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    Home » DIY Projects

    How to Make a Mug Cozy with Fabric

    February 13, 2019 by Patti Estep 10 Comments

    Jump to How-to Card

    This simple tutorial will show you how to make a fabric coffee sleeve with a few very basic sewing skills. A great beginner sewing project.

    Blue and brown floral fabric coffee sleeve on a white mug.

    I'm not a coffee drinker but I do love a cup of tea, especially in the winter. Typically I heat water in a mug by using the microwave and that makes our mugs very hot to hold. So I decided to make a couple of simple coffee sleeves to protect our hands from hot cups. Today I'm sharing a reusable coffee sleeve tutorial with you.

    This post contains some affiliate links (that means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, there’s no additional cost to you, but I will earn a very small commission. ) i.e. as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

    Pattern cut outs for fabric coffee sleeve.

    How to Make a Fabric Coffee Sleeve

    Here are the two different shapes I used. The top is a straight forward rectangle to use on a straight sided mug.

    The second coffee cup sleeve is angled to fit on a tapered mug or a typical take-out coffee cup. 

    For the straight mug find the length by measuring the distance around the mug. Then add an extra 1/2 inch for a seam allowance. Then measure the sides to the height you'd like adding an extra 1/2 inch for the seam as well.

    The tapered mug was a little harder. I tried doing the math by measuring the top and bottom of the mug and connecting the lines to see if that would make the perfect template. It didn't. So in the end, I used a piece of paper bigger than I needed and fit it directly to the mug, and traced the pattern with a pencil on the paper.

    Fabric arrangement for coffee sleeve

    Once you have the cozy pattern created, cut out one piece of batting and two fabric pieces.

    Then with the right sides together, as shown above, sew a 1/4 inch seam all around the edges, leaving a couple of inches open on one side.

    Turn the mug cozy right side out.

    Elastic thread placement on one edge.

    Turn under the edges of the fabric on the open side and place a piece of elastic cording about 2.5 inches long in the middle of the open end.

    Finished coffee cup sleeve.

    Now sew a nice 1/4 inch topstitch around all four sides paying special attention to the elastic. I'd give that area a few back stitches to make sure it's sewn in well.

    Then hand sew a large button on the opposite side to complete the enclosure.

    Two fabric coffee sleeves or mug cozies. One is blue and brown the other is light and dark green.

    So easy and so cute. You can do this with any kind of fabric. Both of these are cotton. You probably could wash them but I'd consider placing them in a mesh bag first or try just spot cleaning.

    Mug cozy on two different coffee cups.

    Finally, since you are using elastic there is a little wiggle room. This means the coffee cozy will probably fit different sized mugs or even take-out paper cups from Starbucks. So now that you have the cozy template, you can make several in no time.

    Patti signature

    More Easy Sewing Projects

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    Fabric coffee sleeve on a floral tall coffee cup and another in the background on a white mug.
    Mug cozy on two different cups
    Print

    Fabric Coffee Sleeve Tutorial

    Make a simple coffee sleeve to protect your hands from hot coffee or tea. This is a very easy project and would make a great gift for the holidays, or any special occasion.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Active Time20 mins
    Total Time30 mins
    Course: DIY Projects
    Yield: 1
    Author: Patti Estep
    Cost: $5

    Equipment

    • sewing machine
    • Scissors or rotary cutter

    Materials

    • Fabric
    • Batting
    • Elastic Cording
    • Large Buttons

    Instructions

    • Find the length by measuring the distance around the mug.
    • Add an extra 1/2" for a seam allowance.
    • Measure the sides to the height you'd like.
    • Add an extra 1/2" for the seam as well.
    • Once you have the template created, cut out one piece of batting and two pieces of fabric. 
    • With right sides together, sew a 1/4" seam all around the edges, leaving a couple of inches open on one side.
    • Turn the mug cozy right side out.
    • Turn under the edges of the fabric on the open side.
    • Place a piece of elastic cording about 2.5" long in the middle of the open end.
    • Sew a nice 1/4" topstitch around all four sides.
    • Give it a few back stitches to make sure it's sewn in well.
    • Hand sew a large button on the opposite side to complete the enclosure.

    More DIY Projects

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    About Patti Estep

    Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jo Stires

      November 20, 2019 at 12:08 pm

      How do I print the instructions? I would love to make some of these.

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        November 20, 2019 at 2:23 pm

        Jo, you can click on the icon next to the grey y circle at the top of the post. This will give you a list of options, scroll down until you see an orange Print button.

        Reply
    2. Jen Baker

      August 21, 2019 at 2:43 am

      love the pattern and colors you used
      great idea for a mug cozy, cant wait to try it out!

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        August 21, 2019 at 7:35 am

        Thanks Jen. I believe the fabric patterns are both from Amy Butlers Collection. The green is part of the Lotus collection but I'm not sure what the blue and brown one is.

        Reply
    3. MrsSW

      February 13, 2019 at 10:08 am

      Something like this has been on my to-do list for awhile, Patti, along with a cozy for my teapot. Thanks for the "push." 🙂

      Sheila

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        February 15, 2019 at 8:54 am

        Oh, a tea cozy would be a great complement, Sheila. They were so easy and fun to make. I think I'll make a few for some of my friends for their bdays or maybe Mother's Day. Since my own mother has been gone for a long time I often like to make something for my sisters and close girlfriends.

        Reply
    4. Carole West

      February 13, 2019 at 8:13 am

      What a great idea and the the color choices are perfect. I love fabric but when it comes to making anything with it that's where it ends. But I hear you about heating up the water in the microwave and then having a mug that's too hot to touch. Good solution and such an easy fix.

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        February 13, 2019 at 8:45 am

        Thanks Carole. Just another way to use up my stash and something I really needed. So glad you liked it.

        Reply
      • Mary

        January 04, 2023 at 10:44 pm

        hi! I love this idea. is this project safe to put in the microwave, like a cozy bowl? or do you use it after it comes out of to grab it. I can decide if the elastic or button would be safe. thank you!

        Reply
        • Patti Estep

          January 05, 2023 at 7:33 am

          Mary, I'm not sure it they are safe in a microwave oven. I made them with the thought that you'd place them on a hot beverage. It seems like they might be but you'd have to do some research to be sure.

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