Homemade Heat Bags

Making homemade heat bags is easier than you might think. And they can be used to comfort pulled muscles or pinched nerves, as well as just warming your feet from a winter chill; a heat bag can make it all feel better. Heat bags also make great gifts for birthdays or Christmas. They can be made for less than $5, and you can be certain that they will get used over and over.

Materials

• You will need a hand, kitchen or bath towel (you can also use a heavy cotton or flannel material and shape it in anyway that you want--for example, to go around the neck), sewing scissors, sewing machine, one bag or 3 1/2 cups of wild or long-grain rice (do not use minute, or quick-cooking rice, because it will burn). If you are going to give the heat bag away as a gift, consider using a dark solid color so that it will hide the dirt, since it will get used a lot. Place everything on a clean, solid surface and set up the sewing machine.

Making the Bag

• Since a hand towel typically looks the same on both sides, it does not matter what side you use as the inside. If your hand towel does have a one-sided pattern, place the pattern facing up so that it is seen. Fold the hand towel in half lengthwise. Using straight pins, pin together one end and the open side of the towel. Sew the towel up so that all you have left is one opening at the top. Turn the towel inside out so that the stitches are now on the inside. Fill the bag with the rice. Do not fill the bag completely full because you want it to have some give--this will make it easy to fold and bend to the body. Once the rice is on the inside, fold the top ends inward, pin them together to help keep the shape and sew closed.

Other Ingredients

• You can also use ingredients such as flaxseed, wheat and corn kernels. Add scents, such as lavender, mint or rose. When these bags are heated up, they will smell good with just the rice and corn; it will even make you hungry.
  To warm the heat bag, place in the microwave for two to three minutes.