Simply put, a wheatie bag is a cloth bag, usually sewn permanently shut, which is filled with wheat like a bean bag, and which can be heated in the microwave or chilled in the freezer to provide comfort or pain relief.
How to Make a Wheatie Bag
To make a wheatie bag, choose a sturdy cotton fabric. The simplest wheatie bags are square or rectangular. Simply cut two identical shapes from the fabric, and sew right sides together around three edges. Turn the bag right side out, fill with wheat and sew up the final side. A double line of stitching is recommended for strength. Long, tubelike wheatie bags are a good choice to provide relief for neck pain.
Long wheatie bags should often be filled in segments, to ensure even padding when the wheat bag is placed around the neck. Simply add wheat to the end of the tube, sew a seam across the wheatie bag; add more wheat and sew a seam across the next section, and so on. Children love wheatie bags made in fun shapes. Be creative—make a cat, a snake or a house, and embroider details on for a fun gift!
Heating and Freezing Wheatie Bags
The simplest way to heat a wheatie bag is to place it in the microwave, with a glass of water, and heat for three to four minutes. If giving the wheatie bag to a small child or baby, a fluffy cover can easily be made out of polar fleece to cushion the heat, along the same principle as a hot water bottle cover. Wheatie bags are a great alternative to hot water bottles for children, as they will not leak!
Keeping a wheatie bag in the freezer to put on bruises and scrapes similarly avoids the leakage and mess of ice packs, and as wheatie bags do not freeze solid, they will mould themselves comfortably around the injured area. Breastfeeding mothers often find wheat bags comforting for engorged breasts; wheatie bags can also be used during labour and menstruation to help soothe cramps.
Other Uses for Wheatie Bags
Wheatie bags have other uses as well. Use them to protect your table from hot casserole dishes, overstuff them to use as doorstops or draught-preventers, or make several small wheatie bags to teach your children throwing and catching skills!
Refilling Old Wheatie Bags
After prolonged use, you may notice your wheatie bag starting to give off a slightly "cooked" smell. It is fairly simple to unpick a corner of the bag and replace the wheat. Wheatie bags can even be made with zippers for easier refilling, although where children are involved, it is wise to put a zippered wheatie bag inside a cover to avoid mess! The wheat bags should not need to be changed more often than once a year. Feed corn (not popcorn!) can be used in place of wheat, as can rice.
