A neck wrap to keep you cool during the heat wave... |
After having had some unseasonably cool weather in mid-June, once we
officially turned over into summer, we were thrust into this crazy system that
has resulted in an "historic" heat wave up here. Temperatures have been over
30 degrees for a record number of days in a row, with overnight lows often
exceeding our normal daily highs.
My
icy cool neck wrap got a lot of use.
Free PDF download... |
When I checked the original post on the blog here, I noticed that the tutorial had never been PDF'd. Better late than never. And there certainly can't be a better time than now to revisit this project.
For regular readers of this blog,
here is the link to the new PDF
that you can download and keep. (It has also been made available in my
Makerist shop, where it will sell for a nominal fee.)
Better Than "Cooling" Towels
I've often written about how I don't like to make things that I won't use;
this is not one of those things. In the three years since I've had
them, they've gone on the road with us and have served hubby and I well.
It beats one of these:
But then there's the part about the dampness. Sure, when it's super duper hot,
maybe you don't mind having drips of cold water going down your back. But when
it's just "regular" hot, you want coolness, not wetness.
The secret ingredient... |
This icy cool neck wrap gets its coolness from frozen reusable ice cubes,
which can easily be sourced from discount/dollar stores. They are encased in a
jersey fabric tube that is then inserted into a zippered outer sleeve.
Everything is washable, but the removable sleeve ensures that it can be
cleaned more often if needed.
A convenient "refillable" option... |
In the winter, I find that having additional layers around my neck is
sufficient to make me feel warmer. The same concept works here. If you're hot,
having something cool held to the back of your neck does wonders to bring down
your temperature.
Make spare inserts... |
Just keep this whole kit in a ziplock bag in your freezer and it's ready to go
when you need it. (I would recommend making at least one spare insert so that
you have one to use while the other is freezing up again.) Of course, the
advantage of the cooling towels is that you can just wet them and go, but if
you have access to a freezer, this is a superior solution.
If you're a fan of recycling, this project provides great opportunities to use
some clothing discards. While you can't avoid having to purchase the ice cubes
(I used nine of them at a time; they came eighteen to a bag for $1.25), you
can use an old t-shirt to get the jersey needed for the insert.
For the outer sleeve, you can use a quilting cotton (and would have to
adjust the dimensions of the fabric for the fact that it will not stretch),
but a performance knit works best. If you're wondering what type of fabric
that might be, think of your average pair of leggings. Again, recycling
opportunity!
Outside sleeve is best made with a stretchy performance knit... |
In my case, the outer sleeve was made with
my own fabric
in a performance piqué; the blue jersey for the inserts came from an old
pillowcase.
To make the sleeve, you'll also need a 9" zipper and an elastic hair tie. (As
a longer lasting alternative to the hair tie, you could sew in strips of hook
and loop tape.) Oh, and please use a ballpoint needle if you're sewing with
knit fabrics; the sewing will go much more smoothly.
A sporty looking accessory... |
A word about sizing: I made my outer sleeve with a 28" long strip of fabric.
It fits me as shown in the photo here, and it generally fits my other half as
well. That said, if you have the opportunity to use a longer length of fabric,
go for it.
I described in my original tutorial how it felt the first time I put this
around my neck. It didn't seem as though it was working all that well. But
that feeling was very fleeting.
In every instance that I've worn it since — although I haven't have the
opportunity to wear it in, say, 115°F (46°C) temperatures — I end up feeling
cold within a few minutes. In that "adjusting from ground floor to second
floor" scenario that I described earlier, it's consistently removed and put
back in the freezer after about five minutes. Hubby is more prone to
overheating and typically leaves his on, saying that without it, he wouldn't
be able to fall asleep.
A final word about our historic heat wave, which our weather folks called a
"heat dome". Here was our forecast on June 27 for the past week.
image courtesy of Global Edmonton... |
I'm happy to report that our actual temps were "only" 34° on Monday, 36° on
Tuesday, 37° on Wednesday, 35° on Thursday and 30° yesterday. Luckily, our
city did not reach a temperature over the equivalent of 100°F (38°C), nor did
it break our all-time record of 37.2°. Give me the minus side of 38° anytime
over the plus.
The tiny village of Lytton, BC was not so lucky. After making the news for
producing a new record high temperature for the entire country over three days
straight — just shy of 50°C or 121°F,
higher than ever recorded in Las Vegas, Phoenix, or even Sydney,
Australia
— it was then essentially destroyed by a wildfire that ripped through town in
literal minutes, just hours before Canada Day. There is no good ending to this
story beyond hoping that the majority of its citizens will be found safe.
And this is in no way comparable to what the residents of Lytton are dealing
with, but our seventeen year old AC unit had a hiccup on the Sunday prior to
all of this. While we have been able to keep it running, it has required
regular "babysitting". Moreover, the rules of supply and demand dictate that
it will cost over $6K to replace it, and that can't even happen for another
three weeks due to local HVAC companies being slammed with calls.
This is climate change happening right in front of our faces. The reality is
that it's affecting us now; it's not something that might be a
problem for future generations. What are we going to do about it?
Perfect time to release the Icy Cool Neck Wrap PDF. Thank you! (It's now only 59* F on my NE USA mountain top, but it was in the high 80s earlier this week.)
ReplyDeleteYes, global warming. I'm relieved that my team is back in the fight.
My condolences on your national tragedy in Lytton, BC.
The news reports from Lytton are heartbreaking. Fire is undiscriminating and leaves behind so many psychological scars.
DeleteBut yes, glad to see Team USA back to "believing" in climate change. Unfortunately, the world is already behind in responding to the fight.
Enjoy your coolness!
Thank you again for offering a project that is both useful and recycling in nature. My annual summer exodus to Pacific Northwest (PNW) temperature relief was fateful delayed this year. My PNW relatives were not able to avoid it but survived. I just learned about the Lytton tragedy and would love to believe forest or brush fires will be non existent this season. Hope your AC gets repaired .
ReplyDeleteHi Rochelle, I love these neck coolers but have come up with an alternative to allow my gardening and outside work to continue in even the hottest time of the day... I have several of the gel freezer bags that lay flat and measure about 5”x9”. I sew a muslin bag to slip them in with an extra 2-3” space on top. This can be folded over and safety pinned to elastic from old underwear’s or shorts. Then I put it on around my waist and slip the ‘ice bag’ inside my clothes next to my skin resting on my lower back. It’s a cold hit until I walk outside in 90 degree humid weather. Then it’s like having an air conditioner attached to my body cooling myself. I change out the ice-pack as needed and can work all day in any heat. Of course one can get fancy and sew a slip tube for a belt or elastic but this works with 2 safety pins just fine. Marie
ReplyDeleteMarie! Happy to see you're able to comment. :-)
DeleteAnd great minds must think alike, because I've used those small gel packs as coolers in the past. Never got around to pinning them around my butt - because quite honestly, it's never gotten that hot before - but hubby has used them to cool down at night. I actually had thought about coming up with some pattern thingie to make a shoulder wrap with those inside.
Go you for coming up with something that works without too much fuss and bother though!
I made a pile of muslin bags for making almond milk and ended up using those for my lower back ice pack cooler. But they kept slipping! Haha! Then I used the elastic. It just makes the weather conditions inconsequential!
DeleteThe simple solutions in life are — quite simply — the best solutions. I thought of another yesterday after your original comment: a simple vest (like a fishing vest) with slip pockets on the back to accommodate several of those gel packs.
DeleteMaking almond milk? Now there's something to blog about. ;-)
With our extreme bushfires of 2019/2020, I came across many cooling neck tie patterns. All involved using some sort of crystals - none of which appealed to me. Your idea with the individual ice cubes is brilliant. I didn't know such a thing existed. Now to source some. I'm sitting here with the heater on and a rug over my lap, so that gives me a few months.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more - climate change is here now and already affecting us. And it will become worse in the future. Our Prime Minister is doing nothing to help, despite his spin on words. We most definitely need the leaders of nations to be forward thinking, and not just concerned with their own re-elections.
Found them online! I mistakenly thought they were individual trays with lids, that you'd fill yourself. They're just like little, mini ice packs. The things you learn!
DeleteI've made these but used the water-retaining crystals meant for gardening. They swell up about 400% & stay cool. You just need to re-wet the neck piece if they dry out. They last a long time. Think they're call something like Soil-Moist Crystals? Just don't OVERFILL - they really expand.
ReplyDeleteYes, I had mentioned these before in my original post about this project. My issue was whether the item could be easily washed, kept sanitary, etc. Also, the wetting down part implied that it would be potentially dripping when placed against the skin. Not my preference, but whatever works for you is great.
DeleteThanks for commenting!
Thank you for this tutorial. I may ignore the weeding today and go make some of these instead.
ReplyDelete