Heart hand warmers

I'm back!  I lost track of time since I have been busily preparing for the home tour and the elementary school holiday shop.  (And, you know, throwing Christmas preparation into the mix doesn't help much!)   I have so many things to share with you~so many projects I have done lately~and so little time!  After the tour is over this weekend, my life will be a little bit more sane.  Then I can update you on what I've been up to lately.  And, we have all of January to catch up also!

In my last post, I hinted about these...



Microwavable hand warmers~especially great for those cold mornings at the bus stop.  Ty (12) probably wouldn't like to admit it, but he pops one in the microwave every morning before he heads to the bus stop!  Actually, he is a pretty confident kid, because some of his friends saw it and he didn't mind showing it off.  I was quite shocked about it considering he is a boy, and almost a teenager.  In fact, all the kids wanted to try it out.  I made up a bunch of them for the home tour this weekend.  They are perfect for stocking stuffers.

They are easy to make.  I used some red wool fabric that I had, but felt, fleece or any other non fraying fabric will work just as well.  I made a heart template and cut it out to the size I wanted them (a bit bigger than the palm of my hand).  You just make it like you did in grade school.  Fold a piece of paper in half, and draw a heart with a pencil.  Then cut it out.

With wrong sides together, I just stitched around the heart about a quarter of an inch in from the edge.  I left a one inch opening so I could fill it with wheat.  You can also use regular long grain rice (just not the instant kind).  To make it easier to fill, I made a funnel out of a paper plate.  Once you fill it, hand stitch it closed.

And that is it!  Pop it in the microwave on a little plate for 30 to 40 seconds and it will stay warm for at least 15 minutes!

To make them as gifts, package two at a time and put in a cellophane bag and tie with Ribbon.  I covered sheets of foam board with cute fabric such as this print below first.  It makes for a cute presentation.