Thred - DIY Christmas

One of the scheduled posts for Budget Christmas Challenge is “Do It Yourself” Christmas gifts! DIY Christmas gifts can save you a lot of money on the holidays, especially if you have quite a few people to shop for. Many times you can purchase the supplies you need for the DIY gifts and make a few at one time.

This first do it yourself Christmas gift is a homemade hand warmer. It would make a great gift for friends and family members in a cold winter location!

DIY Hand Warmer

Supplies:

fabric (I like to use Flannel for hand warmers, but a cotton fabric also works well)
Ceramic Pie Weights
thread and needle

Directions:

Cut the fabric into a rectangle or square. You can use any size that you want, but a 5″ x 10″ piece will make a 4.5″ square hand warmer, which is a pretty good size. Keep in mind that you will cut the fabric in one layer and you will have to fold it when you sew so the size will be cut in half. Leave some space for the stitching as well.
Fold the fabric so the two front sides of the fabric are facing each other and stitch two of the unfolded sides as if you were going to make a pillow or a bean bag. It will be faster if you use a sewing machine, but it is not necessary.
Flip the fabric inside out. You now have a piece that looks like a bag.
Fill the bag with Ceramic Pie Weights. Rice will also work, but I like pie weights more for the hand warmers (they warm up easier and stay warm longer vs. the rice and they are harder to burn. You can still burn them though so see the “to use” section)
Stitch the bag closed.

To Use:

Warm them in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until it reaches the desired temperature. This usually takes me 1.5-2 minutes, but the actual time will depend on your own microwave. DO NOT microwave them for 5 minutes like some of the online sites say. You will set fire to the warmer! The only warmer I have set fire to is my rice one, but that was after my son put it in the microwave for 30 minutes instead of 30 seconds. I caught it around the 4 minute mark.

Cost Analysis:

Fabric – $2-$7/yard (1 yard will make 18 hand warmers)
Pie Weights – $6.33 for a pound (this should make 4-8 bags depending on how full you make them) – Amazon sells them as a 4 for 3 product if you need more.

Based on those costs a warmer should be $1-$2 to make and it will take you 5-10 minutes if you are an experienced seamstress, maybe closer to 30 minutes if you are not.

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