Girl Scout Sew For Service Project: DIY Dog Heating Pads For Animal Shelter Donations

We recently hosted a really fun animal themed sewing and crafting class for a local GSCNC Daisy Girl Scout troop near our studio here in Aldie, Virginia!

The girls learned how to hand sew and each made themselves a small kitty cat stuffed animal to take home. Since the girls are working on their animal journey we thought it would be fun to work together and sew two dog heating pads to be donated to a local animal shelter. So we did just that! Then we got a bunch of dog and cat toys from the Dollar Tree (and a big box of Scooby Snacks!) and put together a big basket (along with a poster and group picture signed by all of the girls) for the troop to donate to the shelter. Not only did they have fun learning to sew with us at the studio, they each got to contribute to this fun sew for service. In addition, they now can make a little field trip out of it to bring everything to the shelter!

Not in our area and want to make something for an animal shelter? Check out this tutorial and learn how to make the doggy heating pad.

Note: The girls worked together to hand sew these. Then I went over the stitches on the sewing machine. You really want it to be secure before donated it so the dogs cant chew it. You basically make a pouch and fill with rice. Then make a little pocket/sleeve that goes over top of that (with a top opening) so that the shelter can wash the outside cover if it gets dirty.

So this project can work for Daisy scouts all the way up to Ambassador scouts. Hand sewing and machine sewing will just depends on the age.

Supplies:

2 pieces of cotton flannel fabric (one piece is approximately 10 inches by 10 inches and the second piece is 10.5 inches by 11.5 inches)
fabric scissors
sewing machine, needle, thread etc.
regular long grain white rice (no brown, or minute etc.) we used a whole bag from Dollar Tree per heating pad
iron
pins

Make It:

Starting with your smaller piece (this is the heating pad cover) iron about a half inch down on ONE side.
Now pin down the fold and sew this side.
Now put right sides together and pin the two sides with the raw edges. (This will be one long opened side and one short opened side). Now sew these two sides. After your have finished step 3 your sack with be done. Turn it right side out and iron.
TIME TO SEW THE SACK: Now you will repeat this process to sew up the rice sack however… NOTE: YOU CAN SKIP A FEW STEPS… All you have to do is fold the fabric right sides together and sew THREE sides. Leave one short side open.
Turn right side out.
Fill with rice.
Stitch up the top and voila! You should now have one sack filled with rice and one heating pad cover to go over the rice sack.