieces of 100% cotton muslin fabric or quilter's cotton (for inner pouch)
- Four 8" pieces of 1/8" wide ribbon
Designs Used
Special project notes:
We used rice for filler, but you can use whole kernel dried corn (feed corn), dried barley, or buckwheat hulls. You can also add fragrance by first mixing the filler with a couple of drops of essential oil. Or, try adding a couple of pinches of dried herb, like lavender. When the pouch is heated, a soothing scent will arise from the hand warmer!
Important: Be sure to use 100% cotton fabric as the pouches are heated in the microwave (some synthetic fabrics might scorch or melt if heated in a microwave).
You can stitch designs with polyester or rayon thread. We would not recommend using cotton thread, since most designs are not digitized for cotton thread. And because you will be microwaving the hand warmers, do not use metallic thread.
Finished size: 4 1/2" wide by 4 1/2" high
Begin by cutting a piece of cotton fabric (I used denim) a bit larger than your machine embroidery hoop. To position the design, create a paper template of the design by printing it at full size using embroidery software. Place the template in the center of the fabric. Poke a hole in the center of the template and mark the fabric. Also mark the horizontal and vertical axis points.
Remove the template and draw lines connecting the marks.
Next, spray a piece of medium weight cutaway stabilizer with temporary adhesive and smooth the fabric on top. Hoop the fabric and stabilizer together by aligning the marks on the hoop with the lines on the fabric.
Attach the hoop to the machine and load the design. Move the hoop so that the needle is directly aligned with the center point on the fabric. Embroider the design.
When the design has finished, unhoop the fabric and trim away the excess stabilizer on the backside of the embroidery. Measure and mark 1" out from each side of the design. Draw lines connecting the marks.
Cut out the shape.
To prepare the back fabric, lay the embroidered front piece on top of the print cotton fabric, right sides together, pin in place, and cut around the shape. Sew a 1/2" seam along the side and top edges only; leave the bottom edge open for turning.
Clip the seam allowance at the top corners, turn the fabric right side out, and press the seams. Also, turn the fabric of the bottom opening in to the wrong side 1/2" and press.
Next, fill the pouch a little more than half way full with your filler. I used rice, but you can use whole kernel dried corn (feed corn), dried barley, or buckwheat hulls.
Pin the opening closed and top stitch a 1/8" seam around the entire shape. After stitching each side, push the filler away from the side and then top stitch the seam. And your hand warmer is complete!
To create a washable pouch, embroider the fabric and assemble it as instructed earlier, but do not fill the fabric or stitch it shut. Instead, cut four pieces of 1/8" wide ribbon to 8" long. Then, pin one end of the ribbon about 1" in from the side seams on the inside of the pouch on both the front and back fabric. Sew a 1/4" seam along the bottom edge of the pouch.
To prepare the inner pouch, measure the width and height of the outer pouch and cut two pieces of 100% cotton fabric (I used muslin) using those dimensions. Align the two fabric pieces together, pin in place, and sew a 1/2" seam along the side and top edges only; leave the bottom edge open for turning.
Turn the fabric right side out, press the seams, and turn the fabric of the bottom opening in 1/2" and press. Fill the pouch about half way full of filler (I used rice); pin the opening closed, and sew a 1/4" seam along the open edge.
Insert the filled pouch inside the outer pouch and tie the ribbons into bows to fasten it closed. And your hand warmer is complete!
To launder, simply remove the filled pouch and wash the outer sleeve. I recommend hand washing as machine washing could damage the ribbon.
To heat the warmer, put it in the microwave (on high) for about 20 seconds. If it is not quite warm enough after 20 seconds, microwave in increments of 5 to 10 seconds until reaches the desired temperature.
Hand warmers keep your hands cozy and comfortable through the cold winter days. Stitch a couple for yourself and for family and friends, too!
