It's my first prototype of my microwaveable bit warmer. I had to hand sew the final closure and I'm not happy with that, but this was mostly just a test to see what I needed to change to make the pattern better. What do you think?
One side:
Other side:
Closed:
In use:
What I like about this version:
Fairly quick and easy to make. Works. Is flexible enough to fit bits from very small (like the 4 inch pony bit on my late pony Jamie's bridle that it is being modeled on here) or a 7 inch draft horse bit.
What I do NOT like about this version:
Because one side was hand stitched it hangs kind of wonky instead of hanging straight. That seriously annoys me like crazy.
I'm going to try changing the pattern just a little bit so I can machine sew the whole thing.
This one is made out of polar fleece left over from making coats for my bald dog. I was thinking about making "Pony's Bit Cozy Green" out of recycled fabrics... maybe some out of denim... and the fleece ones.
It is made using rice, pop it in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds, it comes out toasty, you wrap the horse's bit while you groom it, then pull it off just before putting the bit in your horse's mouth. Then you can toss the warmer in your pocket to warm your hands on while you ride if you would like.
I've seen other versions of this while doing my research (to see if anyone else was calling it a "Bit Cozy" or if this design had a patent on it, which I did not find either, so I ran with it). But the other versions were either just a rice bag with velcro on it and when you wrap your bit all the rice falls to the bottom, OR it was two chambers which is an improvement but still leaves you with most of the heat on one side of the bit. They also had both pieces of velcro on the same side so it was more like the warmer was folded or draped over the bit instead of wrapped around it.
So horse people, what do you think? Any suggestions for improvement? And any suggestions on how much you would pay for it? Or even IF you would pay for it?
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