Homemade Rice Heating Pack

With a age and congenital defects come aches and pains and wounds.  Mr. Yeater has had to take it easy the last couple of weeks because of these- meaning a lot of couch time.  This, for anyone who has not spent a  good deal of forced time doing so, can become a little painful for the back and neck.  Poor, Mr. Yeater!  A few days ago, he was in particular discomfort and our heating pad was nowhere to be found.  It would not have done much if we had.

In a flash of brilliance, I recalled our inventory of rice.  I keep a relatively large store of grains in my pantry.  I ran to our linen cupboard and grabbed
an old pillowcase which could be spared.  At my sewing table, I was able to measure and cut out a 4"x6" (pictured above) rectangle of cloth at the corner.  Then, working wrong-side out,  I closed all but one seam and flipped it right-side out.  I turned one inch inward at the open end, filled the pouch with about one and a half to two cups of rice, and brought it to my sewing machine.  The top pinched shut, I sealed it closed with the final seam.  And, look! a rice pillow pack.  I can throw it into the microwave and heat it (one to three minutes) or put it into the freezer for a hot/cold compress.

I have made two more since then and we enjoy having them for aches and pains and keep toasty without raising our energy bill in these cold temperatures.