Meet Owlivia, an adorable, microwavable owl softie.
She took just a couple of hours to make and is a lovely, huggably soft alternative to a hot water bottle.
I decided to make my own as the shop bought ones are so expensive!
Below is a very rough guide on how I made Owlivia, please excuse it’s lack of detail… I used the back stitch but any stitch should be fine if you are using the torn up fabric stuffing (as it doesn’t slip through the seams.)
📖 Recipe
DIY: Heatable Owl Softie
Materials
- Felt (about 3 A4 sizes)
- Microwave-safe stuffing (I used scrap cotton fabric, shredded into small pieces)
- Embroidery thread in matching fabric colours + a needle
- Wheat, flax or rice
- Herbs or essential oils of choice. I used dried chamomile and lavender
Instructions
Draw a basic outline of the owl body shape with a 1cm seam allowance. Then draw a triangle for the nose, a circle for the eyes, feet and a wing shape.
Trace the patterns out onto the felt fabric and cut out 2 x body, 1 x nose, 2 x eyes, 4 x feet and 4 x wings.
Embroider the eyelashes onto the circle eye cutouts. Then sew the eyes onto the front body.
Sew the nose onto the front body, underneath the eyes.
Sew the 2 of the wing shapes together and stuff with the microwave-safe stuffing. Sew close and repeat with the second wing and the feet shapes.
Sew together a basic rectangle pouch shape with 1 of the felt sheets. (Use a secure stitch, such as the back stitch.) Fill with the flax or filling of your choice and whichever herbs you would like to use. Sew shut.
Begin sewing the 2 body shapes together, starting at the head and stopping before you reach the wings. Start stuffing the owl as you go along and insert the flax pouch inside.
Sew the wings into the seam as you continue to sew the body shapes together, and the same with the feet. Leave enough room to stuff some more and sew close when you are finished.
To use: microwave for 2 minutes and she’ll be nice and warm. But be careful not to microwave for any longer than 3 minutes as it will overheat.
Mary G says
I think it is a darling idea – but I was thinking too of warm it up a little to make a cuddly doll for your little one to just cuddle up to when they go to bed or don’t feel too well.
Mrs. H says
Super-cute idea! My little girl wants one of these. But before I get started on making one, I was wondering if there is a way to know what fabric is microwave-safe? I’m assuming anything cotton is. Any suggestions?
Aimee says
Thanks! I’m glad you’ve decided to give it a go :-) I would stick to cotton fabrics, yes. Felt is a good choice but perhaps a softer fleece might be nice to work with too. Just make sure it’s 100% cotton. Please let me know how it turns out!
Miss Messy says
This is awesome! and like I could actually do it! And I’m a terrible sewer!
Aimee says
It’s super easy! I made it in a day with a very half-assed sewing effort :p
Kay says
Can you leave out the herbs? It’s probably a stupid question but I’m not sure if i’ll have those readily available. Another silly question, can i not use felt?
Aimee says
Hi Kay :-) yes, you could leave out the herbs/flowers. However, if you are going to use flaxseed – I would mention that it’s not the most pleasant smell (it’s not terrible or anything) but I think adding lavender makes it smell a lot nicer. And you don’t have to use felt, no. But make sure you choose a microwave safe fabric! Hope that helps…
Nicole says
Thanks for the Flaxseed hint, I WAS going to try that :D
Maybe I use rice instead :)
Thanks for this lovely idea and tutorial!
Aimee says
You’re very welcome Nicole. Please do let me know how you get on, I would really love to see!
Jessica says
Love this idea and would love to make one. Do you have any info on how to make it both a hot and cold pack?
Aimee says
Ooh good idea! I would suggest wrapping the softie in a plastic bag and leaving in the freezer for an hour or so. I’m going to try this and will let you know how well it works