I am wife to a magnificent man and mother to five wonderful children. Three of my children were born in the Northwest and two were born thousands of miles away in Liberia, West Africa. Birthplace is no matter, all of my children were born in my heart. This is our journey.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Buckwheat Hull freezer bag tutorial

Are you looking for a simple creative project for a gift?
Here is a really easy one that takes me less than 15 minutes per bag. These bags are meant to be kept in the freezer for those times when someone in your family has a headache or for an injury that would normally require ice or a bag of frozen veggies. They are soft and mold to the joint or neck very nicely. I made them for about $.75 each. They are filled with buckwheat hulls which cost me $4 for a 1lb bag and I have only used about the half of a pound so far for 8 bags.
First you cut out 3 identical pieces of fabric 3 1/4" X 6 1/4". I like to choose 2 that match for the outside strips. You can choose whatever you like. I used scraps from another project.

I then sew the 3 strips together placing right sides together using a 5/8" seam allowance. Once you have the 3 strips sewn together, press the seams on the under side open.


I then take the pieced together section and lay it on the fabric that is them same as my middle strip on the front side. I turned the stripes the other way for a crazy quilt feel. Cut one large piece of fabric the exact size of the pieced side.


Place right sides together and sew closed on three sides.


Turn right side out and sew a decorative seam using a 3/8" seam allowance. I also clip the 2 corners so they corners come out a little more pointed.



I next turn in the open seam about 5/8 " and press it. Once pressed, fill the bag with approximately 1 1/2 to 2 cups of buckwheat hulls.


Sew the open seam closed again using a 3/8" seam allowance.



Your finished bag will now look like a little pillow and is ready to put into the freezer. I am planning to put 2 of these together with a box of tea and some pretty ribbon for a small gift. This would work nice for a bridal shower gift, a new Mom, or a Christmas gift.
Cute and inexpensive. Just my style.

3 comments:

Brooke said...

very cute!

Hilary said...

Love it! Where did you get the buckwheat hulls?

Krisi and Adam said...

What a great idea. My husband uses buck wheat pillows and one has a hole in it -- I bet I could use those hulls! I may have to find the sewing machine!