Ricebags & Coasters

RICE BAGS

Hot Piping

Little kids are always getting scrapes and cuts. I'm not sure if it's their closer proximity to the ground, that they're always moving, or they're still learning how to use their legs [most likely a combination of all of the above]. No matter--they're always getting hurt. Once upon a time, I would ration the band-aids like it was WWII. Show me blood. Show me dripping blood. That sort of thing. But I've learned along this road of motherhood a few things. One of which is that the whole world will go around easier if there is free access to band-aids. Cut? Have a band-aid. Scrape? Have a band-aid. Bruise? Have a band-aid. Itch? Have a band-aid. Psychological or not, kids like band-aids.

But what about a middle-of-the-night ear ache? You get the acetaminophen going, but what to ease the immediate discomfort? What about those general aches and pains? The other night Divine woke up with an ear ache. We did the ear drops and the acetaminophen. She settled down for about 15 minutes until the ear drops wore off and the acetaminophen hadn't kicked in yet. More ear drops. In pain a few minutes later. I filled a drawstring bag with rice, stuck it in the microwave for less than a minute, she put it on her ear and was sound asleep moments later. So, what did I do? Made two for each of them! In the colder months they can keep them in their coat pockets, just the right size. Of course you can make these any size you want, larger for warming your feet or a leg ache. Around here we like petite.

Supplies:

Fabric and ribbon scraps

Bias

Cording

Thread

Rice

1 Cut your bags the size desired [2 sides for each bag]. For mine, I use a 3" X 5" index card and just rounded the corners. Use cotton or linen, as natural fibers breathe the best. I also cut an extra 2 sides of muslin to line them and give them more stability and weight.

I love piping. I could do a whole post on it. Maybe another time. To make your own piping, iron your bias flat and fold it over your cord [you can use any size cord that you want--for this project I used a very small size].

You want to stitch RIGHT next to the cord. You can use a zipper foot, or if you have a foot with grooves the size of your cord use that, as it also guides it.

2 Pin your cord in place, but also keep the cord pushed up against the center crease with your fingernail right before it goes under the foot.

3 Pin the freshly made piping around perimeter, overlapping ends, and curving them toward the raw edge. The raw edge of the piping will line up with the raw edge of the right side of the fabric. Don't forget to put the muslin on the wrong side. Fold ribbon piece in half and pin in place. Stitch, following the stitching of the piping.

4 This is what the next layering will look like with the muslin as the bread of the sandwich and the patterned fabric in the center.

5 Turn sandwich over and pin, leaving a 2" opening. Follow the previous stitching exactly.

6 To reduce bulk in corners, clip triangles. Turn right side out.

A frequent scene as I sew: a scissor social!

7 Fill bags with rice. My choice: Jasmine. Exotic, fragrant scent. Hand stitch opening shut.

You can, of course, omit the piping, which I did on one bag. It comes together much more quickly, but I really like the look of the baby piping.

reviews:

I've been making my own version of rice packs for years for myself, family, and friends. I tend to make longer ones that can be wrapped around the neck, draped over shoulders, or wrapped around the lower back. I also use jasmine rice because I like the smell, and have used essential oils or scented oils at times. But I get my favorite scents by adding whole cloves and broken up cinnamon sticks. If you choose to use rice, just make sure it isn't the instant kind. It must be raw rice. I have heard that buckwheat and corn feed can be used instead of rice but haven't tried those yet but have heard they hold heat longer. One modification I've made over time is to use cotton or muslin to make the wrap itself, and then I make a case that it slips into and closes at the open end with velcro. I have even embroidered lovely designs on the cases. The reason for the case is so you can pull the case off and wash them as needed without ruining the wrap and making soggy rice. I also recommend pre-washing all of the fabric you plan to use before cutting and sewing to eliminate future shrinkage. I love the small ones and how you hang them inside the medicine cabinet. I also like the suggestion given about making them small to put in pockets to keep your hands warm. I have arthritis in my hands and this sounds like a lovely way to warm my hands without having to buy those disposable hand warmers that cannot be recycled. Thanks so much for such a good idea and for such a well done tutorial.

Fabric Acorn Tutorial

http://zemphira.blogspot.com/2010/09/fabric-acorn-tutorial.html

I thought it would be fun to create some fabric acorns made with real acorn hats. So, we headed out on a family hike to gather some nuts like little squirrels. After we got home, we carefully pulled the tops off the acorns and I played around with some fabrics until I got the acorn-look I wanted. Here's a quick little nature-inspired craft tutorial on how to make fabric acorns. I had fun making these, and I couldn't make just one, my kids had fun helping me collect and choose fabrics, and my husband just thinks I'm nuts!

colorful fabric acorns

supplies needed

cut out a circle with 2.25 inch diameter

snip the circle 4 times just up to the center

fold the circle in half and sew a seam for each section you just cut - be sure to back stitch

(you will sew 4 seams) when you are done sewing the 4 seams it will look like a cone - this is the bottom of the acorn

sew a running stitch about a quarter inch from the top of the bottom of the acorn

leave a little bit of a tail at the start of the running stitch

(i usually use a matching thread, i used black here to illustrate this step)

after you sewed all the way around the cone you should have two tails, the start and the end of the thread

pull the ends of the thread together so the cone closes up a little bit

stuff the acorn bottom with a little bit of stuff 'n fluff

(do not entirely close the cone once it is stuffed- it will fill the acorn hat better if it is not pulled all the way)

put hot glue into an acorn hat

quickly press your acorn bottom to the hat and squeeze the two together

and there you have it - a quick, fun, and festive craft

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Patchwork Coasters

This tutorial will make you four coasters and one coaster cozy. I made these for a friend that just moved into a new house - it makes a great housewarming gift :)

Materials:

•Scrap fabrics

•Scrap batting

•Steam-a-seam

Step 1 – From your scrap fabrics, cut 12 2”x5” rectangles. As shown below, put them in four coordinating piles with three rectangles each. These will be your coaster patchwork tops.

Step 2 – From your scrap fabrics, cut four 5” squares for the coaster backing. From your scrap batting, cut four 5” squares.

Step 3 – Take a pile of three rectangles (from step 1) and piece them together: With right sides facing together, sew a ¼” seam along the length. The back will look like the first picture below. Press flat with an iron.

Step 4 – Take the patchwork top, backing and batting and layer them in that order. The right sides of the patchwork top and backing should be facing each other. Make sure everything is aligned, and then pin to keep in place.

Step 5 – Sew a ¼” seam along the perimeter of the coaster but leave a 2” opening for turning inside out. Start and end your stitch with a back-stitch. Using scissors, trim the excess fabric from the corners.

Step 6 – Through the 2” opening, turn inside out so that the batting is sandwiched in between the patchwork top and backing fabric. To seal the opening, fold the opening inward ¼”, press with an iron, and then apply a thin strip of steam-a-seam to glue it closed.

Step 7 – To make the coaster cozy, sew enough fabric scraps together so that you can cut two 6.5” squares. From your scrap batting, cut one 6.5” square. Follow Steps 4 through 6 (above), but using these 6.5” squares.

Step 8 – As shown below, pinch each corner so that a 1” wall forms on each side. Pin the corners to keep them pinched. (Tip: put a coaster in the center before pinching the corners of the coaster cozy to help give you even walls)

Step 9 – Use embroidery floss and a needle to tie all 4 corners closed. You're done! http://quiltingintherain.blogspot.com/2010/09/patchwork-coasters.html

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