Pocket warmers easy to whip up for a crowd

Making gifts by hand is satisfying largely because it lets you add personal touches that wouldn't be found on a mass-produced object. But sometimes, crafting for a crowd makes more sense.

Need a pile of party favors for a child's birthday? Or just want to start stockpiling stocking stuffers for next Christmas?

Save yourself some trouble by picking projects that can be made assembly-line style.

It may seem like a lot of work to churn out, say, half a dozen stuffed animals or 10 handmade cards. But I find I spend lots of time gathering all my supplies together and then putting them away. (Or not. My craft room/office is a mess!) So it makes sense to make things in duplicate once I've assembled all the materials.

Pocket or boot warmers — small, rice-filled bags that can be heated in the microwave — make a great small gift for winter, but they also can be stored in the freezer and used as a cold pack for minor bumps and bruises all year round. Making five sets takes about half an hour, not much more time than it would take to make one. For an even faster project, you can skip the cover and make the rice bags themselves out of flannel. But having a removal cover is handy because it can be washed.

MATERIALS (for 10 pocket warmers, or 5 pairs):

1/3 yard cotton flannel

1/4 yard cotton muslin or any cotton fabric

white rice (4 tablespoons per bag)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cut a piece of flannel 10 inches wide by the width of fabric (usually 42 to 45 inches).

Fold the right side of the fabric over ¼ inch along both long edges and press. Fold over again, making a double fold hem, and press.

Sew along both hems close to the folded-over edge.

With right sides together, fold the fabric lengthwise, overlapping the hemmed edges by about <0x00BD> inch, so you end up with a strip that is about 4 inches wide. Place a few pins to hold the hemmed edges together, and then press along the folds.

Cut the folded strip into 4-inch-wide pieces.

Using a ¼-inch seam allowance, sew along the short sides of each piece. Chain piecing (feeding the pieces through the machine one right after another without stopping to cut the threads) makes this step go faster — just remember to backstitch at the beginning and end of each piece.