Rice Pattern Weights

May 25, 2011

Our house isn’t big enough to grant me a permanent sewing space.  As a result, I rely on a folding table and various boxes and tubs to store and move my sewing stash.  This has never been a big problem except for the fact that my patterns and fabrics often shift or slide off my folding sewing table, despite my best effort to weigh them down by strategically placing my sewing box or scissors on top.

Enter the wonderfully low-tech rice pattern weights.  This idea has been around for some time and is super easy.  There are two ways you can make these, and they take only minutes.

One, the prettier option, is to use your fabric scraps.  Cut two of the same shape of your choice, pin right sides together, sew (leaving a space to turn it right side in), turn right side in, fill with rice, sew the hole shut.  Note, don’t overfill, and make sure there is no rice where your needle will puncture the fabric when you sew it shut  or you risk breaking your needle.  If you have trouble keeping the rice away from the needle, hand stitch the hole closed.  Done.  Wasn’t that easy?

But say you are in the middle of a project and you need some weights ASAP and can’t be bothered to sew some.  Well then, go to your kitchen and pull out a few snack-sized zip closure plastic bags (or any sealable small container) and fill with rice.  There you have it.

Now your patterns and fabrics won’t continuously hit the floor!


Kristina is a stay-at-home mom of two boys.  She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English and spends her down time sewing, baking, doing crafts with her children, and experimenting with recipes with her husband.

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