BERNINA Corporate Blog -I’d like to sew a mug cozy with you and decorate it with embroidery thread in a freehand style. If you like, you can even sew a small pocket on the front and slip a message inside. In today’s tutorial, I’ll show you how I decorated and sewed this mug sleeve using different embroidery threads. I’ll explain how to achieve the best results with this thread below. Embroidering with metallic thread is easy when you keep a few tips in mind.
Mug Cozy – Mug Sleeve – Mug Wrap
This project goes by many names, and the great thing is that sewing a mug cozy is perfect for beginners.
Freestyle decorating and using the freehand technique is a great opportunity to practice free patterns on a sewing project and use up a stash of collected buttons.
This sewing project is also perfect for upcycling jeans and fabric scraps. You can design the front fabric in one whole piece or even as a patchwork.
For three of my mug sleeves, I used remnants of printed fabrics. The designs were painted with acrylic on canvas and then printed on fabric via Spoonflower. For the backing fabrics, you can use denim or other fabrics from your stash. Metallic thread embellishments add a lovely sparkle to the cozy. After all, Christmas is coming soon, so glitter fits perfectly.
Sewing a Mug Cozy – Materials
- Fabric scraps or fabrics of your choice
- Stabilizer: Soluvlies or tear-away stabilizer or Solufix
- Batting: Thermolam by Freudenberg
- Sewing thread
- Sparkling embroidery thread, I used Metallic by Mettler
- Thread lubrication unit
- Regular embroidery thread, here I used POLY SHEEN by Mettler
- Universal sewing needles 70-90
- Embroidery needle
- Metallic embroidery needle
- Marking pen
- Optionally, paper for a template
- Pencil
- Paper scissors
- Fabric scissors
- Rotary cutter, ruler, and cutting mat
- Button
- 2 mm narrow elastic, 17 cm long
Pattern for the Mug Cozy
- 25 cm long x 9 cm high
My mug holds 330 ml, is 95 mm high, and has a diameter of 80 mm. It’s a standard mug that I like to use for sublimating my own designs.
Based on these measurements, I designed the pattern so that I have a narrow free edge at the top. I found that this makes drinking easier. If your mug is larger or smaller, you should adjust the pattern accordingly.
You can easily create a template for this mug cozy by cutting out a paper rectangle measuring 25 cm x 9 cm, or you can download my template here:
Please ensure that your printer is set to 100% scaling, with no adjustments!
How to Sew the Mug Cozy
Either prepare a template in the dimensions of 25 cm x 9 cm or always use a ruler to measure.
Here, I cut a larger piece of Thermolam and placed my fabric piece on top.
Then, using a 3.0 straight stitch, I sewed the fabric onto the batting all around.
Decorating the Mug Cozy with Metallic Thread
Next came the preparation for decorating the front of the mug cozy with metallic thread. After experiencing constant thread breakages while testing on a scrap piece, I remembered that I had this amazing accessory designed specifically for such threads: the Thread-lubrication Unit. With this tool, there were no more breakages!
It is also crucial to use a thread net over the spool, so the thread glides off smoothly without friction:
On my machine, you can see that the metallic thread passes through a felt pad, which is dripped with silicone fluid. This significantly improves the thread’s glide. Just make sure that the felt doesn’t dry out by adding a few drops of fluid from time to time. Please use the silicone fluid only for this purpose. It is no sewing machine oil, so you cannot use it to oil your machine. The bottle has a label on it to remind you of this.
Preparation for Embroidery
For the first mug cozy, I tried the Solufix stabilizer from Freudenberg, which I hadn’t used before. Please read the manufacturer’s instructions for this great stabilizer.
I ironed the adhesive side of the Solufix onto the wrong side of my front fabric, then scored the paper layer twice with a pin and removed the paper from the stabilizer.
With this preparation done, I moved to the sewing machine, and the fun of free-motion embroidery could begin.
Using the Free-Motion Embroidery Foot #24 I intuitively created a pattern on the front fabric with the metallic thread. It’s important to significantly reduce the presser foot pressure! That’s why I always recommend sewing a small test piece first. This way, you can try out the correct settings before starting your main sewing project.
Decorating with Free-Motion Embroidery Foot #24
Back of the Mug Cozy
For the back, I roughly cut a piece from an old pair of jeans, placed the front piece on top, right sides together, and secured it with a few pins.
You need to mark the turning opening on one of the narrow sides, and it’s important to plan ahead which side the elastic and button will go on.
In the picture, you can see what I mean. But don’t worry if you switch the button and elastic, it’s not a big deal—it will just be different. 😉
Now, back to the back piece. After sewing it together, trim the corners diagonally and cut back the excess fabric.
Button and Elastic
Prepare everything you need for the closure. Here, it’s the elastic band and the button. If you have the Button Sew-On Foot #18 it will be a great help.
First, sew the button onto the closed narrow edge of the front piece, centered and about 1 cm away from the edge.
To adjust the elastic precisely, wrap the cozy around the mug again, place the elastic loop into the turning opening, and secure it with two fabric clips.
If everything fits, I remove the cozy from the mug and sew the elastic cord in place. In the same step, I stitch around the entire front side.
When sewing the elastic loop, make sure to use a thicker needle and, if necessary, use a height compensation tool on thicker corners.
At the end, I always stitch over the area of the elastic two to three times with a zigzag stitch to ensure everything holds well.
Finished!
The first mug cozy is finished, and I love the subtle embroidered decoration.
For the next mug cozy, I used regular tear-away embroidery stabilizer and a nice black embroidery thread. For the third cozy, I tested regular Soluvlies as an embroidery base.
All three stabilizers did their job wonderfully. I’ll definitely work more often with Solufix because I really like the stabilization it provides for free-motion embroidery.
Do you have a favorite stabilizer?
Of course, you can also decorate the back of the mug cozy with embroidered messages or patches. Let your imagination run wild, because the most important thing about this sewing project is to have fun!
I hope you like my sewing idea for decorating mug cozies, and perhaps you’ve found a lovely gift idea for Christmas.
With that, I wish you all a peaceful season. Stay healthy and have lots of fun sewing and being creative!
Yours, Katharina
from RaabArt
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