Tutorials

Cozie Cup Wrap

Cozie Cup Wrap

So, I’ll own up to it...

I need caffeine. I used to think I was so swank because I made it through art school with only a cup of tea now and then, while my classmates would show up with their gallon sized lattes to get through class. Well, I am smug no more, because as I write this, caffeine sits next to me. It used to be a trip to my local Staribou one stop caffeine shop, but that got a bit expensive, usually because I would order things like a double chocolate caramel mocha frappuccino with chocolate chips, lite. Hey, a girl has to watch her figure.

After ordering, I would walk over to their giant pile of cardboard coffee sleeves, and then toss it away later. As one who likes to think of herself as a bit more resourceful than that, I decided I could take a craftier approach.

Fall has arrived and mornings are cool, I think it’s time I treat myself to a little warm mocha goodness. This time, though, I’m not going to use one of those wasteful cardboard cozies. I’m going to make my own. To make yours, you’ll need fabric for the front and lining, small grommets, grommet setting tool, and ribbon to fit your grommets. I’m hand embroidering mine this time. For the embroidery, you’ll want a design that’s less than 3 inches tall to fit your cozie.

Janice offered the brilliant suggestion of using Insul-Brite for the lining to boost your cozie's heat-blocking superpowers. You should be able to find it at your friendly local fabric store.

First, download the cozie template. It should fit easily on a letter size piece of paper. Print it out. You can use it now to help you with your embroidery sizing and placement.

If you’re doing the embroidery by machine, hoop up fabric that’s larger than your template, with a design that’s shorter than 3 inches, and sew away.

If you’re hand embroidering it, like I am, follow along with me. Print out your chosen hand embroidery file. If you need to, resize it so it’s 3 inches or less. I chose the Morning Monster, because that’s pretty much me in the morning. Remember, with hand embroidery files, you can break parts of the design to make it fit better. I moved his type over.

Place a piece of transfer paper under your design and transfer the design. Check now and then that your design is coming through strong. Once he’s transferred, you can begin your embroidery. I used a few different colors and stitches to make my little caffeine loving monster. Hand embroidery can be done however you want it, so experiment a little.

Here’s Mr. Monster halfway done.

He doesn’t look very happy. Probably because I haven’t given him his coffee yet. I also stitched his text, moving it over to the side so our monster could be bigger.

Once you’ve completed your embroidery, place your template on top of your fabric and mark it out. I just used a pencil because my fabric was so light. Make sure you like the placement of your embroidery inside the template before you cut it out.

Cut out your fabric according to the template. Make sure you’re cutting along the outside line, not the seam line. The seam line is just there to give you an idea of where you’re going to sew.

If you’re especially observant at this point, you might have noticed that this cozie doesn’t appear long enough to wrap around a coffee cup. Don’t panic, because it’s not supposed to go all the way around. We have a super swank way of making it fit any size cup.

Use your template again to cut out the lining piece of your cozie. Make sure you’re tracing it onto the wrong side of your fabric, since it will go on the back. What fabric you choose for your lining us up to you, but keep in mind it might be nice to choose something slightly thick, so it works better as a heat barrier. No point in the cozie if you still need the stupid cardboard sleeve.

If you can’t find a thick fabric you like, you can always sew your chosen fabric to a thicker piece of random fabric. It will just be hidden on the inside of your cozie and make it a bit cozier.

Pin your fabric right sides together for sewing. You can see all the pretty back stitching on my design. I guess I’m not a big believer of trimming. That or I’m just lazy.

Sew a 1/2 inch seam around three sides of your fabric, leaving one of the short sides open so we can turn it right side out again.

Flip your fabric right side out and push out all your corners. Take the remaining open side and fold in the raw edges, about 1/2 inch in. At this point if your cozie is looking a bit lumpy, you can go over it with an iron. That will also press your raw edge flat and make it easier to sew.

Starting at your raw edge, sew a 1/4 inch seam to stitch it shut, then continue all the way around your cozie to finish it off.

Now for the finishing touch. To make this cozie fit any size cup, from super large gallon mochas to little espressos, we’re going to make it a lace up coffee sleeve. That means you can resize your sleeve anytime you need to, so it fits anything. And, looks pretty swank too.

First, we’re going to measure out our grommet placement. You’ll want about three grommets on each side, evenly placed. You can use a ruler to help you space them. To make sure they line up with each other, fold your sleeve so it’s touching, and match up the dots.

To place the grommets, cut a small hole at each of your markings, through both layers of fabric.

Grab a grommet. It comes in two pieces, one with a longer center and one that’s shorter. The piece with the longer center goes through the front. Push your three front pieces through your fabric. Now turn it over, place the back piece over it, and using a grommet tool (if you need one, some can just be hammered shut) hammer the grommet together.

Repeat this on all grommets, on both sides, until you have your six hammered in. Your cozie should look something like this, all though perhaps without the monster.

Finally, fold the two halves together and lace your ribbon loosely through the grommets, leaving the top untied. Once it’s laced, slip your coffee inside and cinch it around the cup, tying a pretty bow to secure it.

Presto! Instant reusable, adjustable, adorable, coffee sleeve. The variable size means it will fit any cup, plus the laces make it cool looking all on it’s own. Your cup has a cute little corset that will keep your hands from getting too toasty, and you no longer need use and throw away useless bits of cardboard, so it’s friendly to the environment.

Use your little coffee cozie embroidery to give people fair warning about your un-caffeinated state. I can be a bit growly in the morning without mine, so Morning Monster should be a suitable mascot. I figure since it’s cute and has a little bow on it, it offsets the monster side. I don’t know if I’m fooling anyone, but it’s worth a try.

Mmm... caffeine.

Want a printer-friendly PDF of this page? You got it, bud.