Creepy Hand Warmers

Hey ghouls and creeps! With the days and nights beginning to become chillier up here in the PNW, I’ve been on the hunt for solutions to keep my fingers and toes warm. This prompted me to make some cute but creepy hand warmers! Because I value having the ability to periodically wash the outside of my hand warmers, I made these with removable covers. Just remove the rice-filled pillow insert, place in the microwave for a minute, remove and place in your creepy cover!

You may recognize these hand warmers from some previous projects. I took Mothman from the Cryptid Kitty Toy tutorial, and the zombie brain from the Zombie Brain Zipper Pouch tutorial, both of which you should totally check out as well!

The Creepy Hand Warmers project is overall pretty easy. Mothman has more small detail, so is the more time intensive of the two. The zombie brain is super accessible, and should go together in twenty minutes!

*If you make both the Mothman and zombie brain hand warmers you only need 1/4 yard of muslin!

Zombie Brain:

Step 1: Cut out Pieces: Using the PDF file below, cut out the brain and brain stem pieces.

Step 2: Prepare Brain Halves: To create the opening for the rice pouch, fold the opening edges 1/4″ and again another 1/4″ to encase the raw edge. Edgestitch the edge of your fold on both halves.

Overlap the folded edges 1/4″ and stitch back and forth at the top and bottom to reinforce the opening.

Place the brain stem along the bottom edge of the brain, with right sides together, and sew together with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Repeat this step for the other brain half.

Step 3: Cover Assembly: Place brain halves together with the right sides together. Sew 1/4″ from the edge all the way around. To be safe, I reinforced the brain stem by sewing back over this section. Before turning your zombie brain right side out, make snips along your seam allowance being careful to not cut through your stitch line. This will allow the turned seam to appear smoother from the right side.

Turn your zombie brain right side out making sure to poke out brain stem completely and press.

Step 4: Making the Rice Pouch: With right sides together sew a 1/4″ seam allowance nearly all the way around your rice pouch pieces. Leave an opening at least 2 1/2″ wide to be able to pour in the rice. Backstitch at both ends of your stitch line to reinforce the opening. Make small snips around your seam allowance, being careful to not cut through your stitch line.

Turn your rice pouch right side out and press. Pour the rice into the pouch. Slipstitch the opening closed.

Congrats you’re finished with your zombie brain hand warmer!

Mothman:

Step 1: Cut out Pieces: Using the PDF below, cut out Mothman’s body and embellishments.

Step 2: Apply Appliques: Peel off the paper baking of the Heat n’ Bond of your eyes and wing embellishments. Place wing spots on top of mirrored wing halves, and the eyes on the body front. Press appliques and fuse in place. Make sure to lift and place iron directly on appliques to avoid them potentially shifting.

Once fused, edgestitch around appliques with matching thread.

Step 3: Making the Wings: Take your applique wing pieces, and place them on top of the second set of wings. Edgestitch the wing layers together of both wing sets. Trim along wing edge to remove any irregularities, being careful to not cut too close to the stitching.

Sew wing sets together at the center with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Be sure to audit your work by ensuring that all four layers are caught in the seam.

Make a fabric sandwich by placing wings between Mothman’s back pieces. Refer to the notches at the center back seam for wing placement. Sew the center back seam at a 1/4″, be sure to backstitch over wings to keep them secure in the seam.

Topstitch the wings to Mothman’s back so that they stay flush with the back pieces. I determined where to sew my topstitching by making a mark an inch above the bottom center of the wings. I then used this mark as a reference point to aim my stitch line, starting from the wing’s side. Once I reached the center back, I then pivoted back to the wing’s side, creating the “V” separating the top from the bottom wing. Pro Tip: When creating your topstitching be careful not to get closer than 1/2″ from the side, you’ll need this for seam allowance later!

Step 4: Finishing Cover Opening: Fold your bias in half and sew bias to Mothman’s front right and back left in between notches on pattern.

Make little snips into the seam allowance at the ends of the bias, so that the seam can fold in different directions. This will be handy once you’ve finished your opening edge and go to sew Mothman’s halves together. Fold bias around both side’s raw edges and slip stitch along bias’ fold to keep in place. Pro tip: When picking up threads from Mothman’s front and back, be sure to make tiny stitches to have them be more discreet!

Step 5: Cover Assembly: Place front and back halves on top of each other, with right sides together. Sew a 1/4″ seam allowance all the way around the perimeter, starting and ending on each side of the side opening.

Reinforce the stitching around the legs by sewing over this area twice. Follow the specific stitching guide between Mothman’s legs indicated on the pattern. You’ll notice that the stitch guide gradually gets closer to the fabric edge when you get near Mothman’s crotch. This is so the area lays flatter once turned right side out.

Turn Mothman right side out, poking out the legs and feet completely.

Step 4: Making the Rice Pouch: With right sides together sew a 1/4″ seam allowance nearly all the way around your rice pouch pieces. Leave an opening at least 2 1/2″ wide to be able to pour in rice. Backstitch at both ends of your stitch line to reinforce the opening. Pro tip: Try positioning opening on a straighter side so that it’s easier to turn in edges!

Make small snips around your seam allowance, being careful to not cut through your stitch line. Turn your rice pouch right side out and press.

Pour the rice into the pouch. Slipstitch the opening closed.

Congrats you’re finished with your Mothman hand warmer! Use these patterns as hand warmer covers or repurpose them to make plushies or dog toys!

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Ready for your next project? Here are some tutorials on the blog I think you’ll like! Frame Flip tutorial: https://britnijade.com/frame-flip/, Macrame Wall Hanging: https://britnijade.com/macrame-wall-hanging-w-bones/, or the Spider Web Macrame: https://britnijade.com/spider-web-macrame/. Enjoy!