Making a "Hug" (neck cooler).

What you need:

100% Cotton fabric 44-45 inches wide - in tan, khaki, a muted brown/beige, olive drab, or gray-green (to blend with camouflage). One yard will make 7 Hugs. Cotton sheets work well and white ones can be tea or Rit dyed to an appropriate shade. Don't overlook thrift stores in your search for inexpensive 100% cotton sheets.

Thread

Scissors

Iron and Ironing board

Water absorbing crystals (cheapest price is to order from the Oklahoma City group who buy in bulk and pass the savings on to you) the next best price is www.Watersorb.com, order the medium craft crystals.

Watersorb.com sells a minimum sized package of 2 pounds of crystals, which is enough for 100 or more Hugs. You can also find Schultz Water Absorbing Crystals at Wal-Mart in the gardening department with the plant food. I think it's in a plastic bottle with a blue lid. We do not like Agrosoke Crystals from Lowe's because it sometimes contains powder and this feels slimy when hydrated.

Hug turner You'll have to make this, but it's really simple and saves LOTS of time. It consists of a piece of 3/4" PVC pipe (315 psi) cut to a length of approximately 24 inches, the top of a pop bottle and a 3/8" wooden dowel. You can make a smaller turner with an 18" piece of PVC pipe and a 2" piece of wooden dowel. Or you can use a piece of PVC 3/8" water supply pipe - don't buy the expensive PEX pipe.

Templates made from card stock or heavy paper. You'll need one that is 5 inches long and one that is 10 inches long. Or a ruler for a rotary cutter.

Clip along selvage at intervals of 5 inches (use your template and put one end at the edge and clip at the other end, then move template and repeat. Using the 5 inch template will give you 7 strips from 1 yard of fabric. You can just clip and tear, but if you have a cutter and guide you may prefer to cut the fabric. You may want to tear a thin strip off the end to make sure the leading edge is straight.

Cool Tie Instructions and Diagram

1.  Cut 100% cotton 5" by 45".  Color to blend with uniforms or skin tone.  You may want to use the wrong side of the fabric as the finished side, consider it if it's a better color.

2.  Fold in half and stitch open edges together using 1/4 to 3/8" seam allowance.  Use a short stitch or serger cutting off as little as possible.  Use 4 threads with serger so crystals stay in.

3.  Roll first seam to center and stitch across one end so the selvage will not show when turned.

4.  Use Handy Dandy Turner to Turn tie right side out.  Press with seam down the middle of the tie AND fold tie in half and press to mark the middle.

5.  Measure 10" from the middle of the tie TOWARD the closed end and stitch across the tie using short stitch.  Must back stitch, triple stitch or use stretch stitch.

6.  Insert Handy Dandy Filler in open end and be sure it goes all the way down to the cross seam.  Put in a scant 2 teaspoons of crystals.

7.  Measure 20 inches from the first cross seam and stitch another cross seam.  This pocket must be 20", some of our military men have big necks.  It will be centered on the tie if the first seam was sewn in the right place.  Finish the tie by turning the selvage inside the tie and top stitching it closed.  Do a short backstitch at each end to secure this last stitching.

8.  The tie is ready to be folded in half 3 times and packed in a snack sized baggie with a copy of the insert.  When you seal the baggie be certain to squeeze all the air out.  Zip the bag most of the way then press with your full hand against something soft like your body and complete the zip.  It should look like you vacuumed sealed the bag.

9.  Test hydrate your first neck cooler to be sure you have the right amount of crystals.  Trust me, you don't want to learn that you have inserted too many or too few after you have already finished 50.  Try out the first one to be sure.

10.  More info and labeling info located at:   http://www.TheHugsProject.com , http://www.TheHugsProject.net and at http://www.martinworks.com/hero/hugs.html