Heating belt with grain filling – tutorial & sewing pattern

Do you often suffer from abdominal pain? Are you tired of constantly slipping hot water bottles or heat bags? So why not sew an easy-to-fit, grain-filled heating belt? The heating belt is made of a cotton fabric and can be adjusted to fit waist sizes of approx. 65 to 105 cm (26 to 41'') – measured at the level of your navel. Larger waist sizes are also possible; however, you will need to sew an additional piece of fabric to the end of the belt (depending on the fabric width).

The heat bag is sewn from cotton fabric (e.g. from a scrap of fabric) and can be filled with cherry stones or grain, for example. It is sewn with compartments so that the heat can be better distributed. The heat bag must be removed from the heating belt to be heated separately. Please be sure to heat the heat bag carefully – preferably in an oven instead of a microwave – to prevent it from catching fire. Once heated, the filling can still catch fire hours later!

In this tutorial, I'll show you how to sew a heating belt with a separate heat bag. You will find all the pieces you need in the pattern files. The pattern is available in DIN A4 format and US Letter format (2 separate files). Please make sure to download and print the file that matches the format of your printer.

Skills Required / What You'll Receive

The easy-to-understand, detailed step-by-step tutorial with lots of photos are also suitable for experienced beginners.

Size Information

Height: approx. 22 cm / 8.7''
Width: up to approx. 140 cm / 55''

Materials List

• Inner fabric: approx. 0.3 m (0.4 yd) cotton fabric for the heat bag. Use at least 1.1 m (45-inch) wide fabric.
• Outer fabric: approx. 0.6 m (0.7 yd) sturdy cotton fabric/canvas for the heating belt. Use at least 1.5 m (60-inch) wide fabric.
• approx. 70 cm (28'') Velcro fastener (or use snaps)
• Filling material, e.g. grain or rice (I used 600 grams (21 oz) of grape seeds, but I didn't fill the heat bag to the brim.)
• Sewing machine, sewing machine needles, iron, pins or fabric clips, self-erasing marking pen, triangle, printer, scissors, fabric scissors

Additional Details by the Author

You will not receive a finished heating belt with grain filling, just the instructions and the pattern to print out and sew yourself! It is permitted to sell up to 10 sewn individual pieces. Mass production is not permitted.