With ever-increasing commercialism, there are all kinds of mugs on the market that make you want to buy them all right away. Some come in technicolour designs, while others are more subdued. Some have lids, while others feature flashy quotes. It’s not easy to make a choice. However, these mugs can be quite expensive, and in times like these, it’s important to be mindful of your budget.

So, here’s a little DIY idea: you can turn your ordinary mug into a trendy, yet cosy, piece that reflects your style without breaking the bank. Let’s create your very own mug cosy with easily available simple materials.

Materials you need:

1. Felt sheets: 2 (any colour of your choice)

2. Pieces of felt or foam sheets to make the designs

3. Piece of Velcro, or (one button and a 2 inches string to secure the cosy)

4. Scissors

5. Hot glue

Directions:

1. Start by brainstorming the design you want for your mug cosy. I chose a heart theme, so I cut out lots of small and large hearts in different colours.

2. Place the mug on the felt sheet to measure its width and length. I had already cut the width to match the mug, but I left the length uncut at this stage, see picture 2.

3. I chose grey as the base colour and green for the top layer so that it not only looks elegant but also highlights the various coloured hearts. Keep in mind that the top felt sheet should be 0.5 cm smaller than the base felt sheet, picture 3.

4. To secure both ends of the felt, choose any one side, and cut half an inch inward from both sides, creating a 1.5-inch long strip that can easily fit through the handle of the mug, ensuring the cosy wraps securely around it. See picture 4.

5. Now, glue both felt pieces together using hot glue. (It is advised to seek help from an adult when handling hot glue.) Picture 5.

6. Whatever design you choose, arrange the pieces on the felt wrap, and once you finalise the layout, attach them using either white glue or hot glue, picture 6.

7. If you have Velcro, attach a small piece to one side of the felt wrap and the other piece to the overlapping layer, see pictures 7 and 8.

8. If you don’t have Velcro, you can attach a button to one side and create a small yarn or thread loop on the other side, making it half an inch long so that it wraps tightly around the button.

Your cute mug cosy is ready! You can create amazing designs and transform your mundane mug into your style of the day!

The writer can be contacted at ithecraftman@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 28th, 2024