With the return of the cool fall weather, I know I for one will be getting back into the habit of an afternoon stop at the coffee shop. And because my coffee shop of choice serves it’s coffee piping hot but uses thinner (biodegradable they say) cups, I’ll need to keep a coffee cozy handy. Oh sure I could use the cardboard cozies that the store provides, but why waste the chance to ramp it up a little with something much cozier than corrugated cardboard?

Felt is, of course, a staple for crafters, useful in so many ways. But for this project, true felt, felted wool, is called for. To make felted wool you can either repurpose an old wool sweater or purchase a piece of wool felt (look for felt with at least 35% wool content). Both will need to be washed in your washing machine on it’s hottest setting until you can no longer see the stitches in the case of the sweater, or the wool feels thick and slightly bumpy in the case of the fabric. You may need to run it through the wash cycle twice to achieve a good felting. The combination of agitation, hot water and soap causes the fibers in the wool to grab onto each other, creating a fabric that will not unravel or fray and which is extremely warm. Perfect for a snug little coffee cozy.

Things you need:
8″ x 5″ piece of felted wool
Fabric Scissors
Needle and Thread
Buttons (optional)
Coffee Cozy Template

Things to do:
1. Print out the template for the coffee cozy and pin onto your felted wool. Cut cleanly along the lines of the pattern.

2. Wrap the cut felt around on itself with a two inch overlap and stitch firmly where the two layers meet. You may want to bring home a cup from your favorite coffee shop and use this as a size guide. Felt will stretch a bit so make it slightly smaller than the diameter of your cup.
3. Attach buttons to cover the stitching and to add a little fun to your coffee cozy.