Microwaveable Snake Heating Pad

My daughter loves snakes. And just like snakes, she likes to be as toasty warm as possible. So I decided to sew her a rice filled snake that she could heat up in the microwave and wear like a scarf.

Fabric--long enough for whatever length snake you wish to create (mine was 3.5 ft)

2 Buttons- microwave safe so no metal!

Felt- small scrap in color of choice for tongue

Rice

Sewing machine, scissors, thread, sewing needle, pins, iron, ruler, pencil, paper, tape

Using the measurements in the photos, create the pattern for the head and tail pieces. The tail piece was made using a 3 inch wide by 11.5 inch strip of paper and drawing the tail dimensions in at the end. I wanted my snake to be a little over three feet long, so I created two more pattern pieces that were 3 inches wide by 11.5 inches long and taped them to the head and tail pieces.

Iron fabric. Fold in half so that the right sides of the fabric are facing. Place pattern piece on top of the folded fabric and pin in place. Cut around the pattern.

Remove the pattern piece and pin again. Cut out a tongue from the scrap of felt in whatever shape you prefer. Pin the tongue in place, BETWEEN the two layers of fabric so that it is sandwiched between the right sides of the fabric and the tip of the tongue is pointed towards the tail of the snake.

Starting on the side of one end of the tail, begin stitching with a 1/2 inch seam allowance. It is important to leave enough open at the end of the tail to insert a funnel for filling with rice.

When you reach a corner, lift up your sewing machine foot to turn the fabric slightly, then put down the foot and continue sewing. This will create a better corner.

Make sure to leave the end of the tail open! Trim the corners of the fabric points and cut notches in the "inside" corners.

Turn the snake right side out! This step is hard but hang in there!

Insert a funnel into the tail end of the snake and pour in the rice. Don't overfill the snake or it will be difficult to sew it closed.

Fold in the ends of the snake tail and pin together. Using a needle and thread, hand stitch the tail end closed.

Add eyes of your choice. My daughter is six so button eyes are not a safety hazard for her, but if buttons are potentially a safety issue in your house, you could stitch on circles of felt for eyes instead. I placed the eyes a little bit more than midway between the mouth and widest part of the head. I stitched them on with black thread to match the eyes. Hide your thread knots behind the button.

Now it's time to microwave your heating pad for a minute or two and be cozy!