Perhaps you’ve heard of (or already own) these wonderful microwaveable or freezable heat packs. I like to use the heat packs on a client’s back or other problem areas while they are receiving treatment on the other parts of their body. The eye pillows are great for blocking out light to keep someone relaxed while they are supine (face-up).
You will need:
- Material of your choice (amount will depend on how big you want your pack to be. A fat quarter is usually enough.)
- Sewing Machine/thread
- Long-grain white rice and/or flax seed
- funnel
- wooden dowel (optional)
1. Start by choosing and cutting your material. You can make the pack any size you want. I like a finished size of about 7” x 9” for a heat pack, and 3.5” x 10” for an eye pillow. You’ll want to add 1” to all sides for seam allowances. You need FOUR (4) pieces of fabric for one pack. Here is fabric cut for an eye pillow (2 pieces of fabric together in 2 stacks).
2. Sew all 4 pieces together, wrong sides out, leaving an opening on one short end that is big enough for turning. I like to double stitch everything. The reason we are using 4 pieces of fabric is so that the pillow is extra sturdy.
3. Trim down your seams and turn inside-out. Make sure you have two layers of fabric on each side. I use a small wooden dowel to help me turn the fabric and sharpen the corners.
4. Now it’s time to fill! For a heat pack, use rice. For an eye pillow, I find rice is a bit heavy so I use flax seed instead. You could also use lavender buds, or a combination of the two. I use a funnel and my wooden dowel to help poke down the seeds. Fill it so the pack/bag is slightly under 1” thick, and the filling is evenly distributed when the pack is placed flat. Do not overfill to the point where the fabric is pulling or stretched out.
5. Turn in the seams of the opening and sew shut. You can do this by hand if you wish, but I find the machine stitching to be sturdier.
You’re done! If you like, you can also create pillow cases for your packs. I do this because the packs are used on different people, and the pillow cases are easy to wash.
These packs can be kept in the freezer as cold packs, or microwaved for 2 minutes. Make sure you shake the filling around so there aren’t any hot spots. I do not recommend microwaving the eye pillows, but who would want to put a hot pillow on their eyes anyway?
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