Did you know that September 9th is Grandparents Day? This is a new holiday in our house. I must say we have never celebrated this holiday before. This year we are jumping in with both feet. Grandparents are such an important part our family. The girls are lucky to have two sets of grandparents, and a great-grandmother, who love them dearly. Why not celebrate that? We have been waiting for an excuse to make homemade heating pads. You know those fun little rice filled squares, that you pop in the microwave for 2 minutes and use to heal your achy muscles.
You will need
2 coordinating fabrics
embroidery thread – dark coloured and brightly coloured
scissors
pinking shears
needle
1/4 cup rice
1. Cut four 4″ x 4″ squares of fabric, 2 from two different types of fabric.
2. Have child draw a simple picture in the centre of two pieces of fabric.
3. Using dark embroidery thread, stitch/trace the child’s drawing.
4. Place the embroidered piece of fabric on top of the coordinating piece of fabric, wrong sides together.
5. Using a contrasting embroidery thread, straight stitch 1/2″ inside the edge of the squares *leave a 2″ opening where the rice will go inside.
6. Scoop rice into the opening in the square…approximately 1/4 cup. We made a simple paper funnel to help keep the rice under control.
7. Stitch the opening closed.
8. Use pinking shears to cut the edge of the square to finish.
9. To warm up the bag – place in microwave for 1-2 minutes.
The girls loved seeing their artwork come to life in such a permanent way. These simple little heating pads would make fabulous Christmas gifts, birthday gifts or a get well gift. They can be used for sore muscles or to warm up hands on a cold day. I know that the girls grandparents will love these functional keepsakes.
Looking for more ways to connect with your kids, why not follow Kitchen Counter Chronicles on Facebook, Pinterest, Google + and Twitter.