Fabric Weights Turned Rice Pack

I have been reading on other blogs how handy fabric weights are. By using them, you don't have to pin to cut things out and they can stop a big roll of fabric from falling off the table when you are trying to cut it. They sounded very useful so I thought I would make some (everyone agrees that the ones sold in stores are way too expensive for what they are and they're so easy to make that you should just make your own).

I was given a bunch of quilting squares that are 4 1/4 inches (long and tall) that I have been looking for something to do with. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity. I did think if I kept them the full size, they would look more like bean bags to me and would seem too big. I cut them down to 3 1/2, hoping that with the way I struggle to keep a 1/4 inch seam allowance, they would be more like 3 inches. I was right. My finished product is about 3 inches.

I had read that people most commonly fill them with rice, beans, pennies, or ball bearings. I thought rice sounded the easiest so that's what I used. I sewed around my two squares of fabric (nice sides together) and left about a one inch gap to turn and fill. Next time, I will leave a bigger gap. This was really small and I felt like I was putting the rice in one grain at a time. Other than that, this method worked well. I used a spoon to fill the rice about halfway to three-quarters of the way full. Then I hand stitched it closed.

I don't know if it's because I used rice instead of something heavier like pennies or if it's because I made them so small but I'm not convinced that these will be heavy enough for some projects. I only made one as a trial run. The other thing is, since it's rice, it would make a nice rice pack! You can pop them in the freezer for a little ice pack or in the microwave and then in your coat pockets to keep your hands warm in the winter. So, I'll find a use for it. I'm just not sure what it'll be yet.

Another way to do a fabric weight is to wrap ribbon around a stack of washers. This also sounds like a cheap idea that would turn out heavier than my rice but it doesn't use my squares so until I really need a good fabric weight, I think I'll wait on that kind.

Here is what mine looks like. It's hard to tell dimensions from this picture but like I said, it's a 3 inch square and kind of looks like (because it kind of is) a small bean bag.