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I've been waiting to do this post on hand warmers for about a month now. I was anxious to share just how easy and cool these little things are to make, but I was giving so many away for Christmas I didn't want to reveal any gifts before I had a chance to hand them out. Now that the holidays are over and this crazy winter blast has hit half the country, the timing couldn't be better for sharing with you how to bring a little extra warmth into your life!
I made different shapes and sizes depending on who they were being gifted to. For the young girls and women I chose two different size hearts, for the men I made large circles and even tried a square one. I had a lot of fun coming up with different patterns and themes for each pair. The more creative and fun I had with these the better they got.
What you'll need:
several sheets of felt in color of choice. (I got mine at Michael's for $0.29 a sheet)
the larger cross-stitch thread
a large needle
bag of rice
a small funnel
* dried lavender flowers (I found some at Sprouts for $1.09 per ounce so I spent less than a dollar, I also only used on the female warmers just in case some of the guys preferred not to smell like lavender all day)
1. Cut out and make a pattern so that your shapes are consistent. To make the hearts symmetrical, fold your paper in half and cut one half of the heart so when you unfold paper it is even on both sides.
2. Cut out your shapes and stack two on top of each other until you have as many warmers as you like. I thought it was fun to mix and match colors and made them more interesting.
3. Next it's time to decide what design or pattern you want to put on warmers, if anything. For my nieces and daughter, I decided to do initials and little patterns. I designed each pair unique to the person and will show some examples at the end of post.
4. Once you are finished with applique or design then you'll want to start doing a stitch all the way around the warmer, leaving about 1 inch open at the end to insert rice and lavender.
*note..I used about 1 part lavender to 4 parts rice
5. Make sure your warmers are filled up enough but not too tight. You want to make sure it's still easy enough space to stitch it up. No worries if it isn't all straight or look perfect. I think the handmade look is super cool and gives it a more authentic and personal touch. Reminds me of something I'd find at Anthropologie ;o)
6. All done! Now you are ready to warm them up and put to use. I made little cards for the warmers with instructions. Place warmers in microwave for 20-30 seconds or desired temperature, place in coat pockets and enjoy the warmth!
Here are some of the ones I made for Christmas gifts:
