I'm thinking of stealing an idea and need help!

[Jewel]

DH and I went to our big local "Holiday Food & Gift Show' yesterday. 600 Christmas booths in one big place. Talk about fun!! :D:D One of the biggest sellers is a soft cuddly 'body warmer' that you can put in the microwave for a few minutes, then wrap around your neck, or your sore elbow, or whatever ails you. They're simply wonderful to just snuggle with. They were selling them for $18 to $22 each. DH and I looked at each other and he grinned...we walked away without buying, but over the dinner table later started speculating on exactly how hard these things would be to make and give as gifts! They were simply long 'sacks' made of velour or polar fleece, about 18" to 20" long, and about 6" wide. The lady told us they were filled with Flax Seed, because Flax is 30-40% oil, and the oil stays heated for quite awhile longer than rice or wheat fillings, and can be reheated over and over. The bags we saw were real 'floppy', they didn't have enough filling, so when you wrapped it around your neck all the filling went to the ends, not the back of your neck. (We thought of 'quilting' the long sack so filling would stay in place).

These would be SO easy and inexpensive to make, but I'm in a bit of a quandry. I had about 2 cups of flax seed at home, so to try it out, I poured the flax seed into one of DH's old wool socks, and tied a knot. Microwaved for 90 seconds, and it DID stay hot for about a half hour or more! The only problem was that it 'smoked' just a bit, and I could hear the flax seed 'popping' just a little in the microwave. Also, it smelled a bit burned when we brought it out. The instructions on the 'purchased' bags said 2-3 minutes in the micro, so we don't think we nuked it too long, but we don't want to make these things and have burned flax! :eek:

Anyone have any thoughts?? :confused: I really want to make these for Christmas Gifts!

[donleyk]

Jewel,

No suggestions I was just going to mention I saw these too at the last festival I was at. I too thought it was a good idea, but too expensive at any price. :rolleyes:

I wonder if the MS web site has anything? Good luck!

[slknight]

I'm not sure about flax seed, but I know you can fill them with rice or corn. There are a whole bunch of sites with instructions on the web. Here's one I just found:

http://www.makestuff.com/heating_pad.html

I'll post some more later. It sounds like a great gift. And by the way, I'm thinking of stealing your "rub" idea from the Great Food board.

Some more:
http://www.sewvac1.com/Library/projects.htm#Rice Bag

http://www.roo.com/archive/rhpd.htm

Plus, here's a recent article about a woman in Maine who sells them. If you're thinking of buying them rather than making them, you might want to check her out. (No, I don't know her - just saw the article).

http://business.mainetoday.com/entrepreneur/010928mainewarm.shtml

http://www.mainewarmers.com

-Susan

[Mamasue]

Jewel...I have seen these at just about every craft fair. I did purchase one and mine is filled with rice. The tube is flannel and has a loop at one end so I can hang it if want to. When you heat in microwave you can smell the raw rice but it does work. I would say that it stays warm for about 15-20 minutes. I also would say you don't want to fill the tube too tight or you wouldn't be able to bend it. Here are some sites I found for you. Some of the ideas are made in different shapes. There is even one made like a sheep for Wendy. :D Most are too give you ideas and the last one gives instructions for what is called a "foot warmer".

click on "What are Heatsocks"

http://www.sclero.org/medical/symptoms/raynauds/heatsockdirections.html#heatsocks

Maine Warmers
http://www.mainewarmers.com/

Comfort Warmers
http://www.klhembroidery.com/comfort_warmers.htm

http://mother-natures.com/heatingpad.htm


Rice Bag Foot Warmers....scroll down
http://www.fortunecity.com/campus/engineers/537/craft.html

[Mamasue]

Hehe....lookes like Susan and I were posting and searching at the same time. :D

[slknight]

Originally posted by Mamasue
Hehe....lookes like Susan and I were posting and searching at the same time. :D

Even posting some of the same sites! Great minds must think alike.:D

That article on Maine Warmers is pretty interesting. I've seen them in the stores here and may just have to get one.

[funnybone]

A friend of mine made some years ago with rice. I never tried it, but she says it works well. I wonder if dried beans would work too? I mean you can use them in the oven in pie shells, so why not in the microwave in some fabric? Maybe you could make a mixture of different things in it.

[ewatkins]

I have one I got at a craft store and it has corn but also some dried herbs that make it smell good. I used it when I got rear ended and it really helped my neck!

[Mamasue]

Originally posted by slknight


Even posting some of the same sites! Great minds must think alike.:D

That article on Maine Warmers is pretty interesting. I've seen them in the stores here and may just have to get one.

Ha.....not only do we have good minds but great name of Susan too!!! :D

[Jewel]

Thanks for the help everyone! I actually found online the people that had the booth yesterday, out of WA.

http://www.flaxseedbodywarmers.com/

They mention why flax is better than rice or beans, so I definitely want to use flax. I'm just wondering if maybe I have to 'seal' the flax in a muslin bag first, then cover it in the fleece or velour? Maybe the reason we smelled the 'burn' last night was DH's sock! :eek: Apparantly the oil in the flax is the key to the extended warmth and the ability to reheat it over and over before it gives out. Check out that site and then tell me what you think!

The only place I could find flax in bulk was King Arthur, and the biggest they had was an 8 oz bag (1/2 lb) for $3.95. Not bad, but I know that it would take about 2 of those bags to fill one sack! I'd love to find flax in bigger size bags. I'm worried about the popping I heard too, I don't want a year from now to have a bunch of burned flax shells in these bags that I've given people! I also thought that maybe it was because my flax seed was over a year old!

I just know that I could make these, and I know a lot of people that would get some good out of them, I just don't want to buy the flax and buy the fabric and go to the trouble of making them to find that I 'should have' done something different! :confused:

[Shirley Panek]

You don't say at what level you heated the sock at - I'm assuming HI - but did you try at a lower temperature? Maybe try at the same amount of time, and move up? You mentioned that they said 2-3 minutes. Was theirs at a lower temp? Also, was all your flax in a clump, packed tightly? I'm not sure if putting a little more air space around the flax would help or not.

Good luck, and let us know how it works out!

Shirley

[katygirl]

Here is another site:

http://www.quilt.com/MiscQuilting/RiceBags.html

And, it's a great idea. I might steal it too!

Good luck and let us know what you use!

[funnybone]

Originally posted by Jewel

The only place I could find flax in bulk was King Arthur, and the biggest they had was an 8 oz bag (1/2 lb) for $3.95. Not bad, but I know that it would take about 2 of those bags to fill one sack! I'd love to find flax in bigger size bags. I'm worried about the popping I heard too, I don't want a year from now to have a bunch of burned flax shells in these bags that I've given people! I also thought that maybe it was because my flax seed was over a year old!


Here's a source I happened across. I clicked on a link from CL to find the store.

http://store.yahoo.com/saltoflife/orflaxseed.html

Organic brown flax seeds for $1.99 lb.

[Jewel]

Thank you funnybone! This will definitely help me! I was holding off ordering from King Arthur until I researched it a bit further! :D

Most of the links that others posted specify rice or a combination of whole wheat and rice, and if I decide to go that way, I have to find out exactly what 'whole wheat' is! Is that 'wheat berries' that I can buy in bulk or is that something else? Where are my grain-friends!! :confused:

[Veronica]

Do you think there's any chance that the flax seed could go rancid and start to stink after awhile? Flax seed doesn't last for very long on the pantry shelf.

I think it'd be a good idea to do a test before you invest in a lot of flax seed. You can heat & reheat that sock (well, maybe not . . .) and see what happens after a few weeks. It might be worth a call to The Flax Seed Body Warmers people to see what they say about it. Maybe the seeds don't go rancid after you cook them in the microwave??

[mb]

i agree with veronica...maybe the flax seed had gone rancid. then again, i'm no flax expert.

when we were taking our childbirth classes, though, our instructor suggested filling a sock with rice to use as a heating pad during labor. we filled one with jasmine rice, and it smelled really nice. i ended up getting some drugs and fell asleep for the rest of labor, so i didn't use the sock very long, but it was a good idea.

good luck jewel, that is a great gift idea.
marisa :)

[Jewel]

Originally posted by Veronica
It might be worth a call to The Flax Seed Body Warmers people to see what they say about it. Maybe the seeds don't go rancid after you cook them in the microwave??

I'm a little embarrassed, but I pulled a fast one yesterday...I emailed Flax Seed Body Warmers people. These are the ones that gave us the idea, but we walked away from their booth at the show without buying. I told them I purchased one of their warmers at the Holiday Show (liar!! :eek: ) and that when I heated it for 1:30 minutes in my 1000 watt microwave, that the last 30 seconds or so I saw a bit of smoke, and the last 15 seconds I heard popping. I asked if that was too high a wattage, and whether their flax was 'treated' in some way? I told them I loved their product and was glad I had purchased one (liar! :eek: ) but I wondered what I was doing wrong?

The owner emailed me back this morning and told me that she had never heard of the 'popping' thing before, or the smoking. She said they use an 800 watt microwave in their shows, and they heat them for 3 minutes which gets them comfortably warm. She then said that she wanted to send me a NEW ONE to replace my obviously defective one that I had purchased from them! (liar! :eek: ) I emailed back and thanked her for the offer, but there was no reason to send me another one...that I was perfectly happy with the one I'd purchased (liar! :eek: ) but I was just curious what I'd done wrong? I then asked if there was something different about the flax seed they used? Was it treated in some way? Hopefully she'll answer this email and I'll have some more answers. In the meantime, I'm going to make a better 'case' than DH's sock...which I just found out was part nylon, which could explain the smoking!? :rolleyes: I'm going to buy some NEW flax seed this afternoon, and try it tonight at 75% power on the microwave, which should be about 800 watts...I'll report back tomorrow with results! Nice to know, however, that customer service DOES exist! She was ready to send me another one when I she only THOUGHT that I'd purchased one from her at the show! :)

[BlueMoose]

Jewel,

This lady is probably worried about the quality of her inventory now. She might think that she's sold defective warmers to other people or that she has a bunch of bad flax in stock. Could you maybe e-mail her again and tell her it turns out that it was a problem with your microwave (that it was on its last legs, or something)? That way she won't be sitting at home worrying.

[LaraW]

Wouldn't you know that you get good customer service when you don't want it! :)

I agree with BlueMoose, to e-mail her and tell her it was a problem with your microwave so that she doesn't worry about her inventory.

[Grace]

I have two of these, both purchased in Germany. I got them there before I ever saw them here. One is filled with cherry pits (yes, cherry pits), and the other is filled with something that may be flax - I'm not sure what's in there, (but I know it's not rice). In any case, I use mine almost every single day in the winter. Our ritual at night is for my husband to warm it up in the microwave, and put under the covers at the foot of the bed to warm up my spot before I get in bed. I hate cold sheets, and he hates my cold feet on him, so I snuggle my feet up to the thing and I fall asleep faster that way too.

I also use it on my lower abdomen when I'm crampy and miserable. It's also nice when you come in from the outside all freezing. Lots of uses other than using it for your neck. The ones I have are more squarish in shape (still rectangular, but not long, thin rectangles - more like the shape of a small pillow).

[Jewel]

Originally posted by BlueMoose
Jewel,

This lady is probably worried about the quality of her inventory now. She might think that she's sold defective warmers to other people or that she has a bunch of bad flax in stock. Could you maybe e-mail her again and tell her it turns out that it was a problem with your microwave (that it was on its last legs, or something)? That way she won't be sitting at home worrying.

Oh Chrisi, you're so right... I didn't even think of that! :eek: I was just trying to get a bit of 'inside information' on what she puts in there and didn't even think about what she could be thinking. OK, I'm a bad girl... :( I'll email her right away and let her know that I used 75% power and all is fine now. Thanks for the wake-up call!

I'm going out this weekend to buy some fabric remnants and some bulk flax, maybe 2 lbs, in my local grocery, and try making one for us. If it works well, I'll go buy more fabric and flax in bulk and make them for others for Christmas, and if it doesn't I'll just stick to the Chipotle-Garlic Rub for gifts. Of course, DH LOVES the idea of using BOTH for Christmas gifts. He says I can put together a little basket with the rub and the body pillow and write on the cards "These will keep you warm this winter..." :D

[Julie O]

Make sure you pick cotton fabric. Any man-made fibers, esp. polyester, could melt or catch fire. Have fun!

[Jewel]

Originally posted by Julie O
Make sure you pick cotton fabric. Any man-made fibers, esp. polyester, could melt or catch fire. Have fun!

You know, Julie, I think that was part of my problem with my little 'test sock' we made on Sunday night...I pulled one of DH's socks out of the drawer and filled it. Problem is, it wasn't one of his regular 'athletic socks' it was a dress sock. Brown in color...not as soft...kinda scratchy. DH thinks it's either wool or polyester :eek: which could easily explain the smoking and the burned smell!

It doesn't explain the 'popping' noise, but my high-tech DH said that maybe the synthetic fibers got TOO hot and caused the flax seeds to 'ignite' or something. He thinks that's why 1:30 minutes on high was unbearably hot, when they recommend 2-3 minutes to get comfortably warm! It probably wasn't the filling, it was the case I used! You'd think a smart woman like me would know not to put synthetic fabrics in a microwave? :rolleyes:

[sneezles]

I have 2 of these that I received as gifts about 10 years ago and they are filled with rice and stay warm for 30 minutes (after zapping for 2 minutes). After a day of manual labor (emptying boxes and arranging furniture) it was wonderful on my lower back! My only compaint is that they are not pretty to look at the cloth is plain white terry but I guess it's no big deal since I don't look to great when I need to use one :p !

Good luck with your project!

[Kristilyn1]

I would say your problem was definitely the fabric. My medicine cabinet includes an ugly white sock with rice in it which I use in place of my heating pad.

Flax will be very nice---I would experiment with adding lavender to them for relaxation--either that or an essence oil for a nice smell.

Good luck! I think it's a thoughtful gift. I took a class at night on herbs and herb gifting--you may want to check into it.
We made "dream pillows" which were filled with herbs and promoted a good night's sleep. The class was very cheap--$20 or something through our local high school extension program or whatever they call it...sorry my brain is fried right now. Anyway--I walked away with about 20 different recipes and ideas for gifts so it was well worth it--plus it was fun!

Kristi

[Jewel]

Originally posted by Kristilyn1
Flax will be very nice---I would experiment with adding lavender to them for relaxation--either that or an essence oil for a nice smell.

Kristi

Kristi, thanks for the idea, but I'm a bit concerned about putting herbs in these things. The first one or two times it's nuked I think you would smell the herb, but wouldn't it be fried really quick? I'm also worried about trapped herb or twig carcass floating around in my flax seed! :eek: I wouldn't want something to smell bad later! I also wouldn't want to put essence oil directly on the pillow fabric, would I? I'm still so new at this! :confused:

On a happier note, last night I cut up one of DH's old T-shirts (the only thing I could quickly find that was 100% cotton!) and made a makeshift 'sack' from it, tied with a cotton strip. I used the same flax from the old acrylic sock, about 1-1/2 cups, and nuked it for 1:30 minutes. It came out HOT (I think 'cause it was so little flax) and stayed hot for about 15 minutes, then was very comfy warm for another half hour. About 45 minutes total! :D

I did find out, however, that T-shirt material burns and turns brown if overheated...when I went back to nuke it for another minute and a half after it grew colder, the tied area burned brown! :eek: I have to figure out what that is before I make these! Maybe 1000 watt microwaves are just too much for these things? Maybe I WILL have to specify 75% power on higher micros when I give them out....

[Missi]

Now I had seen these body warmers with rice, but never with flax seed. I got the idea last winter to make one in the shape of a teddy bear, and give to my niece. Her mom could heat it up and then when she hugged it, it would be warm. Thought it would be nice on cold nights or when she was sick. I never got around to actually making it, but I still have the material and teddy bear pattern. I might try it for this Christmas with flax seed. Please keep us posted on your progress!!!