Hot Water Bottle Heat Pack Tutorial

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I'm trying to think up some ideas for Christmas presents that I can get started on and I came across lots of cute heat packs on Pinterest. I was torn between making one of those and making a hot water bottle cover when I realised I could just combine the two! :) Just fill the little hot water bottle with rice and a few drops of lavender oil and you have a microwavable hot water bottle!

First download my hot water bottle template here. This make quite a small hot water bottle but you could easily enlarge it.

(And if you like it and want to show your appreciation by clicking on a few ads I promise to keep supplying you with free stuff! :)

Print and cut two copies of the template in a cotton fabric.

Pin your two hot water bottles together (right sides facing if your fabric has a right and wrong side). Sew around the outside, leaving a small gap on the bottom edge so you can turn and fill it. I sewed a zig zag stitch around the outside afterwards just to make it extra secure. (Don't want any rice escaping!)

Mix some rice with a few drops of lavender oil and leave to dry. Then fill your hot water bottle with rice. Sew across the bottom to close it up.

Next I sewed a little cover for it. I kinda just figured this out as I went, using the original template as a rough guide. As you can see from the picture, just leave a few inches of extra fabric at the top. I cut along the fold.

Then sew it up in a similar manner to the soap pouch I made.

This is what the other side looks like, with the hot water bottle tucked safely inside.

The finished product. :)

Things I've Learnt:
- I filled mine with rice as that's what I had in the cupboard but after trying it out a few times it doesn't really hold the heat that well. It's lovely and hot for about 10 minutes but it'd be nice if it lasted just a bit longer! I know you can use buckwheat and flax seed too so maybe they'd be better!
- This little guy is quite small so I might have to make a bigger one next time. You could easily enlarge the template though.
- Be careful when heating these in the microwave, nothing worse than smelling burnt rice instead of lavender! They're pretty small so 1 minute to 1 and a half minutes max! It's a good idea to watch it and turn and shake it half way through.

*Thanks to Melanie @ My Mulberry Junction for her comment - dent corn might be a better option than rice to keep the heat a bit longer! :) And to Jessi @ Practically Functional who suggested using lentils instead! I think I'll just have to make another one to test it out! Oh and thanks Fran for her tip about putting a cup of water in the microwave with the heat pack to keep the rice from drying out/burning!

                                             
                                                                  


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