A Snap with Scraps

Everywhere I look lately I see cute coffee coozies selling for $8 to $12 each. Whether made of yarn or fabric, reusable coffee coozies are a great way to save a tree. Instead of grabbing a cardboard holder when you run through your favorite coffee shop in the morning, just slip your cup into a cute handmade and reusable cover.

But would I pay $8 for one? In typical “I can make that” mode, I decided to experiment.

First I snagged one of the cardboard coozies and pulled it apart to get the dimensions and shape I needed.

Then I traced the cardboard piece and added a ½ inch seam allowance.

Next I found a scrap of fabric – literally a piece that is 12 inches wide by 10 inches tall will do, so stop throwing away scraps. I laid out my pattern piece on this scrap and cut out two of the pattern. I found a scrap of batting and cut out one pattern piece in the batting. I used Insul-bright, a batting with an insulating layer sandwiched inside. However, any batting you have on hand will provide sufficient insulation to keep your hand from becoming uncomfortable from the warm cup.

To assemble the coozie, I layered the two fabric pieces with right sides together and added the batting on the bottom. Sewing all the way around on the seam allowance, I left an opening to turn the piece right side out. After stitching I clipped the seam, turned it right side out, and pressed and turned in the seam allowance at the opening. The opening was closed with a bit of fabric glue. I used fabri-tac but any fabric adhesive will do. Then I top stitched around the margins ¼ inch from the edge and finally folded the piece as shown in the original cardboard templar.

To secure the edges, I just tacked it in two places on the machine.

Start to finish this project took less than 30 minutes, and cost me nothing. Now I can think of lots of modifications. You could close the coozy with Velcro or a button. You could even make it reversible with different fabrics on each side – especially helpful if the scraps of fabric you have saved are even smaller. You could even make a patchwork coozy. Just piece together small squares of the scraps you have saved until you have a piece large enough to cut out the pattern.

Not sure you want to go to the trouble to make your own pattern; you can download a pattern with detailed directions and a pattern piece you can print out at my shop on Etsy.com.