It’s Hot Out There

Welcome to summer everyone! I live in Chilliwack, British Columbia and we have been getting some pretty hot weather. It was 42 degrees on my back deck, which is too hot for my liking. Even the air conditioning unit in my home couldn’t keep up. So I decided to make some neck coolers. These are so simple to make.

All you need is 5 inch strip of fabric WOF (width of fabric) and some water absorption granules.

I picked these up at a gardening store, and unless you are making neck coolers as a business, this container will last a very long time.

Fold the strip of fabric in half lengthwise.

Mark the center and 8 inches on either side. Sew from the 8 inch mark to the end of the strip and the short end. Repeat on the other end.

Turn right side out and press. Mark the center, 4 inches either side of center and 8 inches either side of center.

Sew down at the center mark, 4 inch off center marks and 8 inch off center marks. Make sure that you back stitch at the beginning and end of stitching.

This creates 4 pockets that the granules go into.

You will put 1/4 of a teaspoon of granules in each pocket. This is not a typo, only 1/4 of a teaspoon. I decided that it wasn’t enough and added more. Don’t make this mistake! When you put into the water, it swells ALOT, so you only need 1/4 of a teaspoon!

You can use pins, but I find the clips keep the granules in the pockets better while sewing.

Sew across to close all the pockets. Make sure to backstitch at the beginning and end of stitching.

Place cooler in a bowl of water. I like to put the bowl in the fridge. This keeps it really cold!

When the cooler gets warm, either spray with water or put it back in the bowl with water. These are great to keep on hand. During the winter I let them dry on the counter and put in the drawer until the next heat wave. Another great use of these is if you suffer with hot flashes…they work great when you are struggling with night sweats, too!

Happy Sewing!!