I use cracked corn that they use to feed animals, keep it in a zip-lock bag in freezer to be ready for unexpected bumps/aches. easily warmed in the microwave if heat is needed, just take out of the bag first. I also made removable flannel case/covers for them that I could just throw into the washing machine when needed. I have one that I heat up to use for my cold feet when I go to bed. (dog loves it too) It warms the bed up nicely in the winter. Common sense says do not make it HOT!

Revise the pattern!
 

I designed one almost exactly like it and decided it was far too heavy for my taste. And like you, I decided it had too much filling anyway. So I redesigned it so it would take less filling, with the added benefit that the filling stayed distributed more evenly. I would post a pic, but I gave it to my mother and haven't made another one yet. I'll see if she can send me a pic I can post. Until then, I'll try to describe what I did.

The first thing I did was trim off and round out the corners on both the back and front, but particularly the back. I cut a lot off the back corners! I discovered it didn't make a bit of difference in the effectiveness.

The next thing I did was add what I called vertical seams. In the original version, there are only horizontal seams. On the back channels, I put in 3 vertical seams so there are 4 little pockets per horizontal row. I put an outside seam down the middle. Then I added about a quarter to a third cup of filling, then sewed an outside seam halfway to the edge to lock in that filling, which also created the next pocket. Put in the filling and sew the edge shut. Then do the other half. Do the same until you have all the filling in. Don't be afraid to shorten the width, either. Like I said, it will still be very effective. Use your judgment on how much filling to use. You DON'T have to put nearly as much as you think. Don't try to fill the pockets completely. It's just not necessary, and yes, it still works wonderfully.

I fill mine with a mixture of deer corn and rice. The deer corn holds in heat a little longer but the rice tends to mold itself better to your curves. I've used deer corn, rice, all kinds of dried beans, dried lentils, dried peas, and such, all with success. Sometimes it's a matter of what's on sale and what I have on hand!

update... okay, I found the pieces I had cut out for the next one I'll make. They're roughly 21 inches across by 24 in length. Here's a pic. It'll be much smaller than that once the filling is in.

Good luck!

Terri

I have made several pads like that; the rice is the lightest weight stuffing you can use except for oat or buckwheat hulls and I don't like the noise they make sloshing around. Use the rice; it's not that expensive and it lasts foreverl I don't see how you could get bugs when it is heated so often. Put it in a large zip bag to protect it if you must or drop it into a pillow case. It would seem that one heating would get rid of any eggs in the rice.

The corn works great. I went to the elevator and bought shelled corn and it works for years and no it doesn't pop.

such a brilliant idea to make one of these to use as a foot warmer. thank you!

It is not your imagination, I make wheat bags for a physio which they on sell to their clients, one of the shapes I make is a smaller version of the heat pack pictured in this post. I use whole clean wheat purchased from a fodder store. Wheat contains a cellular structure that ideally provides an insulative quality that absorbs either heat or cold temperatures evenly. Always use a cotton fabric cover (pin whale cord better knows as corduroy works well), and if the wheat pack is to be used from the freezer (I make small palm sized packs from left over fabric that are great to freeze and use for bumps and scolds) it needs to be put in a plastic bag. If a wheat pack gets wet throw it out. Store any left over wheat in a sealed container to prevent weavels.

Thanks for all the info everyone. I've been thinking about a similar bag and have a better idea of what the different products do.

I used deer corn in mine-found it at wAL-MART IN THE HUNTING SECTION

Definitely true! We had a large bag of rice in the pantry and ended up with a gozillion of those pesky little pantry moths and like to never got rid of them.

I made these years ago with crimped corn. When you use crimped corn it doesn't pop. Pop corn is actually a specific type of corn variety. That's why we have so few old maids in the bag. (I think long ago regular corn was used) Anyway, I don't think sand would heat up as nicely. Recently the quilters around here are using Walnut shells in their pincushions. It is ground down to a smaller pebbly size, and it sharpens the needles. You get it at the chain pet stores, I think it is bedding material. I think you could use this material. It wouldn't get pantry moths, I think it would heat up, and wouldn't be as heavy as sand. My neck warmer didn't have anywhere near that amount of rice/corn in it.