Handmade holiday gifts are a tradition around here and this is one of our favorite gifts to give! These comfort packs are easy to make and great for all ages. If you’re looking for something you can make in batches, you can’t go wrong with these!

(This post was updated in January 2024.)

What is a Comfort Pack?

I had no idea what these were until I was introduced to them by Andrew and his family. Now we use them every day in the cooler months and always have some extras around the house. They’re especially nice when you’re feeling under the weather.

A comfort pack is a reusable pack that can be heated in the microwave or cooled in the freezer. Depending on the filling, you will have varied textures and heat retention for your personal preference. Possible fillings include rice, cherry pits, beans, and corn. They’re also known as corn bags, hot pads, comfort bags, etc.

Our preferred filling is corn, because it doesn’t take a lot of time to heat and they stay warm for hours. The feel and popcorn like scent are nice and they seem to last well after lots of uses. With some of our packs, the fabric has worn faster than the corn itself.

How to Use a Comfort Pack

Our favorite way to use a comfort pack is to heat it in the microwave before bedtime. Keeping it at the foot of our bed, under the covers, helps keep us warm and toasty as we fall asleep. We use these every day and sometimes all year round.

After a long day, a warm pack is a great way to relax tired muscles. You can also keep these in the freezer as a great alternative to an ice pack.

What You Need to Make a Corn Comfort Pack:

• 100% cotton fabric. I prefer using flannel for its softness, but you can use anything that is 100% cotton. For the packs above, I pulled from my quilting cotton stash. For the packs below, I used flannel.
• Filling. For corn, look for whole corn which can usually be found at animal feed stores. If possible, look for cleaned whole corn. If you can’t find cleaned whole corn, you’ll want to sift out the tiny pieces and dust before filling. Whole corn usually comes in bulk which makes them ideal for making a lot at a time.
• Thread and pins.
• Optional: Funnel.

Choose and Cut Your Size:

Rectangles are the ideal all-purpose shape and are the size I use the most. They can be used as hot/cold packs, be kept at your feet in bed, etc.

• To cut: Fold your fabric in half along the grain and cut 7″ strips along the width of the fabric. Then cut those strips in half along the fold/short end. With 1 yard of fabric, you should end up with 10 total pieces roughly 7″ x 21″ in size.

Long rectangles are ideally used around the neck and shoulders. If you often experience pain in those areas, a hot or cool comfort pack will help ease your muscles there.

• To cut: Fold your fabric in half along the grain and cut 6.5″ strips along the width of the fabric. With 1 yard of fabric, you should end up with 5 total pieces roughly 6.5″ x 42″ in size.

*These are approximations with 42″ wide fabric

How to Make a Comfort Pack:

1. With right sides together, sew up the longest sides using a 1/2″ seam allowance. Be sure to backstitch well when starting/stopping. For the rectangle size, you can partially sew the short edge, leaving a 3″ space to fill the bag.
2. Turn right side out and fill. You can use a wide funnel for this step or anything that scoops. You’ll want to fill it 1/2 to 2/3 full leaving enough space to close the opening. Place a couple of pins just above the fill line so the corn won’t spill out while you sew.
   • For the long rectangle, you can optionally split the filling into 3 separate compartments. To do this, split the filling into thirds. Fill the first third of the bag then topstitch that section roughly 6″ away from the edge. Add another third of the filling and topstitch that section roughly 6.5″ away from the first topstitched line. Add the last of the filling and continue to the next step.
3. When you’re ready to close the opening, fold the opening in 1/2″ and pin in place. Sew closed with a 3/8″ seam allowance. Be sure to backstitch well and/or go over this edge more than once.
4. When you’re all done, heat it in the microwave for 2 minutes on top of a couple of dry paper towels. This will sterilize the corn and get the excess moisture out. Once it has cooled down, repeat this step until the excess moisture is gone.

Batch Sewing Numbers

If you want to sew these packs in a batch, here are calculations to help you gather supplies and plan.

One bag of 40 lb whole corn will make:

• Rectangle: 32 half-full packs (1 lb 5 oz each). 21 two-thirds full (1 lb 14 oz each).
• Long rectangle: 32 packs (1 lb 4 oz each).

*If you have a digital scale, these calculations are roughly what you want to aim for and include the weight of the flannel pack.

One yard of 42″ width fabric will make:

• Rectangle: 10 packs
• Long rectangle: 5 packs

Free Printable Tag

I found this cute poem from Skip to My Lou and adapted it for a printer-friendly option. Feel free to save the photo above to add to your handmade gifts. The tags shown here were printed at 3.5″ x 5″ which fits 4 tags per page. (For the original free printable, head over to Skip To My Lou’s and check out her corn heating bag tutorial.)

If you found this tutorial or free printable helpful, please let me know. I would love to see your makes. Tag me on Instagram or link back here. I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!