So before the last craft show we decided we needed to make some things that were quick and easy to make, and inexpensive for customers to grab or add on to an existing purchase. We whipped up 15 of these coffee cup sleeves. They feature coffee bean fabric on the outside and a black and white check with a tan shadow on the inside. These were really quick to make, primarily due to the “assembly line” we had going. My husband layered the fabric and batting, I did the sewing and turning, and then my mother-in-law sewed the button on. Quite the family affair for $3.00 each, or 2 for $5.00. 🙂

They are really simple as a do-it-yourself project and would be fun to make with kids as a holiday gift or stocking stuffer. Materials needed are:

– Scrap piece of fabric for the outside – approximately 10″ x 4″
– Scrap piece of fabric for the inside that matches – approximately 10″ x 4″
– 100% cotton batting – approximately 10″ x 4″ (your iron may touch the batting, so be sure to use all cotton batting)
– Ponytail holder
– Matching button

Simply take the coffee sleeve from your favorite company and unglue it so it is a flat piece. I put a piece of fabric over it and ironed it to make tracing and cutting easier. Trace around it on a piece of tissue or printer paper. Then, layer your batting, the outside fabric (right side up), and the inside fabric (right side down) and your tissue paper pattern. Pin, leaving a space or marking a 2″ wide opening to turn it after sewing. Cut out your pattern, cutting 1/4″ bigger on all sides. Discard scraps, or reserve them for another use. Then, take your ponytail holder and insert it into one of the short sides of your sleeve between the inside and outside fabrics. Half the ponytail holder should be visible outside your fabric, and the other half should be securely pinned inside the fabric. Stitch with a 1/4″ seam, reinforcing your stitching on either side of your hole to turn it inside out. Remove pins, clip your corners, and turn your sleeve inside out, being sure to push the corners out. Iron with a hot iron, tucking in the fabric at your opening for turning. Whipstitch the opening closed, and then sew the button on, approximately 2″ from the opposite end from where the ponytail holder is. And there you have it – your very own eco-friendly coffee cup holder.

We sold approximately 10 of these at the first show so we made a bunch more. We used conservation fabric, cupcakes on one side and sprinkles on the other, and some with bees (honey for tea, get it?), and other random prints. My mother-in-law, also known as Mom H, wasn’t a fan of these before the last show, probably because she had the most work sewing on the button. But then after I texted her every time I sold one we won her over.

It is actually shocking, but according to this article, Starbucks customers used and discarded 3 billion coffee sleeves in 2011. 3 billion. Whoa. That is reason alone to whip some of these up!