Hot/cold Rice Packs (E)

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These rice packs are practical, quick, and inexpensive, yet make thoughtful gifts especially for young families (ice packs) or people who experience pain (hot packs). There are many different ways to make these packs. Check out other video tutorials (multiple-section pack) and web sites (single pack option) to find what works the best for you.

The beauty of these packs is the flexibility. You decide the size based on need and what you have for fabric in your stash. The packs can be made in any size, like a small 3"x 3" for pocket warmers, curved like a neck pillow, or any variety of sizes in-between.

For this example, I'm making five packets; 3 small (5.5"x 9") and 2 large (9.25"x 12.5"), approximately.  Those are the starting measurements of the inside pack, before sewing.

I make two packs, an inside and outer pack. The inside pack, which holds the rice mixture, is made of flannel and the outer pack is a more colorful cotton fabric. I do this for two reasons:
 (1) It secures the rice so if a seam separates, rice doesn't escape and cause irritation, especially for young children or elderly who have delicate skin.
 (2) The flannel helps to retain the temperature (hot/cold) of the pack for a longer period.

NOTE: flannel often is printed on only one side, leaving the back side a plain light color. This makes it a good lining in case the outer material is somewhat transparent.

Directions for the Inside Pack

• Start by putting the wrong, or back, sides of the flannel together. Before you start to sew, mark start/stop points for sewing, to leave an opening in the seam. This opening enables you to (a) turn your pack inside out and (b) insert a funnel to fill it with the rice mixture (recipe to follow). For my packs, I'm leaving a 2.5 - 3.0 inch opening.

TIP: Pilot has a wonderful 3-pack (black, blue and red) of heat-sensitive pens, which are fabulous for marking fabric. The marks disappear when heat is applied via ironing, washing/drying, or even a hair dryer. These pens are available at any office supply store.

• Start sewing at one of the marks, making a 1/2" seam around the perimeter of your pack. I like to backstitch at each side of the corners, as well as the start and finish of the seam, to reinforce these pressure points.

• When finished, turn your pack inside-out and, using a tool like the wood one pictured or the tip of a crochet hook, square the corners of your pack. Use a steam iron to press the pack flat.  Make sure to turn under the seam allowance of the opening and press those carefully. This will be helpful when sewing the pack shut later.

Rice Mixture Recipe

  2 cups white rice (generic is fine)

  1 tablespoon dried lavender
      (other fragrances can be substituted)*

  3 drops lavender essential oil
      (match oil to dried fragrance)*
*Amounts and fragrance are up to you. If you're sensitive to fragrances, these can be eliminated.

Mix thoroughly to combine the fragrance and coat the rice. The recipe can be increased to make enough for the size packs you're making. For these five packs, I used one recipe for each of the three smaller packs, and tripled it for the two larger packs. Again, the fullness of the packs is a personal preference.

HINT: A kitchen funnel is helpful to pour the rice from the measuring cup into the pack.

Close the Inside Pack

When the pack is filled, it is time to return to the sewing machine and close the pack by sewing a small 1/4" top stitch along the side of the pack with the opening.

Two things to remember when doing this top-stitching: 

(1) Make sure to shake the rice to the bottom of the pack before turning it 90 degrees to start top-stitching. Rice and the sewing machine needle will not get along well so keep them separated.

 (2) With the smaller packs, be careful to hold the weight of the rice pack up so it doesn't pull on the needle, causing it to bend or break.

Time to Make the Outer Pack
With the inside pack done, it's time to repeat the steps to create the more fun, colorful outside pack. I use scraps from my stash or Fat Quarter fabric, both are typically a smooth cotton fabric. The natural fibers are best for temperature retention and, combined with the smooth surface, help avoid skin irritation when used.

Choose fabrics that are busy enough patterns to hide minor wear and playful enough to help distract from the pain that's causing the need for the pack in the first place.  Cut two pieces of the fabric for the outer pack about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch larger on each side as the filled inside packs by laying the inside pack on top of the outer fabric.

• Repeat the steps for sewing the inside pack with TWO modifications.

(1) put the right side of the fabric together, and 

(2) sew only three sides of the pack, leaving one of the shortest sides open in order to easily insert the inside pack later.

• Once the three sides are sewn, turn the pack right-side-out and press thoroughly. Again, turn the seam allowance on the open side under and press carefully. This step is helpful with finishing later.

• With the pack pressed, turn back to wrong-side-out. In order to stabilize the inside pack within the outer pack, I like to sew the side of the top-stitched INSIDE pack together with the sewn corresponding end of the outer pack, stitching within the seam allowance of each pack (see lower half of picture). 

• Turn the outside pack back right-side-out, pulling the outer pack over the inside pack much like pulling a pillowcase over a pillow.

Final Steps

Time to finish up! Need to close the open end of the outer pack.

The quick way to do this is to top-stitch the outer pack like you did for the inside pack. Like with the inside pack, make sure to:

 - support the weight of the pack so it doesn't pull the needle,

 - try to catch the inside pack occasionally to stabilize, AND 

 - make sure the rice is away from the needle to avoid breakage.

I prefer to hand-stitch the opening closed using the ladder stitch (video tutorial).  

FIRST, I use the outer pack's folded seam allowance to tack hidden stitches and join them with the inside pack to stabilize it, similar how we joined the seam allowances on the opposite end.

SECOND, when I get to the end of stabilizing the packs, I continue with the same threaded needle, without cutting, and sew the ladder stitch to close the opening.

Add A Note
To finish, I print a small card with a poem, which was included with a rice pack I received as a gift years ago. It's a catchy way to explain the uses of the pack AND important usage information.

That's it. I made five packs, 3 small and 2 large, in just over three hours. As far as cost, I purchased a 5 lb. bag of rice for $3. The rest of the materials I had on-hand. Even purchasing all the items, I'm confident these packs can be made for under $5 each, even less if you eliminate the dried lavender and essential oil, which are optional.