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What’s the best wadding for a hot water bottle cover?

What’s the best wadding for a hot water bottle cover?

Autumn is definitely here! And so are pricey energy bills, so there’s no surprise many of you are sewing up hot water bottle covers to help keep you keep toasty in bed whilst saving energy by avoiding putting the heating on. We’ve had lots of people get in touch to ask what is best wadding for a hot water bottle cover so I made this quick video to talk you through some options…

WHAT’S THE BEST WADDING FOR A HOT WATER BOTTLE COVER? 

If you found yourself here because you’re making a hot water bottle cover then you’ll need a pattern so hop on over and grab yours here ! Our gift to you to help you out on those chilly nights… You can grab your free pattern & tutorial to make your own hot water bottle cover over here

What's the best wadding for a hot water bottle cover? Free sewing pattern

Thank you for supporting our online shop with your sewing shopping… It means the world to us & enables us to keep putting out FREE content like this for you to make & create ❤️

If you are interested in the full details of the waddings I mention in the video then you can check them out over on our website :

Want to learn more about wadding/ batting? You might also be interested in our full Guide to Quilt Wadding here

Learn about quilt wadding

If you have any fabric or product-related questions please don’t hesitate to get to leave a comment! We love hearing from you and your questions give me ideas for helpful content we can create for you…

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What's the best wadding for a hot water bottle cover?

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Free Pattern For A Hot Water Bottle Cover

Free Pattern For A Hot Water Bottle Cover

A hot water bottle is a must-have for chilly nights, and a handmade cover adds a personal touch. This tutorial will guide you step-by-step to create a snug, stylish hot water bottle cover using plush and quilting cotton fabrics. Perfect for gifting or a cosy addition to your home,this project is beginner-friendly, fun to customise and great for all skill levels.

Plush fabric is gorgeously soft, tactile, and luxurious. If you’re new to this type of fabric – check out our guide here for the full low down.

This hot water bottle cover comes together pretty quickly. You can easily sew it in an afternoon and it would make a great handmade gift.

We have provided a free printed pattern template up can download below sized to fit a standard 2 litre hot water bottle measuring 33cm (h) 20 cm (w) approx.

We used this hot water bottle to create our pattern. If you’re making several of these for gifts then the template will also fit this pack of 3 hot water bottles

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Materials You Will Need To Make This Hot Water Bottle Cover

MaterialAmountNotes
Exterior Fabric50cm (20 inches)plush for softness or quilting cotton  for style.
Lining Fabric30cm (12 inches)We used calico
wadding30cm (12 inches)If you’re unsure which wadding to use then check out this post for my thoughts

25mm bias binding

1m (40 inches)DIY from cotton or store-bought
 ThreadPolyester for durability

Exterior Fabric Rectangle Sizes

Cut the following pieces from your chosen exterior fabric:

  • Front Panel: 41cm (height) x 29cm (width)
  • Back Top Panel: 22cm (height) x 29cm (width)
  • Back Bottom Panel: 26cm (height) x 29cm (width)

Sewing equipment you will need

    • Important Notes to Keep in Mind

      • Seam Allowance: Use a 1cm seam allowance for all steps unless mentioned otherwise.
      • Sewing Tips: When using your sewing machine, always straight stitch with a 2.5mm stitch length. Don’t forget to backstitch at the start and end of each seam to secure it.
      • Fabric Prep: Make sure to prepare your fabrics according to the manufacturer’s care instructions (e.g., washing or pressing).
      • Finishing Seams: We used an overlocker (serger) to prevent fraying, but no worries if you don’t have one! Check out our guide for alternative seam finishing methods.
      • Key Terms:
        • WST: Wrong Sides Together.
        • RST: Right Sides Together.
      • Before You Begin: Take a few minutes to read through the instructions from start to finish – it’ll make the sewing process much smoother!
      • Safety First: Always follow your hot water bottle’s usage and care instructions. And remember, never overfill it!

    How To Sew A Hot Water Bottle Cover

    1. Print and assemble your pattern

    Print out the PDF pattern on A4 paper at 100% and check the 1″ square measures 1 inch

    You will need to print two copies of pattern piece A, two copies of pattern piece B & one copy of pattern piece C

    Stick one copy of pattern pieces A & B together matching the sides. This makes the front pattern piece of the hot water bottle cover

    Stick one copy of pattern pieces B & C together. This makes the back top pattern of the hot water bottle cover

    The remaining pattern piece A makes the back top pattern piece of the cosy. You pattern should look like this

    #image_title

    2. Cut The Fabrics

    For the front panels

      • 41 x 29cm (h x w) of chosen outer fabric (if you are piecing fabrics see note below)

    If you are using a variety of prints on your front panel: Cut and lay out your fabric pieces as you desire. Our quilting cotton section measured approx. 29cm wide x  29cm high . We then added a strip of Plush fabric to the top which measured approx 29cm wide x 15cm high

    If you are using plush fabric pay attention to the fabric nap. Make sure you have enough pieced fabric to cover the front printed pattern piece with some overhang.

      For the back panels

      From your exterior fabric cut 2 rectangles

          • Back Top Panel: 22 x 29cm (h x w)
          • Back Bottom Panel: 26 x 29cm (h x w)

        Cut the lining & wadding

        Cut the lining fabric and wadding pieces a little larger than the outer fabric panel pieces to assist with quilting.

        For each panel piece layer your fabrics to make a “quilt sandwich”. Lining fabric at the bottom, then layer the wadding, then the exterior fabric.

        3. Quilt your panel pieces

        On the front panel & both back panel pieces, quilt the fabrics as desired. I chose a simple straight lines approx 1″ apart but quilt to suit you.

        Now place the printed pattern  pieces on to the corresponding quilted panels.

        Pin or weight the pattern down on the fabrics and cut around the printed pattern outline. I find this easiest using a small 28mm rotary cutter.

        Your work will now look something like this

        4. Make & Attach the bias binding

        Make your binding strips for the back panel pieces by cutting a 25mm x WOF (Width Of Fabric) strip of fabric. Fold in half matching the long edges and press along the length.

        Attach and pin/ clip the binding to back pieces lining side up matching the fabric raw edges with the edge of the back pieces as shown

        Stitch the binding in place using a 1/4″ seam.

        Press the seam away from the lining, flip the folded edge of the binding to the right side of the cover. Clip and top stitch in place very close to the binding edge.

        Do this for both back panels.

        Now you’re ready to sew it together!

        Lay the quilted panel pieces on top of each other in this order

            • Front panel right side up
            • Back top panel right side down
            • Back bottom panel right side down

          Secure with clips and stitch all the way around the edge using a 1cm seam allowance.

          Finish the seams with your preferred method. Check out our post here for a few ideas.

          If you prefer (and your overlocker is happy with all the layers) you can overlock around the edges – but watch out for those curves!

          And you’re done!

          Now fill her up with hot water & get cosy toes next time it’s a bit chilly!

          Hot Water Bottle Cover Sewing Tutorial

          Hot Water Bottle Cover Sewing Tutorial