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image courtesy of Sew4Home... |
What is it?
It's an example of a simple idea elevated by mere design.
A
rice filled hand warmer is pretty basic in and of itself, but throw in some
fun eye-catching fabrics, give it an odd but identifiable shape — a jelly
bean — and suddenly it becomes a trendy item.
Not only that, but the ladies at Sew4Home have also conveniently
provided the complete gift giving package with downloadable tags that you
can print out and attach to your finished items to explain their care and
use.
What more can you ask for, really?
As you can see, this is a perfect project for fabric scraps. You don't need much to make one of these (they come in three sizes) and nothing says you have to use the same fabric for both sides. For full microwave-ability, however, all materials should be 100% cotton.
As you can see, this is a perfect project for fabric scraps. You don't need much to make one of these (they come in three sizes) and nothing says you have to use the same fabric for both sides. For full microwave-ability, however, all materials should be 100% cotton.
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| image courtesy of Sew4Home... |
Sew4Home suggests scenting the rice with an essential oil for an
added touch.
My problem with cold hands has been addressed by past projects involving
gloves (here
and
here) and mitts (here). For really cold days, our household has "snap activated" silicone hand warmers containing a reactive chemical that heats up. (They can be reused after boiling them in water.) Therefore, this project was never something that I'd ever make for myself.
Until I encountered a different need.
In September, the area around the small
bone at the base of my hand (directly down from the pinky) started to bother me.
Perhaps it was the effect of three decades of mouse use coming home to roost, but having that part of my hand
rest on the hard surface of my desk had become uncomfortable. (I didn't feel it
while typing or doing anything else, just when holding and moving a mouse.)
For several days, I wadded up my fingerless gloves and placed them behind
the mouse to serve as a padded rest. Then one day this hand warmer project popped back into my
head.
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| Hand warmer pattern turned padded wrist rest... |
How about making one of those, stuffing it with something soft and using it
as a wrist rest? See how it's just about the perfect shape?
And since the
minky
that I used on those fingerless gloves was so soft and comfy, I searched
through my scraps and found more than enough to make this
little guy and to stuff it.
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| A bean shaped wrist rest... |
I used the smallest template to make this. (Just an FYI that while this is a "quick sew" project all in all, navigating those curves might be a bit
challenging to some.)
Needless to say, this little bean was much appreciated; the discomfort slowly subsided and I deemed it gone by the end of November. (The bean itself is still sitting here on my desk, in case it's needed again.) I find it quite satisfying that a pattern that appealed to me from the start — but for which I had no personal need — has been repurposed into something useful and different.
Has that ever happened to you?
In any case, I feel quite accomplished this week in recommending a project that is practical, fun and useful... in two totally different ways. (By the way, if you're looking for this project on the Sew4Home site,
search for "rice filled microwave hand warmers".) Happy jelly bean making!
'Til next...
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