Soothe aches and pains away by making sock neck warmers. Recycled cotton tube socks are an ideal insert for a warmer. Their flexibility and length are easily shaped around the neck or other sore joints on your body. Heated in a microwave, the sock and its contents will provide lasting warmth. Sew decorative outer sleeves for the insert that match your decor or the personality of the user, using soft flannel fabrics in a variety of designs.
Instructions
1. Cut a 6-inch wide by 25-inch long rectangle from flannel fabric. This will make the outer sleeve for the sock lining of the neck warmer to slip into.
2. Fold one short edge of the rectangle 1/4 inch to the wrong side and press. Fold over another 1/4 inch, press and pin. Stitch the pinned edge to finish the hem.
3. Lay the fabric rectangle on your work surface with the wrong side facing up. Cut a 2-inch length of 1/2-inch wide hook-and-loop tape. Separate the two pieces. Lay both pieces end-to-end and separated by 1 inch, centered right below the stitched hem. Pin the hook-and-loop pieces to the fabric. Top stitch around the edges of the pieces to secure. This is the closure for the open end of the sleeve.
4. Fold the fabric rectangle in half with the right sides together and the long edges matching. Pin the long edges together and the raw short edge. Stitch the pinned edges using a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Turn the sleeve right side out.
5. Pour 2 lbs. of long-grain white rice into a cotton tube sock.
6. Stitch across the opening of the sock to secure the rice inside. Place the filled sock inside the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes on high power. Remove the sock and insert it into the fabric sleeve. Press the hook-and-loop pieces together to close the sleeve.
Tags: cotton tube, fabric rectangle, hook-and-loop pieces, long edges, short edge