Sewing: Week Fourteen Rice Filled Pattern Weights

Square rice filled pattern weights – it’s about time I’ve made some of these! Enough with pins, these pattern weights will save time and save my patterns from pin snags. I’m so excited!

Okay – this tutorial is adapted from positively splendid – yet she uses metal BBs in her pattern weights. That’s just not safe to have around my pup. If Lily for some reason finds one of them and decides to eat it, well, with BBs it’s gave over. So, I’ve decided to use rice. Oh, and make them a bit bigger.

Let’s get started!

What You Need

16 pieces of fabric that measure 4×4 (heavy weighted fabric works best)
matching thread
serger
machine
scissors
pins
chalk pen
paper
about 2 cups of rice
big bowl
small spoon
iron
ironing board

First up, cut all of your fabric and then serge each edge together (right sides together), leaving about 1 inch to turn them right side out. Press.

Cut a 1 inch by 1 inch square on a piece of paper – this will be your template to make the square in the middle. Trace it on each pattern weight square – in the middle.

Use a matching thread like I did, or if you want a contrast, then pick a bright colour.

Repeat on all 8 of the pattern weights.

Wipe off the chalk with a damp cloth and press.

Time to fill them!

Grab a big bowl, so you don’t make a mess. Fill it with the rice and then use a small spoon to fill them. I tried using a funnel, yet it didn’t work at all. Once they are just about full place them all back in the bowl and let’s get ready to sew them up by hand.