Heat Bag/Spice Trivet Tutorial

I had quite a few requests for instructions on how to make a spice trivet come heat bag over the last week so I thought I’d put together a tutorial for you. I’ve tried using it for both…..and it works a treat…..talk about multi- skilling purpose!!! Ok, here we go…. Firstly, cut two pieces of coordinating, cotton fabric 11 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches. Fold and iron 1/4 inch  towards wrong side of fabric on one end of long side of each piece. With right sides together, sew both long sides and across bottom using a small stitch for added strength.  Cut corners. Turn right side out.  I like to press flat here but before I do, I wriggle the fabric between my fingers close to the stitching to ease it flat…..makes ironing a flat seam much easier. Fold in half lengthwise and iron a sharp crease. Fold each long edge towards centre crease and iron 2 more sharp creases. Stitch, using coordinating cotton, along creases to form channels for filling. Fill channels with rice mixture consisting of 1/2 kg of rice (about 1 lb) mixed with a teaspoon each of cinnamon, nutmeg and ground cloves. You can sometimes find 5kg bags of rice on sale at the supermarket, so you can make it up in bulk in a large container as I have here.   I just increase the amount of spices accordingly.  If you are using this as a heat bag to ease pains and ailments, you might like to add lavender or some other fragrant herb….just be careful to check whether it is safe to heat up in the microwave first! You’ll notice I have some tools to help me with this task….a scoop and funnel are essential (I think so anyway!) and a teaspoon (or something with a thin handle) helps with poking down the funnel when it gets jammed up! Just a hint I found from experience (yes, I did drop LOTS of rice on the floor *yikes*) I like to start in the middle channels as it gives more stability when I’m trying to fill the others, rather than starting with the outside edge ones. How much to fill???  Well, depending on what you’re using it for….For a spice trivet, I fill it up right to the top and tap it down  till it’s about 1/4 inch from the top.  I pin each channel closed as I finish filling it.  After filling all of them, I almost always find the rice has settled some more and I need to top it up again. For a heat pack….because it needs to mould to the injury site, I tend to leave about 3/4 inch space so there’s room for the rice to move about a bit more. Hand stitch the channels closed with coordinating cotton using a ladder stitch.  I find this the best stitch to use as it is virtually invisible and is super strong.  You can find out more about the ladder stitch here. Tah Dahhhh…….One completed spice trivet, to keep your hot pots from marking your furniture whilst simultaneously filling the room with the lovely scent of nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves…... OR…. a heat bag…..just place in the microwave for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes  (no more or it might burn you…or worse still……catch fire!!!!,….*eek*) Then place on the offending sore spot and relax with the beautiful spicy scent.   I used mine whilst penning this post as my shoulder is still a bit sore from the accident….certainly helped to  loosen up those tense muscles….and  hubby kept mentioning how nice the room smelt! And….I have another finish for OPAM (you still have time to join in!!!)  and my Christmas Through the Year gift box! Hope you like my tutorial…… a simple but wonderful multi-purpose gift idea always comes in handy! Sugary hugs xo Wendy :O)

Heat Bag/Spice Trivet Tutorial

I had quite a few requests for instructions on how to make a spice trivet come heat bag over the last week so I thought I’d put together a tutorial for you.

I’ve tried using it for both…..and it works a treat…..talk about multi- skilling purpose!!!

Ok, here we go….

Firstly, cut two pieces of coordinating, cotton fabric 11 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches.

Fold and iron 1/4 inch  towards wrong side of fabric on one end of long side of each piece.

With right sides together, sew both long sides and across bottom using a small stitch for added strength.  Cut corners.

Turn right side out.  I like to press flat here but before I do, I wriggle the fabric between my fingers close to the stitching to ease it flat…..makes ironing a flat seam much easier.

Fold in half lengthwise and iron a sharp crease.

Fold each long edge towards centre crease and iron 2 more sharp creases.

Stitch, using coordinating cotton, along creases to form channels for filling.

Fill channels with rice mixture consisting of 1/2 kg of rice (about 1 lb) mixed with a teaspoon each of cinnamon, nutmeg and ground cloves. You can sometimes find 5kg bags of rice on sale at the supermarket, so you can make it up in bulk in a large container as I have here.   I just increase the amount of spices accordingly. 

If you are using this as a heat bag to ease pains and ailments, you might like to add lavender or some other fragrant herb….just be careful to check whether it is safe to heat up in the microwave first!

You’ll notice I have some tools to help me with this task….a scoop and funnel are essential (I think so anyway!) and a teaspoon (or something with a thin handle) helps with poking down the funnel when it gets jammed up!

Just a hint I found from experience (yes, I did drop LOTS of rice on the floor *yikes*) I like to start in the middle channels as it gives more stability when I’m trying to fill the others, rather than starting with the outside edge ones.

How much to fill???  Well, depending on what you’re using it for….For a spice trivet, I fill it up right to the top and tap it down  till it’s about 1/4 inch from the top.  I pin each channel closed as I finish filling it.  After filling all of them, I almost always find the rice has settled some more and I need to top it up again.

For a heat pack….because it needs to mould to the injury site, I tend to leave about 3/4 inch space so there’s room for the rice to move about a bit more.

Hand stitch the channels closed with coordinating cotton using a ladder stitch.  I find this the best stitch to use as it is virtually invisible and is super strong.  You can find out more about the ladder stitch here.

Tah Dahhhh…….One completed spice trivet, to keep your hot pots from marking your furniture whilst simultaneously filling the room with the lovely scent of nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves…...

OR….

a heat bag…..just place in the microwave for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes  (no more or it might burn you…or worse still……catch fire!!!!,….*eek*)

Then place on the offending sore spot and relax with the beautiful spicy scent.   I used mine whilst penning this post as my shoulder is still a bit sore from the accident….certainly helped to  loosen up those tense muscles….and  hubby kept mentioning how nice the room smelt!

And….I have another finish for OPAM (you still have time to join in!!!)  and my Christmas Through the Year gift box!

Hope you like my tutorial…… a simple but wonderful multi-purpose gift idea always comes in handy!

Sugary hugs

xo Wendy :O)

A big Thank you

  Thank you to everyone who thought of me and commented after my car accident on the weekend.  If you didn’t read about it, you can find out the details here. I feel much better than I’d been told I would…..a bit of achy pain in my lower back, but that’s probably from the seatbelt and some soreness in my arms and shoulders.  Feels like I carried Jenny’s  boxes from Charters Towers to her new house in Townsville!  I guess that’s from clinging on to the steering wheel for dear life!  But the doctor at the hospital gave me a long lasting anti inflammatory injection which hurt more than the whiplash, but certainly put paid to any referred pain from the accident. So a heartfelt thank you to you all….I am very blessed to have such caring, bloggy friends like you.                               As we were getting into my husband’s car, on our way to the hospital, just to see that everything was ok, we heard a squeal……I WAS NOT getting into the car…….and not because I was scared of another rear ender…… A green tree frog was hiding in the door frame of the car and this fella decided it was time for dinner!!!!    Have you ever heard green frogs squeal????  They sound like babies crying….it’s quite sad but it happens frequently up here in the tropics… It wasn’t huge, but enough to keep me away from the car till my hubby bravely relocated it!…..and no….I don’t know if he did get the frog or if we were in time to save it! Sugary hugs xo  Wendy :O)

A big Thank you

 

Thank you to everyone who thought of me and commented after my car accident on the weekend.  If you didn’t read about it, you can find out the details here.

I feel much better than I’d been told I would…..a bit of achy pain in my lower back, but that’s probably from the seatbelt and some soreness in my arms and shoulders.  Feels like I carried Jenny’s  boxes from Charters Towers to her new house in Townsville!  I guess that’s from clinging on to the steering wheel for dear life!  But the doctor at the hospital gave me a long lasting anti inflammatory injection which hurt more than the whiplash, but certainly put paid to any referred pain from the accident.

So a heartfelt thank you to you all….I am very blessed to have such caring, bloggy friends like you.

                             

As we were getting into my husband’s car, on our way to the hospital, just to see that everything was ok, we heard a squeal……I WAS NOT getting into the car…….and not because I was scared of another rear ender……

A green tree frog was hiding in the door frame of the car and this fella decided it was time for dinner!!!!    Have you ever heard green frogs squeal????  They sound like babies crying….it’s quite sad but it happens frequently up here in the tropics…

It wasn’t huge, but enough to keep me away from the car till my hubby bravely relocated it!…..and no….I don’t know if he did get the frog or if we were in time to save it!

Sugary hugs

xo  Wendy :O)

FNSI finishes and rear ends…

No, not that kind of rear end!!!!!  My poor VW and I got rear ended on the way home this afternoon.  We had been at quilting and decided to do a bit of shopping before going home.  As there are roadworks on the highway down from our place and  one lane is closed while they work on the other, there are stop/go signs…..well, I was slowing down to stop but the 4WD ute/truck behind didn’t ….let’s just say I’m thankful I was far enough away from the rather large vehicles in front of me not to be the meat in the sandwich. But still, being hit at 60-70km/hour by a 1 tonne vehicle whilst you’re slowing down and still doing about 30kms definitely isn’t fun.    I’m ok…..whiplashed but fine…..I’ve been checked over at the hospital and they say I will be very sore and sorry tomorrow and probably for the rest of the week, but the guy driving the other vehicle was fully covered by his insurance so for that I’m pleased! However, I bet my poor VW isn’t too pleased…. My shopping???  Well, some of it flew out of the back window onto the road and most had to go into the bin as it was covered in fine glass shards and we just couldn’t risk it. The other guy????   He’s fine…..he cut his hand from retrieving glass from the road and his poor dog that was travelling in the back learned how to fly….he’s ok though too…… His car????  Not a scratch, dent or mark.  It had a full steel bull bar…..not even the number plate was marked!!!!! My hubby pointed out that it was lucky I only took hand stitching to quilting today and not the sewing machine as it would have been in the boot!!!!                                                    Ever the optimist, my hubby!!!!  Gotta love him! And it’s true when they say most car accidents happen within 1km from home! But on the positive side……… I had 3 finishes on my very first Friday Night Sew In that are also gifties for my Christmas Through the Year box too. (However one changed teams and became a birthday gifty for a special friend!) I made 3 spice trivets or heat bags, whichever you prefer!   I actually made them as spice trivets for my MIL as, being Italian, we often have the most amazing meals with pots of wonderful foods brought to the table to share.  These spice trivets keep the heat from damaging the table and as they’re infused with nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves, you can imagine the scent that permeates the air when a hot pot sits on them!!!! mmm mmmmmmmm!!! yummy fabric choices….. before they’re filled….. filling with the magic herbs and spices (LOL)….. pinned up and ready to go…. So quick and easy…a great gift idea!  Well, I’m off to bed with the hot pack….I can feel muscles I never knew I had! Sugary hugs xo Wendy :O)