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How to Make a Patchwork Cozy for Your French Press

October 2nd, 2008 in sewing, patterns & designs, home decorating, quilting

kayte terry, contributor

12 users recommend

A French press cozy keeps your coffee warm for hours!

Pick buttons that contrast nicely with your fabric choices.

I chose a color scheme that matches my kitchen and used a mix of dots, stripes, and florals.

A French press cozy keeps your coffee warm for hours!

Photo: Kayte Terry

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A couple of days ago, my husband made a special request: a handmade cozy for his brand-new French press. How could I say no? Not only will it keep the coffee warm for hours, but a cozy will also prevent the glass from shattering if we ever knock over his precious French press.

Here's how to make one for yourself:

Materials

1/8 yard cotton fabric
Scraps of different cotton fabrics to patchwork with
High-loft cotton batting
Small amount of 1/4-inch grosgrain ribbon
Three buttons
Iron
Fabric scissors
Rotary cutter, ruler, and mat
Measuring tape
Chopstick
Sewing machine and thread

Note: I recommend a walking foot for quilting the cozy. If you don't have one, it's ok, but it makes quilting much easier!

Use a measuring tape to measure the dimensions of your French press.

1. Measure the circumference and height of the glass part of your French press. Add 1 inch to both measurements.

2. Using a rotary cutter, cut a piece of cotton fabric to the dimensions from step 1. This is your lining. Also cut a piece of batting to the same size.

I chose a color scheme that matches my kitchen and used a mix of dots, stripes, and florals.

3. From the scraps of fabric, cut a bunch of pieces that are the height of the measurement you took in step 1 and various widths. Lay them out in a pattern you like. They should be a bit wider than the lining piece when they are laid out.

Make sure to pin your pieces together before you sew.

4. With a 1/4-inch seam allowance, sew all pieces together. Start on the left-hand side and sew the first to the second, then continue sewing together until they are all sewn. Iron all seams open.

5. Pin the patchwork piece to the lining piece with right sides facing and trim. Unpin the pieces.

Baste the ribbon loops so that they are facing into the lining.

6. Cut three 2-inch pieces of ribbon and fold them over to make loops. Lay out the lining piece face up, and pin loops 1/2 inch from the top and bottom and in the center of one of the edges of the lining. Pin the loops facing in toward the cozy, not outside of the cozy. Baste the loops to the lining 1/4 inch in from the edge.

7. On a flat surface, lay out batting, then the lining face up, then the front face down. Pin together.

8. With a 1/2-inch seam allowance, sew around the perimeter of the cozy, leaving 2-1/2 inches unsewn for turning. Trim the seams. Turn the cozy right side out and push out the corners with a chopstick.

9. Turn in the raw edges and press the seams. Topstitch around the cozy.

A walking foot makes quilting much, much easier!

10. Sew lines down the cozy as desired. You can either stitch in the ditch (sew at the seams) or in between or a little of both!

11. Wrap your cozy around your French press, and mark where you need to sew buttons with straight pins. Sew buttons on.

12. Make yourself a nice pot of coffee and enjoy!

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posted in: sewing, patterns & designs, home decorating, quilting

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Comments (11)

pastormom writes: I've always been frustrated by how quickly coffee cools. This is a very practical answer to that dilemma. Also, in addition to making one here at home, this is a great gift I can make for a friend of mine who lives in an off-the-grid home.
Posted: 2:17 pm on October 9th

kaytet writes: in his path, i am a big tea person, so i promise i will come up with a tea cozy project for you!!!
Posted: 12:21 am on November 12th

InHisPath writes: Great gift idea, I look forward to making them, picking out the fabric design to match each person's style is a fun part of it.
Is there a Tea Cozy/accessories project for my Tea Loving friends.
Posted: 1:39 pm on November 8th

FunkyFinds writes: Fantastic!
Posted: 11:03 am on October 24th

MichaelaMurphy writes: Hey Secretsugar, I love that you have made a pledge to make all of your presents. I wanted to give you a head's up that your comittment is also timely: CraftStylish is going to launch a special holiday series this week called Dare to Make it, featuring fantastic gifts to make and DIY holiday inspiration! See you around the site.
Posted: 12:21 pm on October 14th

Secretsugar writes: In my pledge to make all my Christmas gifts this year, I've been racking my brain to come up with some handmade gifts for my husband. This could be one of them--thanks!
Posted: 11:48 am on October 14th

kaytet writes: thanks guys!
jen- one of the best parts of doing tutorials all the time is having an excuse to have pretty nails!
Posted: 7:12 pm on October 3rd

susanstars writes: oh, so cute and perfect for a fall coffee date!
Posted: 1:22 pm on October 3rd

tamdoll writes: This would be so much better than throwing a kitchen towel over it like I do already. Adding it to my to-do list! Thanks for the how-to.
Posted: 9:08 am on October 3rd