A Question About Microwaveable Fabrics
 

I'm looking to make rice bags you can microwave. I've made dozens of them out of straight cotton fabric and thread. I wanted to make an owl shaped one, though, and found a cute template online. The pattern, though, called for embroidery floss and felt?? I would have thought that if you microwave felt it would melt. And would embroidery floss be safe for the microwave? I'm making them for my DB and DSIL who are expecting. They've never used them before, but heard they were great in the delivery room for back pain. So, I was thinking of using the embroidery floss not just for the eyes, as the pattern called for, but also to embroider simple microwave instructions on the back and to label which bag it was (I plan on putting lavender in one with the rice and chamomile in another with the rice).

So, is felt really microwaveable and is embroidery floss safe in the microwave?

(I did try those corn and potato bags before, using the microwaveable batting, and had to buy a new microwave when the bags caught fire, so I'd like to be overly cautious on this one)

Felt is polyester, which is plastic, so it will melt. If the floss is 100% cotton, it won't melt. When I make rice bags, I make the bag I put the rice in out of muslin, but then I make a removable cover out of flannel so it can be washed. Can you make a separate muslin or other cotton fabric inner bag for the rice and then just make the decorative part out of whatever you want? Be sure to include specific instructions with the gift. Also, a special note for rice bags, I include a small bottle of eucalyptus oil with rice bag gifts. You can put few drops onto the rice bag for extra sinus clearing power.

Bet you could find a cute cotton (or flannel) fabric printed with owls to make the bags out of. I think the embroidery floss would be OK, but not the felt.

I think I would just make it out of cotton fabric and thread.

i have purchased cotton embroidery floss before... so i'd use that. most of the felt sold in craft stores is polyester... i wouldn't use that. you might find wool felt in a fabric store? that being said, i like the idea of an inner bag of muslin and keeping your owl as a decorative outer bag... it makes more work for the giftee, but it sounds adorable.

You can buy wool felt by the yard so I imagine that would work in a microwave. Wool is less flammable than cotton.
You would want the rice in an inner bag so you could remove and clean the outer bag.

Yes, I planned to do an outer bag (the owl) and an inner bag (the corn). I was all set to do the rice bags when a friend saw this and sent me an article on the dangers of doing rice. It traps in mold spores and other allergens more than corn or cherry pits do, so instead, I'm going to buy the 50 pound bag of corn and the 40 pound bag of cherry pits and go from there. My youngest DD has severe environmental allergies, so I don't want to run the risk with her using rice bags, and I certainly don't want my new niece breathing in any of that stuff. So, tomorrow I'm going to buy the chamomile and other innards and go from there. I think I'm going to avoid the felt all together. I do have a scrap of wool felt, but not sure how I feel about all of this.

What would you think about ultra-suede? Would that be microwaveable?