July 31, 2014

Thermies Prototyping

Thermies are on the loose!

I'm up to my ears in thermie prototypes and I can't wait for their official release; which will be announced very soon. We will be selling thermies in our Etsy shop which I will post as a link here as soon as I hit the 'OPEN SHOP' button...so exciting!

So what are thermies you ask? Thermies are beautifully designed (by my husband) palm-sized heat packs (filled with uncooked rice) that are heated in the microwave and placed on or under cold feet in bed so one can fall asleep in complete comfort and relaxation! Doesn't that sound great?! One Thermie will stay warm for about 30 minutes under the covers. Ahh! Two thermies.....forget about it....you'll be zonked in 10 seconds flat.

Here is a peek at some of the pieces that go into making thermies!

1. Fabric of course!

I love fabric...and the fabric store. It's so homey and comforting at the fabric store, isn't it? A place that I find myself spending way too much time in and never wanting to leave. I think I literally touch every piece of fabric in the place. I'm like a kid walking by a dirty car who has to run a finger along the entire thing.

2. Printed fabric. 

We are using only 100% cotton fabrics for our thermies and are striving to use only items/products made in the USA. Support the USA! The top layer fabric is printed in our home studio, and cut, sewn and filled by me, Jennifer!

3. More fabric for layers and contrast (all cut with my favorite tool ever). 

When I used a rotary cutter for the first time I didn't know what to do with myself. I started cutting fabric just to cut it. I stacked it up to see how many layers I could cut and quickly found out that I wasted a LOT of fabric but I was having so much fun I seriously couldn't help myself. Who ever invented that thing definitely deserves an award (if they didn't get one already)!

4. Rice. Thermies are filled with only 100% uncooked white rice. 

Did you know that white rice is one of the few things in the world that never goes bad? We never use wheat, beans, brown rice, flax seeds, herbs, dried flowers, oils, scents or perfumes to fill our thermies which could eventually go rancid. Yuck! No feet would ever like that!

5. Thread. Another place I get lost at in the fabric store. 

It is a goal of mine to own every color of thread available. I would also like them arranged on a perfect little spool rack but let's face it, I don't have every color, just enough to match what I make, and they are all tossed neatly (is that possible) into a small wooden basket with a frog on the side. Boo! 

What I'm trying to get at is that all thermies have decorative stitching to add to the cuteness (is that a word?) and we also only use 100% cotton thread. I say, keep it cotton!

6. Labels and the thermies logo. I love branding!

How could we create thermies HEAT FOR FEET without a fabulous logo?! We couldn't so here it is!

Well, I guess that sums up what goes into making thermies! Thank you for looking/reading and check back soon for more.