How to Make Felt Coffee Cup Sleeves

If you’re anything like me, you’re indulging in a lot of hot beverages during these winter months. Instead of using disposable paper sleeves for your to-go cups, why not make a Felt Coffee Cup Sleeve to use again and again? It’s a quick, easy, and useful craft that allows your creativity to run wild! I’ll share the basics and then suggest some fun alternatives.
DIY Materials:
Felt (available in many colors for about 25 cents a sheet)
Hot glue gun
Scissors
Pen or marker
Disposable coffee cup

DIY Instructions:

1. Remove the paper sleeve from your cup. Place onto the felt you want to use, and trace around it.

2. Cut out the felt sleeve. Then, if you want to use more than one layer or color of felt and want the first layer to show behind it, cut another sleeve slightly smaller than the first one. You can trace the paper sleeve again, or just eyeball it.

3. If using two layers, hot-glue the top layer of felt to the bottom one. You can go on to add further embellishments to the top layer, if desired.

4. Using the cup as a guide, decide where the ends of the sleeves should meet. Then hot-glue them to create a full circle!

Go Tigers Go!

5. Slip over your cup and admire it as you drink!

Here’s another one that I made:

Other Options:
If you have a sewing machine (I don’t) or are good with freehand sewing, you can sew the sleeve together instead of using hot glue. This looks professional and adds extra interest, especially if you use an unusual stitch or contrasting thread!

Instead of permanently securing the ends of the sleeve together, try adding snaps, a loop and button, hook and eye, or even self-adhesive Velcro circles.

Add appliques, monograms, patches, ribbons, rickrack, buttons, stickers, charms, team logos (homemade or official), or anything else you want to the top of the sleeve. This is a truly personalized craft project and would make a great gift for ANY day of the year or a good pick-me-up for yourself. If you have felt scraps and other odds and ends at home, you can do it without having to buy anything extra!

For further inspiration, see related posts at Sisterlings, Oh Mishka, and Cut Out + Keep.