Valentine’s day is in February and February, at least where I’m from, is still very cold so I thought it would be a cute idea to give your Valentine some homemade hand warmers to keep their hands and hearts warm.

There’s nothing worse than having cold hands when you have to go outside. It makes me very grumpy so I always have the thickest mittens with me at all times. But sometimes even gloves fail me in the harsh New Hampshire winters. That is where these hand warmers step in. They are cute, they are functional, and they are easy to make.

In fact, they are so easy to make that I went a little overboard and made about 6 pairs. I don’t exactly have a Valentine to give them to so I might have to force them upon my friends and family. Hopefully they appreciate pink. And warm hands.

Speaking of which, these heart hand warmers would make the perfect gift to give away to your loved ones or friends this Valentine’s day. Or, if you are like me, you can just make them for yourself and enjoy having toasty warm hands.

You can easily customize what you put on your hand warmers. Since mine are Valentine’s themed I went with hearts but you could do any shape or even put someone’s initials on them. So many fun ideas! Keep reading below to find out how to make these heart hand warmers.

Materials:

• Felt in various colors – I used white, pink, and red
• String in color of choice – I used white and red
• Needle
• Rice

To make the square hand warmers:

1. Start by cutting out the shape of your hand warmers. For these it was a rectangle about 3.5 inches by 2.5 inches. You will need 4 pieces this size.
2. Next cut out two small hearts out of a different color of felt (I used red). 
3. Using a running stitch sew on one of the small red hearts to one of the pink rectangles. If you want the stitches to show you can use a contrasting color, otherwise use red to hide the stitches. 
4. Taking one of the rectangles with a heart and one plain rectangle, overlap them and begin stitching by bringing the needle through one of the layers then use a running stitch, stitch along the side. Stitch up 3 of the 4 sides.
   

   Sorry I have a cut on my hand from getting overly excited at Target…

   

5. Once you have 3 of the sides stitched, take your rice and fill the hand warmer with it. 
6. Finally, stitch up the final side and tie off. 
7. Repeat stitching with your second set of rectangles.
8. To use pop in the microwave for 30 seconds.

To make the heart hand warmers:

1. Start by cutting out a heart shape on your felt. Mine was about 3.5 inches tall and 3.5 inches across in the biggest area. Cut out 3 more hearts the same size by using the first heart as a stencil. 
2. Taking two of the hearts put one on top of the other and begin stitching them together. I used a blanket stitch to do this, which I will try to explain below, but feel free to use a running stitch here too. For the blanket stitch you will start by putting your thread in one layer and pulling it through. Next take the thread and bring it to the back overlapping where you first put your stitch. Before you pull the stitch all the way through, put the needle through the small loop you have left and then pull it tight. For the next stitch, put your needle about .5 cm away from the first and then follow the same steps – push the needle to the back and then before you pull it tight, put the needle through the loop. The pictures and video below might help explain it a bit better:
   

   Start by putting the string through one of the hearts
3. Continue with stitching up the majority of the heart until you have about 1.5 inch opening left.
4. Fill the heart with rice. 
5. Finish by stitching the remaining 1.5 inch and tying it off. 
6. Repeat with your second set of hearts.
7. To use pop in the microwave for 30 seconds.

Now you are ready to give your loved ones (or yourself) some toasty and cute heart hand warmers for Valentine’s day! If you end up making this project be sure to let us know in the comments below!