French Press Cozy, Easy to Sew

Why I Need a French Press Cozy

“Necessity is the Mother of Invention” is how the saying goes, right? So my daughter gifted me a bag of Starbucks coffee beans. (I love fresh ground coffee.) Out came the grinder and the French Press and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee soon filled the air. Mmmmmmmm. The first cup was delicious. The second cup was cold! I needed a French Press cozy!  Now it has one and the second cup stays hot.

I’ve designed other cozies, like this one for bowls, and this one for plates.  Check them out, too!

The Details

It’s made to fit close with a shaped area for the spout.  It stores flat, is washable and attaches with Velcro. My French Press is a “Bodum” and the glass measures 4 inches across the top and is 7 inches tall.

Supply List

• Outer fabric, one of 13 3/4″ x 7 1/2″ ( I suggest a non-directional print)
• Outer fabric tab one of 4 1/2″ x 7 1/2″
• Insulbrite one of 13 3/4″ x 7 1/2″
• Insulbrite for tab 4 1/2″ x 3 3/4″
• Lining (can be same as outer) one of 13 3/4″ x 7 1/2″
• both sides of 1 inch wide sew-on Velcro 3 3/4″ long

How to Sew my French Press Cozy

Tab:

1. Fold the tab piece with right sides facing and the 4 1/2″ edges together.  (It will measure 4 1/2″ x 3 3/4″.) 
2. Slide the tab piece of insulbrite underneath with the shiny side up. 
3. Sew along both the 3 3/4″ edges using 1/4″ seam allowance.  (The side opposite the fold will be open)
4. Clip the corners near the fold, turn and press. (The side of the tab that is against the shiny side will get velcro and end up facing the French Press.)
5. Position the soft side of the velcro near the fold on the side of the tab that’s against the shiny side of the insulbrite.  The long side will be a scant 1/4″ away from the fold and. there should be the same amount of fabric showing at each end.  (I use tape to hold it in place.)
6. Top-stitch all around the tab at about 1/4 in from the edge.  Your stitching should catch 3 sides of the velcro.  Continue stitching along the open side to close it. 
7. Sew along the final edge of the velcro, then set the tab aside.

Cozy:

1. Fold the lining fabric in half.
2. Measure in 1 inch from the fold and mark.
3. Measure down 1 inch from the fold and mark.
4. Cut off the folded triangle. Don’t do this on the other 2 pieces.
5. Unfold and layer: Insulbrite shiny side down, Outer fabric right side up, Lining wrong side up.
6. At the right-hand end, mark up 2” from the bottom and 1 ½ from the top edge as shown.
7. Using ¼” seam allowance, sew from mark to mark, being sure to reinforce stitch at the beginning and at the end. Follow the outline created by the cut-out triangle from step #4.
8. Cut out the triangle from the outer fabric and the Insulbrite, then make a clip into the seam allowance at the point of that “V”, being sure to NOT cut your stitching.
9. Clip the corners, turn and press, tucking in the seam allowances at the open end.

Final Assembly

1. On the tab, draw a line parallel to the end that was open, ½ inch in.
2. With the outer fabric side up, insert the tab into the open end of the cozy, with the Velcro side down, JUST barely to the ½” line.
3. Pin and top-stitch all the way around, which will secure the tab, and close the opening.
4. The final piece of Velcro gets sewn to the out-side of the cozy, opposite the tab end. The top of the Velcro goes 1 ¼” from the top edge. The outer edge of the Velcro is 1 ¾” in from the side edge and the bottom is 1 ¾” from the bottom edge. Sew around the outer edge of the Velcro to secure it.

That’s it, see, all it takes to make a French Press cozy is a strip of Velcro and some fabric, easy peasy.  If you’d like a 2 page easy-to-print  PDF with all these diagrams, it’s available for $1.50 U.S, please click here.

My French Press is very similar to this one on Amazon.

Questions or corrections? Please email me at yvettechilcott at yahoo dot ca.