Bottle Wrap Rice Bag

My local dollar store's halls are decked for the holiday season! While browsing among the gift bags, I found a sweater-knit gift bottle cover that seemed (after my recent rice bag project) destined to be a festive rice bag/heating pad.

I used the cardboard insert to cut a pattern and added a seam allowance. The insert fabric is a scrap from my mom's holiday fabric stash. I sewed around the pieces, leaving an opening on the side. After clipping the curves and turning, I put rice in the ends and stitched across each, making three sections. I filled the middle section with rice, then stitched the side opening closed. Two or three minutes in the microwave, and we'll have warm and toasty toes.

My dollar store recently had a rack of 'vintage' clothing, and I brought home several wool sweaters as project materials. More on that later, but it occurs to me a sleeve from a castoff sweater might make a cozy rice bag cover. Hmm. . .