I love my rice bags. For those of you not familiar with them, a rice bag is just some sort of natural cloth bag that is filled with uncooked regular (not minute) rice. You can put it in the microwave for about 3 minutes (which is why it has to be natural cloth-melted polyester all over your microwave turntable is NOT a good thing) and you have a cordless, moldable heating pad that will stay warm for about 30 minutes.
I use mine constantly-I put them on my feet on the couch while watching TV, or stick it in bed with me like a hot water bottle. I heat one up and sling it over my shoulder when I get a muscle spasm (unfortunatly much too frequently). I go to bed with one across my abdomen when I have cramps. I’ve even heated a few up and packed them around DH when he was sick and had the chills. I’ve used them at work (back when I went to work I kept one in my desk drawer) and even in the car.
I’ve read about people making small ones that you can put in your pockets as handwarmers for cold days, and pretty flat ones that you can throw in the bottom of a basket of bread or rolls to keep them warm.
The simplest and most unglamorous rice bag is simply a clean tube sock filled with rice and tied in a knot at the end. More fancy is a square or rectangular “pillow” natural fiber (cotton usually), some folks like to sew little channels into it so that the rices stays evenly distributed. Or you can sew it out of simple muslin and make a cover out of pretty fabric that can be taken off and washed. Another tutorial with pictures can be found here.
The rice will work for a long time-I’ve had my “tube sock” one for about 3 years now. If it seems like it is no longer holding heat, then you can either lightly (very lightly) spritz it with some water or else heat it up in the microwave at the same time as a glass of water. This will add a little moisture back to the rice and give the microwave something to “heat up”.
You can also make the bags with “deer” corn. This webpage is by a woman who started out making the bags for the residents at her rehab unit. It is an interesting article because it talks about all the different fillers you can use, and various things that they are good for, as well as specific benefits, specific microwave directions and temperatures etc. It also has downloadable patterns for those who don’t want to “wing it”.
I LOVE my ricebags! I have a larger square one and a narrow one. Great use for scrap fabric! I like to scent mine with Lavender essential oils. Just a few drops in a glass container of rice overnight. The scent doesn’t last forever, but nice to start with!
Loving your blog. You are so creative, patient and organized.
I’m going to try making rice bags for Christmas, thanks!
I have one one these that I bought at a craft show, but I would love to make more in different sizes. The link is not working for either tutorial, can you help?
Thanks :0)
Ok, long story short-you simply sew a bag out of cotton (not man made fabric-those can melt) then fill it up with dry uncooked rice. Then you can microwave it for approx 3 min. If you are in a really big rush, just fill a cotton tube sock (clean & new!) with rice and tie a knot in the end š