I’m gonna tell you right now, you can’t throw a rock and not hit a tutorial for a coffee cup sleeve out there on the web. Reversible, not reversible, buttons, Velcro, skinny, wide, you name it. For that matter, you can probably work a pattern out yourself. However, just in case your rock lands here, I’m going to share my version with you.
I’ve made a few of these for Christmas and birthday gifts. You can see the one I made for my grandma here. I also have a few in my Etsy store right now. I made a holiday version for myself, but I realized in the middle of Starbucks last week it’s not Christmas anymore. One more decoration to store for next year.
I was trying to decide which fabrics to use for a new one and my wandering eyes landed on my seasonal fabric stack. I must have one for every holiday now! Yeah, we’ll see about that, but I’m all over Valentine’s Day. And if you’re looking for a gift, nothing says “I Love You” like keeping their coffee warm. Well, it would at my house.
To make one, you’ll need this coffee cup sleeve pattern . As when printing any pattern, make sure it doesn’t scale down to print. The pattern should measure 10 3/4″ straight across the top (corner to corner, not on the curve) and 9 1/8″ across the bottom (again, corner to corner). It’s just barely under 3″ wide. I use “borderless printing” in my print options to make sure the pattern prints full size.
Cut one from cotton batting, two from ironing board cover fabric and two from cotton fabric. Make sure you flip the pattern piece over to cut the second pieces, so they’re opposite the first. Another lesson I learned the hard way. You’ll also need a coordinating elastic hair band and two 5/8” or 3/4” buttons. I prefer buttons with two holes because they’re easier to stitch on.
I happen to have scraps of batting and ironing board fabric, but if you don’t and will be buying the supplies, another product you can use is InsulBrite. It’s insulated batting, usually used for things like potholders. If you use it, replace the cotton batting throughout the instructions with a piece cut from InsulBrite and leave out the ironing board fabric.
You’ll only need half of the hair tie, so zigzag stitch through the center, about 3/8” long, then clip through the center.
Layer the pieces: first, a piece of ironing board fabric, face down.
Next, cotton fabric, face up.
Place the hair band in the middle of the straight end, with the ends even with the edge of the fabric.
Next, the other piece of cotton fabric, face down.
Second piece of ironing board fabric, face up.
Last, the batting.
Pin in place. Stitch around the edge with a 1/4” seam, leaving about 2” open on the bottom edge for turning. Backstitch over the elastic when you reach that point. Clip the curves and corners.
Turn and press, turning in the opening. Stitch all the way around, close to the edge.
Lay flat. Fold both sides in so edges meet. Stick a pencil through the elastic and mark the farthest point it will reach without stretching.
Stitch a button on each side over the mark, sliding a toothpick under each button.
After stitching, remove the toothpicks. Wrap the thread around under each button a few times before knotting the thread under one of the buttons.
The hardest parts? Remembering to ask for your drink without a cardboard sleeve and remembering to remove it before you throw away your cup.
Cool, Staci!
Thanks Katy! But you mean hot, right?
Very cool tutorial. I’ve been looking for a pattern for a coffee sleeve for some gifts, and this appears to be just what I need. Come link up at I Made It! Monday on Ninth Street Notions
Thank you Amanda – I’ll see you there!
LOL! you got that right! I am one of them.
I do needle felted sleeves.
Love your design as well.
Following you from the blog hop!
Love meeting fellow crafty people.
Cheers!
Jen
http://cariboobutterflycrafts.blogspot.com
I was just reading some books on needle felting last night…I’m dying to try it! I’m going to go check out your blog right now!
Love them!
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I LOVE this idea and can’t wait to try it. I have an idea that I have been racking my brain for an answer, and I think this just turned that lightbulb on. For Christmas this year my kids gave me a wonderful coffee press. I had been wanting one and love the flavor of the coffee they make. The problem I have… I make a pot of it and by the time I am ready for a refill, the coffee in the press has become cool. I decided I was going to “invent” a cozy, or sleeve, of some type, to wrap my press with. I think your cup sleeve enlarged to fit the press would work perfectly!! I will wait for a reply to see who is going to get one made first.
I welcome all help, tips, ideas for my new project!!!
Sue
I just saw a tutorial for one of those the other day, but I can’t find it now! All I know is, it really made me want a french press. I’d love to see what you come up with!
My rock landed here (love how you wrote that!), so thanks for the great tutorial. I’m not the world’s greatest sewer (only do pillows and blankets really!), so sometimes sewing tutorials are hard for me to follow.
Definitely putting this on my to-do list!
Thanks for the easy to follow tut – looks like you’re getting quite the collections of rocks
Totally love! I mean I think everyone needs a sleeve for their coffee….I know it would be a golden treasure in my household! Now I just have to learn how to actually use my sewing machine!
What a great tutorial! Thanks for linking up to Your so Very Creative I featured you today go check it out! http://memakingdo.blogspot.com/2011/01/featuring-you-friday_14.html
Do you think that you would need the batting if you have the InsulBrite? Just trying to keep from having to buy a whole bag of batting for this project
Would love some of your wisdom. I have other interfacing that perhaps I could use instead?
If you’re using InsulBrite you don’t need the batting or ironing board fabric. It does the job of both- definitely cuts down on supplies!
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Great tutorial! I’ll be trying this one out soon.
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These are really fun. I’d like to customize them with embroidered names. Can’t wait to try this pattern out. Thanks
It’s funny you mentioned that today…I just posted some in my Etsy store a couple of hours ago that I added a little embroidery to! Names are a great idea!
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What a great idea! I’ve made knitted ones for teacher gifts last year, but never fabric ones, they would go quite a bit quicker
On a different note, where did you get your cute tags that say “crafty staci”? I’m thinking about selling some of the things I make, but I haven’t found a tag source that I like.
Thanks for posting!
I’ve had a couple of people ask me recently about those tags, so I think what I’ll do is post a tutorial on Monday showing how I made them. Stay tuned!
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Awesome tutorial!
I’m thinking of making one for my kid’s daycare teacher. She drinks a big McDonald’s Ice Coffee every morning, and this could be great for her!
Do I just use the same pattern and make it bigger? Any other adjustments you can recommend?
Thanks!
I LOVE these for cold drinks! I don’t make any adjustments for mine and they fit on all sizes of Starbucks cold cups. There is a small gap on the larger sizes, but not enough that it bothers me. I’m not sure what size the McDonald’s cups are, but if you’re using the stretchy band as a closure they’re pretty flexible. I also like the fact that I can use it on hot OR cold drinks as is. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask!
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My sis and I are about to make these! Your directions seems very easy to follow, and pictures with every step is a huge plus!
Thanks!
Good luck Kathleen!
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I have a question: what kind of elastic hair bands do you use? I bought one that was too thin and got it jammed in my machine-bought that one that is fairly thick, could I possibly do this by hand rather than zig-zag on the machine. Love the pattern; can’t wait to make it work!
I use the basic Goody hairbands. You can also use elastic cord from the fabric store. And definitely do it by hand if they’re jamming up your machine. Sometimes I just take two pieces of thread and tie near the middle, then cut between them. The only purpose of that step is to hold the ends of the elastic together long enough to sew it into the seam, so it doesn’t matter much how you do it. Good luck!
Do you have an approximate length to cut elastic if I use that instead of the hairband? These sound like fun. Thanks. Judy B.
That’s a great question Judy! I cut the elastic about 3″.
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Hi CraftyStaci
Great site what is the theme you are using?
Lindy
Thanks! It’s Comet, like the reindeer.
Stacy – Can you e-mail me and let me know where you got your tags for your items ?? I am hunting for some to put on the things I make. My e-mail address is info@designsbycorywilliams.com.
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Thank you for this very well explained tutorial! I’m making 25 of these as Christmas presents and I’m kind of suck on the buttons. How do you sew the buttons in the same spot on opposite sides without running into each other? The only way I’ve been able to figure it out is to sew them on at the same time with the same thread. But then I’m limited to one color of thread for both buttons which isn’t the greatest. Can anyone reading this help me?
Thanks again, Staci, I’m a pretty novice sewer and your instructions have made this project very doable for me
P.S. What’s the correct word for someone who sews? Because I used sewer but that definitely looks like “the infrastructure that conveys sewage”. Ewww!
Yep, Christine, that’s exactly how I sew the buttons on too – with one strand of thread. I try to coordinate my buttons as best I can. You might be able to sew one on, sewing all the way through the sleeve, then the other just stitching through a layer or two – it wouldn’t be easy, and the button wouldn’t be quite as secure, but you could use different colors of thread that way. Twenty-five? You’re going to be busy!
I’m with you on that “sewer” title too. I think that’s why I prefer the old-fashioned, but so much nicer sounding “seamstress!”
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Great tutorial! Do you think I could recycle old potholders and use the heat-proof filling?
Thanks!
Christine
I think that would be a great way to recycle unwanted potholders! Go for it Christine!
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Hi Staci! Thanks so much for your tutorial! I made this a couple of weeks back and forgot to post here. Take a look if you’d like! http://www.brandiwiggins.com/2012/01/stampin-royalty-challenge-106-fabric.html
Thanks so much for sharing your talent!
Brandi
Off to check it out right now, Brandi!
This is awesome! Love the idea of reversible! New follower!! Cannot wait to check out all your fun posts and your etsy shop:)
~Jen @ hutchinsonherd.blogspot.com
Thank you and welcome Jen!
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My rock landed here and this is exactly what I was looking for! THANK YOU!!!!
I will come back to tell you when I post about it! Thanks again!
I’d love to hear how yours come out!
Thanks for this! My rock landed here too! Looking forward to making this for my daughter!
Welcome Rebecca! I hope your daughter loves it!
Love these. Great way to use up scraps of fabric.
Good opportunity to customise a few for Christmas and Halloween or make a bespoke cover for friends.
I keep thinking I’m going to make one for every holiday and season. So far I’ve covered Valentine’s Day and Christmas!
I love this idea! But I don’t know how I went wrong but when I layer it the 2nd cotten is different than the other. Now I know its becauase one is face up and the other is face down but it doesn’t look like you have that problem.Idk what I did wrong orhow to fiddle it.
Liz, why don’t you email me at craftystaci@gmail.com, and we’ll try to get this worked out for you!
i had the EXACT same problem. I used the pattern available to print. Currently pretty frustrated and feel a little mislead by the instructions.
Did you flip the pattern over to cut the second piece, so if you lay them face up side-by-side they’re mirror images of each other?
Have you got a pic of the Valentines one?
Actually, the one shown in the pics IS my Valentine’s coffee cup sleeve! <3
Hi Staci – love this tutorial! Found it via Pinterest and it’s the perfect thing for my sister. One question, though … when I go to print the pattern, the top is cut off. I want to scale it down but then I’m worried that the measurements will be wrong. Can you let me know the width and length (I know that’s tricky on a curve) so that I can make sure I printed it right? I don’t drink coffee so I don’t have a cup to test it with.
Thank you! And thanks for the tutorial!
Hello Amy! It’s important not to scale the pattern down, because it won’t fit around the cup. I designed this with no overlap, so you’d be left with a gap. I’m actually glad you brought this up, and I’ll be adding that information to the tutorial. If you measure the pattern at the top, straight across not curved, corner to corner, it’s 10 3/4″. Corner to corner at the bottom is 9 1/8″. The width is just a hair under 3″. I hope that helps, and if you have any more questions, don’t hesitate to ask!
Thanks so much for sharing! I made one for myself, check out pictures on my blog!
http://weirdingwithwisdom.blogspot.com/2012/03/bit-of-sewing-finally.html
I’ve even already had people requesting one, so I’m gonna be pretty busy!
Thanks again,
Sam
Once people see yours and find out you know how to make them, there’s no going back! Good luck Sam!
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I like your Coffee Cup Sleeve and am interested in making them for a fundraiser for a non-profit organization that I belong to. I would like to email you the specifics. Thank you! Alice~
Sending you an email, Alice!
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Hi Staci. On your site first time. Great tutorial!! Just wondering, why do you place the toothpick under the button?
Hello Nisha! The toothpick is to create a little gap between the button and the sleeve. If you don’t use it, the buttons would be pressed up next to each other, and it would be impossible to get the loop around either one of them. I learned that one the hard way!
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love the double sided design! I use felt in mine. Anw love your blog and hello from your new liker, all the way from Australia!
Oh, I LOVE felt! Welcome Kasia!
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Hey Staci ov the patern! Just making sure the ironing board fabric is to help it to be not as hot right??? If so I need to get some of that stuff!!!
Brittany
Hey Staci love the patern! Just making sure the ironing board fabric is to help it to be not as hot right??? If so I need to get some of that fabric!!!
Brittany
Hi Brittany – the ironing board fabric reflects the heat away from your hand and back toward the cup, so it helps to keeps your hand cool and drink warm. You can also use InsulBrite instead of the ironing board fabric and batting. Good luck!
Hi Staci,
Love the tutorial and thank you for the template!!! I am a little confused on what the “turning is” that you left that whole open on the bottom side of the sleeve… I’m sure later on its closed but I think that part just got me a little confused… please help! Thanks!
Hi Betty,
If you look at the 10th photo down, you’ll see that you sew everything together with the right sides of the fabric inside. The opening is left at the bottom so you can pull the inside through and turn it right side out (imagine turning a shirt that’s inside out). The opening is then stitched closed later in the instructions. It’s done this way so that the seams end up on the inside and not showing. I hope this helps!
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Great tutorial Staci!
I found this about a year ago, but nevere got around to making it. I’m back-starting Christmas presents months before Christmas instead of a week
I had a question about the InsulBrite (trying to use what I have)- which way do you face the shiny side? I’m not extremely knowledgeable about the stuff; but I think it is supposed to reflect the heat back to the heat source. Would I have to use two pieces of InsulBrite for it to be reversible, or just pick a side? I know I may be thinking too hard, but wanted to do it right the first time.
Thank you for the tutorial!
Theresa
Congrats on the early Christmas-gift-making! Technically, the shiny side of the Insulbrite is supposed to face the heat. I think rather than use two pieces, which might make it a little too bulky, I’d just choose a side. It seems to me the insulating properties would still work on both sides, because the batting and mylar are inside trapping some of the heat, no matter which way you turn it. I doubt for something as small as this you’d notice a difference. Good luck with your gifts!
Thank you for your quick reply! Starting these after the littles go to bed tonight.
Just made these! (yeah took me awhile, waiting for an occasion for a gift!). Super easy, but I kept making dumb mistakes! It’s really hard for me to get a straight seam at the edge since its curved, so I ended up with fabric that the seam blends in and you can really barely see it!! Thanks for the great tutorial!
I’m glad to hear they worked out for you Stacey!
I just tried making one of these and am having issues with my thread getting all tangled in the bobbin area. I don’t know what the “sewing term” is but my needle won’t go forward any more and when I pull it out there are a bunch of threads stuck in the bobbin area. This especially happens while going over the elastic. Do you have any tips for fixing this? Thanks!
That’s frustrating! My machine will do that if there’s a bit of thread or a piece of a broken needle in the bobbin area. Sometimes a good cleaning will do the trick. Another common problem is the tension. There’s a good article here on how to adjust it: https://sew4home.com/tips-resources/sewing-tips-tricks/sewing-machine-tension-control. There’s also LOTS of videos on youtube on the subject. I hope that helps!
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I found it very hard. Mine didnt turn out at all!!!!!
I’m sorry to hear that Becca! If there’s anything I can do to help you, please feel free to ask!
Totally making these for my coffee loving family members! I think I will use insul-brite instead of batting! Thank you Thank you:)
My pleasure!
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So I’ve had this on my pinterest board for a little bit and finally got around to making it tonight. Clear instructions made this come together easily. My only issue (*probably my machine’s issue) was trying to zigzag the hair elastic, so I ended up just hand stitching that after cutting it in half, simple enough and not much extra work. I love how simple it was to make and will be making a few of these for stocking stuffers and little gifts for Christmas. Thanks for sharing this!
I’ve also tied the ends together with a small piece of thread in a pinch. I’m so glad the pattern worked out for you and you enjoyed making them!
Yes you do Celeste! It opens up lots of possibilities!
can this be hand stitched??
I see no reason why not. Just make sure your elastic is secure so it doesn’t pop out of the seam when you stretch it around the button. Good luck!
I’m having a hard time getting the pattern to print to the right size! I’ve tried borderless printing but I must be doing something else wrong:( Any tip? I’m making four as Xmas presents!!
Sometimes there’s a “fit to page” setting that shrinks it…is that it?
My problem is that it prints to big. I guess I could just use a cardboard sleeve from Starbucks and trace it?
I’m a little stumped on why it’s printing too big. I just printed it again myself and it came out the right size. You could try tracing a cardboard sleeve, just be sure to add seam allowances and maybe make a practice one before cutting out a bunch. Good luck Stephanie!
I just reloaded the pattern in case you want to try printing it again Stephanie.
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I made one of these already, and am going to make more. So easy and fun…cannot wait to give away as Christmast gifts!!! Wondering if adding a 1/4 inch around would make much of a difference, as I would love to have it just a little wider.
You could always give it a try!
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I’m making one of these for my sister and can’t find any ironing board material around me, do you think I could buy an ironing board cover and just cut out the material from that? If not, is there anything I can use instead of ironing board material?
You can replace the ironing board fabric and the cotton batting with InsulBrite.
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Very useful DIY and it is pretty informative!
Also, if you are interested in Sketches and Comics, you can visit my blog. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks!
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Thanks for such cute idea! Just made four for my friends…. They will love them!
My pleasure Sharon!
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Awww so cute!
Thank you!
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Just made two of these, thank you for the excellent tutorial!
You’re very welcome Tess! So glad it was helpful!
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I’m leaving this comment a little later than your original post. But I planned on making these for my “Ready to Pop” baby shower (“pop” in a hot/cold one) I am guessing the batting would work for iced coffees too! since batting can be an insulator. Would this fit a regular house coffee mug?
What a cute idea! These do work great for iced coffee, but they’re a little short for a typical ceramic coffee mug. Also, the shape of a paper cup is angled, where a mug is usually pretty straight. You might be able to get it to work by adding a couple of inches to the straight end, but I haven’t actually tried it. If it does fit, it couldn’t be used with a paper cup. Good luck Hollie!
Thank you! That is all i needed to know! And this was a GREAT tutorial!
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