How To Make A Felted Mug Cozy For Chanukah!

This How To Make A Felted Mug Cozy for Chanukah tutorial is truly a keeper, and timeless to boot! I actually made these many moons ago, and yet find myself sharing them again because felting is wonderful, and a handmade mug cozy is not only a great way to get familiar with felting, it also makes a great gift or a part of your family’s holiday decorations! Okay, so lets do it! And of course, after you invest in the basic tools, you can also make my felted coin purse, and my felted chanukah menorah wall hanging, which all look wonderful together.

Tools And Supplies For Needle Felting

• Wool crafting felt, 12-by-12-inch squares
• Cereal box cardboard (optional)
• Freezer paper (optional) or white paper
• Medium-point permanent marker
• Sharp scissors
• Needle felting mat or 2-inch-thick piece of foam
• Pins
• Needle felting pen for one or two needles
• Multi-needle felting tool
• Wire
• Small wooden clothespins (optional)
• Buttons
• Rotary cutting knife and ruler (optional)

Above: Not all of the supplies here are necessary, and I’ve indicated “optional” on the supplies list above, then again, freezer paper and a grid ruler are both very useful to have on hand!

How To Felt Mug Cozies

For Instructions for Basic Appliqué Needle Felting in 3 Steps please take a look at my original article on houzz.com if you feel like you need as much info as possible!

Size of base: Roughly 6½ inches long and 3 ½ inches tall, with a 2½-inch-long tab closure, see photo above.

Applique pieces neede for each mug cozy:

• 2 large white stars
• 1 dreidel or 2 dreidels and 1 large white star

1. Make a pattern for the cozy by wrapping a piece of freezer paper around the mug. Trace both the top rim and the bottom rim of the mug onto the freezer paper. Mark the left and right sides of the handle with vertical lines.

2. Remove the paper from the mug and turn the lines you’ve made into as perfect arcs as possible. Reduce the height of your pattern so that roughly three-quarters of the mug rim will be exposed, to make drinking easier.

3. Add a tab to one end of the pattern, and then affix the freezer paper pattern to the felt with a hot iron. Cut out the cozy and remove the freezer paper.

4. Cut a slit in the tab to make a buttonhole and sew a button to the cozy on the other side. Affix the appliqué pieces to the base with needle felting.

Tips and Safety Precautions

• Felting needles are very sharp and should not be used by children or anyone with visual limitations.
• Keep your eye on the needle at all times when it’s moving, with no exceptions.
• Always hold the needle or needle felting pen or tool so it is perpendicular to the surface you are working on (that is, the needle should be vertical). This helps prevent needle breakage and results in more efficient felting.
• Do not use needles on wet wool. This can lead to rusty needles.
• Needle felting should always be done on a felting pad or a piece of 8-by-6-inch foam that is 2 inches thick. Always place the foam on a firm surface while you’re working, never directly on your lap.

Okay, that is your intro to needle felting, now go pick up the supplies and give it a try, truly a wonderful craft, and honestly so much simpler than making needle felted characters, and play food, though those looks amazing too, and maybe that will be your next crafting challenge?