No Sew Hot & Cold Packs

Look, I like an easy gift option as much as the next lazy crafter, so when a friend challenged me to make a no-sew version of a gift I’d made for my kids’ teachers, how in the world could I ignore it?

It’s like the Aiming Low nearly wrote itself!

I’d made those heating bags based on this free tutorial, only my design was smaller and had less fabric to be sewn (because I made 27 of them). I also made matching  squares for little freezer bags (flipped and turned and sewn, no hiding the seam)

What’s so great about the new no-sew method?

Few supplies, little time and you have your gift.

What you’ll need:

1. Knee-high socks (preferably new), $3 for four pairs at Big Lots. Or colorful kids’ knee-highs!
2. Rice (I bought 10-lb bags for $4)
3. Scissors (duh)
4. Ribbon (who doesn’t have some ribbon?)
5. Lavender Essential Oil (Dude, buying this is not as hard as it looks! It’s about $8 at a natural food store, one you’ve probably driven by 100 times.)

What to do:

• Mix the lavender oil into the (dry) rice. I used about 1-2 drops per cup, but then I just added a lot of drops and mixed until I like how strong it was.
• Option 1: Fill a sock so it’s bendy and loose and tie the end. See the pic above? I know. The easiest, ever. Or there’s Option 2: Cut the end off the sock and tie a ribbon around it tightly. Cut the other end just inside the heel, fill with rice so it’s loose and bendable and tie that end with ribbon.
• If you want to do one for the freezer, put in lentils with no lavender (the lentils hold the cold a little better).

The rice socks need to be microwaved for about 2-3 minutes. The freezer ones… well, just put ‘em in the freezer.