Easy Homemade DIY Rice Heating Pad with Essential Oil

Here’s a free printable sewing pattern for a kitty cat DIY rice heating pad! This sewing pattern comes in two sizes. Keep reading for easy instructions for how to make and use!

Here’s a free printable sewing pattern for a kitty cat DIY rice heating pad!

This sewing pattern comes in two sizes. Print them both for FREE!

Keep reading for easy instructions for how to make and use!

These homemade rice heating pads are perfect for sore muscles or a cold night!

The lack of electrical cords on an electric heating pad, and the soothing weight of the rice makes these homemade heat packs extra comforting!

Print out your free sewing pattern below to make these adorable cat shaped heating packs.

This is an easy DIY project — suitable for beginners!

You can even include your favorite essential oils to make these kitties extra soothing! (completely optional step!)

These make great presents — gift them to children, family members, and friends!

Use them as hot packs — they’re microwavable heating pads OR you can heat them in an oven-safe dish (my preferred method).

You can also use them as a cold pack! Keep them in a plastic bag in your freezer so they’re ready to use when you need them!

How Big Are These Heating Pads?

This pattern includes two different sizes — a small cat and a large cat.

The small cat measures about 10″ long.

The large cat measures about 18″ long.

Print out your free pattern, then follow along the easy tutorial in this blog post!

Supply List

To make these heating pads, you will need:

Cotton fabric (a medium weight is best, such as a soft flannel, but not necessary)
Dry, uncooked rice (just under 1 cup of rice for the small cat, and 3 cups of rice for the large cat)
A funnel
A sewing machine
A hand sewing needle and thread (you’ll really want this!)
Scissors
Optional essential oil, plus a bowl and spoon to mix it into the rice (totally optional step! you don’t need to do this!)
FREE printable pattern, get yours below!

Print out your pattern here!

Print your free pattern below!

You only need very basic sewing skills to make this kitty cat.

Just sew two pieces of fabric together, and you’re nearly done!

This pattern will be sent directly to your email inbox.

It comes as a PDF and is ready to print!

Print it on any regular printer.

The smaller cat will come as a pattern on one sheet of paper.

The larger cat is too large to fit on a single sheet of printer paper. It comes on two sheets.

You will cut out the two paper pattern pieces for the larger cat and tape them together in the center to get your pattern piece. It’s very easy to do — and there are guides on the paper pattern to help you do this very easily!

Let’s get started making your reusable heating pad!

Sewing Your Heating Pads

Each rice pack is made the same way. There is no real difference between making the large cat and the small cat.

First, cut out your cat patterns.

Tape together the two pieces for the large cat pattern.

Fold your fabric in half to create two layers of fabric.

Put your paper cat pattern on top.

Use a pencil to trace around your paper pattern.

Cut out your cat shape through two layers of fabric.

Lay your cats right side together.

Use a 1/4″ seam allowance and sew these two layers together on your sewing machine.

Leave a tiny opening on a straight edge of your cat. The bottom belly close to the FRONT/TOP is the best place for this — by doing so, it will be easier to fill the bag to the top so you’re not stuck trying to fill your cat with rice from the middle of its stomach. Trust me on this.

This tiny opening should be just large enough to turn the fabric right side out and to stick a funnel into.

Turn your cat right side out.

A chopstick or similar object is a great way to help push out the ears, paws, and tails.

How To Fill Your Heating Pad With Rice

Next, you’ll want to prepare your rice.

I used jasmine rice.

White rice is supposedly best because it theoretically has less of an earthy smell. Personally, I don’t think it matters.

I have always used white rice because it’s been the cheapest to use for this project.

If you’re looking to use the best of the best for this project — I would suggest using organic jasmine rice for this project. Organic jasmine rice will have no smell, it will be the healthiest option since it hasn’t been sprayed with toxic chemicals, and the grains will be small enough to pass easily through the funnel.

The amount of rice will vary for each cat.

If you are making the smaller cat, you will only need just under 1 cup of uncooked rice.

If you are making the large cat, you will need about 3 cups of uncooked rice.

If you want to add essential oils to these cats, pour your dry rice into a bowl.

Then, add a few drops of essential oil into the bowl and mix to combine with your rice.

I suggest using lavender essential oil but you might have another type you’d like to try.

If you’re making the small cat, add 3 to 4 drops of lavender essential oil.

If you’re making the large cat, add up to 10 drops of lavender essential oil before mixing.

You can also add NO essential oil if you’d prefer.

It truly comes down to whatever you prefer!

To pour your rice into your cat, use a funnel and slowly scoop rice into the funnel little by little.

Try and distribute the rice evenly as you go along.

It’s also helpful to know that if you think your rice has stopped going through the funnel, just lift it up a little bit. If the bottom of the funnel is touching the rice that has already fallen inside your cat, it will stop flowing. Just give the funnel a little lift (while still inside the cat!) and it should resume filling up the cat.

After you have filled your cat up with rice, DO NOT sew the hole closed with your sewing machine!

If you try and sew the hole closed using your sewing machine, you risk rice falling out of the cats and inside your sewing machine. That would be a big mess!

Instead, grab a hand sewing needle and use tiny whip stitches to sew the hold closed.

Tie a nice tight knot, and use your hand sewing needle to pull your remaining long threads into your cat and out the other side before snipping short.

This will keep your knots TIGHT but the long thread neatly hidden on the inside of your cat.

How to use as COLD PADS!

To use these cats as a cooling effect, throw them into a ziplock bag and keep in your freezer.

Take the cats out of the freezer bag and use as needed as a cold pad.

How to Use in the MICROWAVE!

This cat can be used as a microwaveable heating pad.

For microwave use, heat at 30 second intervals, removing the cat after every 30 seconds to shake the rice for even heating and to check for the desired temperature.

Some people like to place a mug of water next to their (dry) heating pad while heating them both in the microwave. This will give your cat a moist heat. Do not heat your large cat for longer than 3 minutes. The small cat should be heated for even less time than that.

How to Use in the OVEN!

I stick my own heating pad into an oven-safe baking dish.

Your DIY heating pad should not be thrown directly onto the oven racks, and the oven-safe dish should be large enough so that your heating pad has no risk of falling out.

Bake your heating pads at the lowest setting on your oven (mine is 170 degrees Fahrenheit) for about 20 minutes.

Check the temperature of your cats when removing them from the oven. Shake the rice around to be sure there are no “hot spots”!

Just like the microwave method, you can stick a dish of water in an oven safe baking dish next to your DRY heating pad while warming it up to give it a “moist heat”!

This oven method is my favorite way to heat my own homemade heating pads!

Can I Wash My Rice Heating Pads?

Your heating pads should not be washed.

Otherwise, you run the risk of the rice molding.

However, if your are in a situation of “if I do not wash this heating pad then I am going to throw it away” scenario, then I suggest spot cleaning the fabric with a damp cloth, then immediately using the oven method mentioned above to make sure that your heating pad has been completely dried back out.

This “last resort” emergency cleaning method will extend the life of your rice heating pad.