Sewing a Hot Water Bottle Cover for Kids

Good morning, everyone! Today, I’ll show you how to sew a hot water bottle cover that can be put on and taken off like a sweater. This cover isn’t just functional—it’s meant to bring a smile to your child’s face. Hot water bottles are often used for children when they’re either sick with a cold or can’t sleep due to a cough or when they have a stomachache. In both cases, a little distraction is a welcome help.

The zipper opening makes it easy to remove the hot water bottle and wash the cover. As you can see below, my old cover has been well-loved and needed replacing. You can personalize the hot water bottle cover with an embroidery design or name—your creativity knows no bounds! This pattern is also perfect for using leftover fabric scraps, like pieces from a sweater you’ve already sewn.

I used leftover organic jacquard because it’s soft, skin-friendly, and not too thin. I’ve provided the pattern as a free download for personal use, but further down, I’ll show you how to create a new cover based on an existing one.

How to Sew a Hot Water Bottle Cover for Kids – Instructions

Materials Needed

You’ll need:

Pattern: You can print my pattern and check if it fits your water bottle, or use the process described below to draw your own pattern.
Hot water bottle children A4
Hot water bottle children US letter
Fabric scraps (I used jacquard and cotton jersey, about 25 cm in height)
A 20 cm piece of continuous zipper and one zipper slider
Optional: small tag or label
Thread: Seralon

Creating the Pattern

Remove the old cover from the hot water bottle and turn it inside out. You’ll also need a piece of paper and a pencil.

Fold both the paper and cover in half and trace the outline, including seam allowances.

If you’d like to add a seam for the zipper, you can cut it out now. My pattern includes this seam.

Cutting Out the Cover

Remember to add seam allowance at the top and bottom of the divided seam.

Top piece: cut from outer fabric and lining, once on the fold and once mirrored
Bottom piece: cut from outer fabric, twice on the fold

Sewing the Hot Water Bottle Cover – Top Section

Place one half of the zipper (which is intentionally longer than the top pieces) right sides together between two front pieces, with the top edge turned outward (this was shown incorrectly here; the top edge should be turned at a right angle outward).

Sew this half of the zipper, then sew in the other half. Leave the front pieces turned inside out and close the top edges right sides together. Do the same with the back at the top edge.

It should look like this. Then open up each piece and sew the outer pieces and the lining pieces right sides together.

Here, I’m showing the second side in more detail with colorful clips, which should align when sewing.

Then sew this side together.

When you turn it right side out, the seams will look neat and tidy.

Next, insert the zipper slider evenly and topstitch the seams from the right side.

Finishing the Hot Water Bottle Cover

Then, place the two bottom pieces of the cover right sides together and sew around the outer edge.

Mark the center front and back of the top and bottom pieces, and pin them right sides together so these points and side seams align. Sew this seam all the way around. Trim the seam allowances and turn the cover right side out.