My first tutorial! Last minute gifts for everyone!

I am going to be going to a Christmas dinner, where I was planning on making zipper pouches for each of the women.  Then I thought that it wouldn't be nice to leave the men out of the picture.  So,..



I made some rice heating packs!  Easy peasy, and fast.  All you need is some rice and some scraps!



You will need 2 - 8.5x13.5 rectangles cut from your feature fabric and a lining fabric.  I used muslin.
If you want to make these pieced, go for it!  Show off your quilting talents.  If you are using batting to quilt your pieces, you really don't need the lining pieces.



Turn one short end of each piece back 1/2in and press.



Match folds and sew around 3 sides, twice.



Trim corners and turn right side out.  Push corners out with a blunt pointy object....like a chop stick or a knitting needle.



Mark your channels 2.5in in from each long side and sew.



You will need a bag of rice and a funnel at this point.



Hold the funnel in each channel one at a time, filling about 2/3 of the way full.  Pin the top of each channel as you get it filled.  At this point you could add some essential oils or dried lavender for aroma therapy!



Once all the channels are filled, sew across the top to close....twice!



And there you have it.  Less then 20 minutes later, you have a great gift for anyone on your list.  Just pop it into the microwave for 3-4 min to heat.  Fluff it a bit before using it to make sure there aren't any hot spots.  Be especially careful if you are using this with a child. 

So many uses for a gift like this.  Great for that teenage girl who is suffering monthly.  For your sports enthusiast that over does it on the weekend.  Cold beds and even colder toes.  You get the picture.  Enjoy!!



These aren't part of the tut, but they also make great last minute gifts.



Thanks again for making to the end of this post!!