Wheat Bag Tutorial

Wheat Bag Tutorial

I have been making wheat bags this past week and thought I would share how to make them with you.
I have found the wheat to work better than other fillings I have tried. They work wonderfully for aches and pains, pulled muscles, and would you believe they even help to break up chest congestion. Freeze a small one to relieve headaches and bumps and bruises.

First I want to issue a warning because occasionally you will hear of someone starting a fire in their microwave or burning themselves with a too hot bag.
Never heat these bags for more than 30 Seconds to 2 1/2 minutes, depending on their size. The smaller the bag the less time it needs to heat. Also, let them cool completely before reheating. If you are going to use this on a child, test it on yourself first. You would be surprised on how hot a bag can get in just 30 seconds.

SUPPLIES: for an 8 x 10 inch bag:
You will need two 8 ½ x 11 inch pieces of cotton muslin for the bag
Two pieces of cotton flannel fabric, one 9 x 12 inches and one 9 x 16 inches, for the cover
4 cups of cleaned wheat (I found mine at the feed store)
This is what the wheat should look like:



DIRECTIONS:
Press a ¼ inch seam allowance over on one short side of the muslin for a hem on both pieces of fabric. This will be the top of the bag.



With the right sides together, pressed edge on the outside, sew down one side around the bottom and up the other side.



Turn the bag right side out. Fold the bag in half lengthwise and press the folded edge to create a stitching line to follow.
Stitch on the line, creating two long pockets in the bag.



Now fold the bag the other way in half and press the folded edge to create a stitching line across the bag to follow.

Insert one cup of wheat into each side of the bag. To keep the wheat from moving around while you sew the seam, pin right next to the wheat using a lot of pins so no stray wheat moves into your sewing path.



Sew across the pressed seam line. ( If you sew over any wheat kernels it will break your needle so sew slowly and check for stray wheat kernels as you sew.)
Add a cup of wheat into each of the last two pockets. Pin along the edge of the wheat to keep it contained. Sew along the top edge to close the bag.



Here is the finished bag.



BAG COVER:



Fold over one short side of each piece of fabric ¼ inch and then again ¼ inch to form a hem.
Stitch across the hem.



Lay out the longer piece right side up. Fold the hemmed side over 2 inches to the right side.
Lay the shorter piece on top with wrong side up.



Pin sides and bottom and then stitch together along the sides and across the bottom in a ¼ inch seam.



Turn right side out and put the wheat bag inside and fold the flap over. I heat this size bag for 1 ½ minutes in my microwave. Microwave times can vary depending on the microwave size so you may need a bit longer or shorter time.

Next week I will have the tutorial for a back/shoulder Wheat Bag I devised for myself because long hours of sitting over a sewing machine leaves me with back pain.
Here is a sneak peak of the finished bag.

©Bette Shaw All rights reserved.