Embroidery Library Urban Threads The Study

🧵SAVE THIS WEEKEND - 60% Off Singles!

Shop Single Designs

PURR-Chase $3+, Adopt a FREE Cat! 😺Shop Now!

Dragons. Cats. DEALS! - 60% Off Our Most Popular Collections

Handwarmers (In-the-Hoop)

Handwarmers (In-the-Hoop)

Keep your hands warm during the cold winter months with in-the-hoop hand warmers! These machine embroidery designs are filled with rice, beans, or flax after stitching. Just pop them in the microwave to heat them up. Follow along with the project instructions below to make your own.

Supplies & Materials:

- Small pieces of the fabric of your choosing. We used cotton but wool felt is also recommended.

- Tear-away stabilizer

- Filler like dry beans, rice, or flax seed

- Needle and thread for some hand sewing

- Scissors

- Temporary spray adhesive (like Gunold KK100)

The designs used in this tutorial include:

- Gingerbread Man Handwarmer (In-the-Hoop)

In-the-hoop handwarmer designs have three files. One is the full embroidery file. The other two are dieline files, marked with the letters DL. Dielines are used to cut the fabric to the right shape and size. Open the dielines files with embroidery software and print them. Alternately, you can stitch the dieline file on the fabric and cut it out - no software needed! 

Two sheets of white graph paper with faint pencil outlines of a symmetrical shape, resembling a cloud or flower, on a gray fabric background.

Spray the backside of the front piece dieline with temporary spray adhesive. Smooth that onto the fabric.

Two brown fabric rectangles each with a white grid-patterned paper template pinned or adhered on top, shaped like a rounded four-lobed outline, placed on dark gray textured surface.

Cut out the shape and remove the paper.

Pair of gray scissors cutting a brown piece of material around a white paper pattern with grid lines, next to a second identical paper pattern on a gray fabric surface.

Repeat this process for the back dieline piece, too.

Two tan fabric pieces cut in a shape resembling mitten fronts, placed side by side on a gray textured surface.

Now that the fabric pieces are cut to the proper shape and size, it's time to embroider the design.


Hoop a piece of tearaway stabilizer.

Rectangular embroidery hoop clamped with white stabilizer fabric stretched tightly inside, set against a gray textile background.

Attach the hoop to the machine and load the full embroidery design (not the dieline files). Use a size 11 or 75/11 sharp sewing needle rather than an embroidery needle. A sharp sewing needle has a smaller, finer point than an embroidery needle, so that will make smaller perforations in the stabilizer.


Embroider the design. The first thing to embroider will be a dieline, or outline stitch. This marks the area on the stabilizer for the front fabric piece.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching a curved outline on white fabric secured in a rectangular embroidery hoop with stabilizer underneath.

Spray the back of the front fabric piece with temporary adhesive. Remove the hoop from the machine but do not unhoop the stabilizer. Place the fabric inside the sewn dieline.

Embroidery hoop with white stabilizer and partially stitched tan fabric shaped like petals and a flap, placed on a gray fabric background.

Reattach the hoop onto the machine and continue with the design. A tackdown stitch will sew next. This holds the front fabric in place for the remainder of the design.

Brown fabric with scalloped edge stitching is attached to white stabilizer in an embroidery hoop on a sewing machine.

All of the inside elements will sew next. On the color change sheet, look for the note that says "backpiece tackdown, finishing border."


When you get to this section, stop the machine and remove the hoop from the machine. Do not unhoop the stabilizer.

Embroidery machine stitching a gingerbread man design on tan fabric, featuring black eyes, pink cheeks, red and pink buttons, green holly leaves, and white icing details.

Turn the hoop over and spray the backside of the back fabric piece with adhesive. Place the back piece inside the shape on the backside of the embroidery.

Embroidery hoop holding white stabilizer and a cut piece of tan fabric in a scalloped shape, set on a gray textured surface.

Since the remaining steps will be seen from both sides. Wind a bobbin with the same thread used in the top needle.

Spool of brown thread and a small, transparent bobbin with matching brown thread on a gray fabric surface.

Attach the hoop back onto the machine and continue with the design. A tackdown stitch and finishing satin border will sew. This binds all the layers together.

Close-up of an embroidery machine stitching a tan gingerbread man design with white icing outlines, black eyes, pink cheeks, red and pink buttons, and green holly leaves.

Remove the hoop from the machine. Unhoop the stabilizer, and carefully tear it away. The dieline will be removed with the stabilizer.

Embroidered gingerbread man with white icing outline, black eyes, pink cheeks, red and pink buttons, and green holly with red berries on white stabilizer and gray fabric.

Fill the handwarmer through the opening with beans, rice, or flax seed.

Partially sewn brown fabric handwarmer with embroidery edges, next to spilled white rice grains on gray textured surface and purple rice bag corner.

Hand-stitch the opening closed by stitching along the original tack down seam.

Close-up of a tan, irregularly shaped padded fabric piece with brown overlock stitching around the edges, a needle and thread partially sewn into one section, on a gray textured background.

Your handwarmer is ready to go! Pop it in the microwave for about 30 seconds to warm it up.

Brown fabric gingerbread man handwarmer with white embroidered icing outline, black eyes, pink cheeks, red and pink buttons, and green holly detail on gray background.