neck and shoulder pad
#31
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 724
I use cracked corn that they use to feed animals, keep it in a zip-lock bag in freezer to be ready for unexpected bumps/aches. easily warmed in the microwave if heat is needed, just take out of the bag first. I also made removable flannel case/covers for them that I could just throw into the washing machine when needed. I have one that I heat up to use for my cold feet when I go to bed. (dog loves it too) It warms the bed up nicely in the winter. Common sense says do not make it HOT!
#32
Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Little Rock, AR
Posts: 15
Revise the pattern!
I designed one almost exactly like it and decided it was far too heavy for my taste. And like you, I decided it had too much filling anyway. So I redesigned it so it would take less filling, with the added benefit that the filling stayed distributed more evenly. I would post a pic, but I gave it to my mother and haven't made another one yet. I'll see if she can send me a pic I can post. Until then, I'll try to describe what I did.
The first thing I did was trim off and round out the corners on both the back and front, but particularly the back. I cut a lot off the back corners! I discovered it didn't make a bit of difference in the effectiveness.
The next thing I did was add what I called vertical seams. In the original version, there are only horizontal seams. On the back channels, I put in 3 vertical seams so there are 4 little pockets per horizontal row. I put an outside seam down the middle. Then I added about a quarter to a third cup of filling, then sewed an outside seam halfway to the edge to lock in that filling, which also created the next pocket. Put in the filling and sew the edge shut. Then do the other half. Do the same until you have all the filling in. Don't be afraid to shorten the width, either. Like I said, it will still be very effective. Use your judgment on how much filling to use. You DON'T have to put nearly as much as you think. Don't try to fill the pockets completely. It's just not necessary, and yes, it still works wonderfully.
I fill mine with a mixture of deer corn and rice. The deer corn holds in heat a little longer but the rice tends to mold itself better to your curves. I've used deer corn, rice, all kinds of dried beans, dried lentils, dried peas, and such, all with success. Sometimes it's a matter of what's on sale and what I have on hand!
update... okay, I found the pieces I had cut out for the next one I'll make. They're roughly 21 inches across by 24 in length. Here's a pic. It'll be much smaller than that once the filling is in.
Good luck!
Terri
The first thing I did was trim off and round out the corners on both the back and front, but particularly the back. I cut a lot off the back corners! I discovered it didn't make a bit of difference in the effectiveness.
The next thing I did was add what I called vertical seams. In the original version, there are only horizontal seams. On the back channels, I put in 3 vertical seams so there are 4 little pockets per horizontal row. I put an outside seam down the middle. Then I added about a quarter to a third cup of filling, then sewed an outside seam halfway to the edge to lock in that filling, which also created the next pocket. Put in the filling and sew the edge shut. Then do the other half. Do the same until you have all the filling in. Don't be afraid to shorten the width, either. Like I said, it will still be very effective. Use your judgment on how much filling to use. You DON'T have to put nearly as much as you think. Don't try to fill the pockets completely. It's just not necessary, and yes, it still works wonderfully.
I fill mine with a mixture of deer corn and rice. The deer corn holds in heat a little longer but the rice tends to mold itself better to your curves. I've used deer corn, rice, all kinds of dried beans, dried lentils, dried peas, and such, all with success. Sometimes it's a matter of what's on sale and what I have on hand!
update... okay, I found the pieces I had cut out for the next one I'll make. They're roughly 21 inches across by 24 in length. Here's a pic. It'll be much smaller than that once the filling is in.
Good luck!
Terri
#33
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 6,430
I have made several pads like that; the rice is the lightest weight stuffing you can use except for oat or buckwheat hulls and I don't like the noise they make sloshing around. Use the rice; it's not that expensive and it lasts foreverl I don't see how you could get bugs when it is heated so often. Put it in a large zip bag to protect it if you must or drop it into a pillow case. It would seem that one heating would get rid of any eggs in the rice.
#36
I was at a craft show that was selling different sizes of these warming pads and I asked what he filled them with and it was crushed wheat I bought some at a bulk food store and made some warming pads . The wheat seemed to hold the heat longer (maybe my imagination)
#38
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Longs, SC
Posts: 410
Made this at my quilt class last Thursday. The bigger part drapes over your neck and shoulders and the smaller two parts go in front laying on your chest. You heat it up in the microwave and it serves as a heating pad. Here is my problem...it if filled with almost 6lbs of white rice, well I have a real problem with that. Using food in it. I would appreciate any suggestions from you as to what else I could use in that would be safe in the microwave instead of using a food item. I could have fed my grandkids with that much rice over a period of 2 weeks. Help!!
#39
Rice warming pads will sometimes cause infestation of pantry moths which are hard to get rid of. I got those an it took months to rid my house if them. You can use deer/squirrel corn ($5 at Walmart or order cherry pits for crafting online. The pits are clean, work really well and you can add fragrant oils such as lavender.
#40
I made these years ago with crimped corn. When you use crimped corn it doesn't pop. Pop corn is actually a specific type of corn variety. That's why we have so few old maids in the bag. (I think long ago regular corn was used) Anyway, I don't think sand would heat up as nicely. Recently the quilters around here are using Walnut shells in their pincushions. It is ground down to a smaller pebbly size, and it sharpens the needles. You get it at the chain pet stores, I think it is bedding material. I think you could use this material. It wouldn't get pantry moths, I think it would heat up, and wouldn't be as heavy as sand. My neck warmer didn't have anywhere near that amount of rice/corn in it.
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