Is winter over yet? Wishful thinking, right? Our weather forecast is calling for possible snow and icy mixes over the next few weeks. I’m ready for spring sweaters and open toed shoes. However, one positive about this ongoing winter weather is that it allows for me to whip up these felt heart hand warmers for Valentine’s Day teacher gifts, and I know that there will be still be plenty of winter left for the kids’ teachers to use them. If you have a sewing machine and felt (even felt remnants), then you can make this easy sewing project quickly and inexpensively. Grab the free printable to package the hand warmers in a cute way.
Supplies:
- Felt
- Scissors
- Sewing machine with coordinating thread
- Hand sewing needle
- White rice (not instant)
- Optional: plastic bags and printable for packaging, a small funnel
The size of the hand warmers should be small enough to fit into a coat pocket and be held in the palm of the hand.
Go old-school when cutting the heart from the felt. Remember in elementary school when you would fold the construction paper in half and cut out a heart shape? Do that with the felt to create (2) matching hearts. Cut (2) heart pieces for each hand warmer. I’m including 2 hand warmers in each bag– one for each hand– so I cut a total of (4) hearts. Allow enough room for a 1/4″ seam allowance when cutting.
Place two heart pieces together. Sew with the sewing machine and a 1/4″ seam allowance. Leave a small space on the side of the heart for turning the heart right side out. Be sure the backstitch the beginning and end of the machine stitched portion.
Cut small notches in the seam excess around the tops of the heart. This will help cut down on bulk and allow the heart to look better once turned right side out. Important: Make sure to not cut through the stitches!
Turn the heart right side out.
Using a small spoon or a funnel. Fill the heart 3/4 of the way with rice. The heart should not be stuffed.
Close the opening in the heart with the hand sewing needle and thread using a slip stitch.
To warm them, place the hand warmers in the microwave for 20-30 seconds, then slip them in coat pockets to keep hands warm in cold weather.
I’ve made these for my kids’ teachers for Valentine’s Day this year. I’ve created a cute printable for gifting these. To use this printable, right click on the image below to download it to your computer. Print it using your home printer software.
Place the hand warmers in the bag and staple the printable to the top of the bag.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial on how to make homemade hand warmer. I like that they are reusable, but be sure to only spot clean them. Do not place them in a washing machine or submerge them in water.
Do you like felt crafts? Check out a week long felt material series over at 30 Minute Crafts!
This is a great idea for a teacher gift!
This is such a great idea! I have made hand warmers before but they weren’t as cute as these little hearts.