Felted Wool Hot Water Bottle Cover
It’s miraculous that in this modern world sometimes the best cure for life’s aches and pains is as simple as a little hot water. A rubber hot water bottle is the perfect conveyance for healing warmth,inexpensive and virtually indestructible.
Our Felted Wool Hot Water Bottle Covers celebrate this straightforward utility. I made them with Dorr Mill’s 100% wool, which I washed until it was soft and felted and then stitched together with a handsome zigzag blanket stitch.
The result is homey, classic and my favorite thing… practical! These Covers do what hot water bottle covers have always done; they keep the hot water hot and your body warm.
If you’ve never tried blanket stitch this project is a great introduction. The gentle rhythm of the stitches is a real treat, and the combination of the soft felted wool and the smart stitching make for a very satisfying endeavor. And just like the water bottle itself, it’s built to last a lifetime! –Molly
The Materials
To make one cover for a standard 2-quart hot water bottle like this one you’ll need:
- 1/2 yard of Dorr Mill’s Wool Yardage, machine washed and dried in order to felt it
- 2 hanks of DMC Embroidery Floss (I used colors 413, 414 (shown above), and 415.)
- Gutermann’s 100% Cotton Thread in color 1040
- A Felted Wool Hot Water Bottle Cover Template, available for free download here, printed, cut out and taped together as directed.
The Pattern
Cut
Using the taped together Templates, cut pieces A (top right, in above photo), B (lower right in the photo), and C (left) from the felted Wool.
Sew
Press and pin the long straight edges of pieces A and B, 3/8 inch to the wrong side.
Using the cotton sewing thread, sew down these folds with a ¼-inch seam allowance.
Embroider
NOTE: For all the embroidery in this pattern, use 3 strands of the DMC floss.
You will work a zigzag blanket stitch around the hemmed edge of piece A and then later around the entire outer edge of the Hot Water Bottle Cover.
First, cut a 24-inch length of the embroidery floss and separate it into two lengths, 3 strands each. Thread an embroidery needle with one of these lengths.
With the right side of piece A facing up, push the needle from the back side to the front side, ¼ inch from the left edge and 1/4-inch below the top fold.
Instead of tying a knot, leave a 4-inch tail and bring the working floss behind this tail. Pull the tail to the left, causing the stitch to angle left.
Bring the needle back around to the front and insert it directly into the previous exit point. Pull the needle through to the back and over the back working floss, as shown above.
Pull the working floss to the right so the stitch angles right. The entire stitch will look like a little triangle. It should look the same on the back.
From the front side, insert the needle 1/4 inch to the right of the bottom point of the first stitch.
Pull the needle through, but do not pull it taut yet. Instead, insert the tip of the needle, from right to left, under the X-shaped intersection at the top of the previous stitch.
Pull the floss taut. It should be anchored to the top of the previous stitch and angled to the left, as shown above.
Continue by inserting the needle, from front to back, directly into the previous exit point. Pull the needle through, passing it over the back floss and angling the stitch to the right.
The second stitch should look like the first. 
Just as you did previously, insert the needle from front to back 1/4 inch to the right of the bottom point of the previous stitch. Pass the tip of the needle under the X-shaped intersection at the top of the previous stitch. Pull the floss taut.
Insert the needle from front to back directly into the previous exit. Pull the needle through to the back, passing it over the back floss and angling the stitch to the right. Pull the floss taut.
Keep stitching in this manner until you have 4 inches of floss left. Tie a small overhand knot at the top right corner of the last stitch
Then insert the needle right under the knot, and pass the needle through the hem about 1 inch to the left.
Snip the floss at the exit point to hide it.
To start with the next length of floss, pull the needle from back to front through the top of the last stitch.
Insert the needle ¼ inch to the right of the bottom point of the last stitch.
Coming from the back, insert the tip of the needle under the X-shaped intersection at the top of the last stitch. Pull the needle through, leaving a 4-inch tail, just as you did at the beginning of the first length of floss.
Continue stitching in this manner until the end of the straight edge.
Once you’re done with the stitching, hide the remaining tails by tying a small overhand knot at the top of the nearest stitch, pulling the tail through the hem, and snipping off the tail at the exit point, just as you did for the other tails.
Sew Together
Place the newly stitched Piece A on top of Piece C, with right sides together and top edges aligned.
Place piece B, wrong side up, on top of the previous pieces, lining up the bottom edges. Pieces A and B should overlap about 1 ½ inches.
Pin all of the layers together around the outer edges.
With a ¼-inch seam allowance, sew the layers together around the pinned edges.
Cut notches out of the curved sections of the seam allowance and snip off the top corners.
Turn the entire piece right sides out through the overlapped opening in the center.
Press the piece flat and pin the outer edges together.
Using the zigzag blanket stitch, sew around the entire outer perimeter of the piece, making sure to sew through all of the layers as you go.
All done!
Update 2024: You can explore our current collection of beautiful fabrics and supplies on our page of Sewing Tools + Notions!
From the last photo, you do the blanket stitch all around the cover. Any instructions on how to handle corner stitches? The directions stopped after turning the cover right side out and pressing it flat.
Hi Ellen Lee-
To pivot at the top corners take two stitches next to each other that originate from the same bottom point, one just before the corner and one just after.
Thank you for your question!
Molly
Beautiful fabric! Looks super cozy and warm.
I've made a few covers for hot water bottles (my kids love them in the winter!) and find that it is more functional to create the opening towards the top of the bottle. When the fold/opening is halfway one really has to "fold" the already filled bottle (from the night before, for example) in half to simple draw it out of the cover to empty and refill. Trying to pull out an already filled hot water bottle created a lot of wear and tear on the sides of the sewn openings and has, from my own experience, torn the seams and binding (which I like to use to reinforce the seams).
Hope that makes sense and is helpful!
Hi…how about felting wool in a front loader washing machine? Is that a problem??
As always, love your projects!
Valerie
Greenville, SC
USA
HI Valeria-
No that's not a problem. For best results wash in hot, rinse in cold, and then tumble dry for 20 minutes.
Thanks!
Molly
Hi! What a brilliant idea! I am going to make these and embroider initials on them for presents!!
Perfectly cute for winter.
Is this felted wool cover washable?
Hi Jeeyun-
This is hand washable. Thanks for your question!
Molly
These are lovely – they'd make lovely winter gifts. I just made a chunky crochet cover for myself, but discovered last night that the phrase 'virtually indestructible' when used re a hottie bottle is not the same as 'definitely indestructible'. Mine destructed. Last night. I woke up at 5am and all was not as it should be. Sopping mattress, sheets, doona, pillows and, of course, hot water bottle cover. So enjoy your hot water bottle, but every now and then take the cover off and check for worn spots in the rubber. Excuse me for now, I shall be spending my evening with a hairdryer and my mattress!
I think the first commenter was trying to point out that there are no instructions in your text describing how to get from penultimate picture (right side out with pins all around) to final picture (right side out, blanket stitched all around). The same text has been repeated under both pictures – looks like a copy and paste error.
Hi ARB-
You are right! Thanks so much for pointing this out. It's been fixed!
Thanks again!
Molly
Hello, I've cut out the template but it looks very large and I am confused by the directions. When I attach C1 to C2 the combined product is almost 17" in length. When I attach A1 to A2, that piece is 12" in length. Should I keep the part of A2 that is beneath the second blue line (below where it says "attach to A1 here"?
And finally, what are the dimensions of the finished cover, in length and width?
Thank you for the clarification.
Hi Caroline-
The measurements of the templates sound correct. The finished cover is 15 1/2-inches long (including the top) and 9-inches wide to fit a water bottle that is 14-inches long and 7 1/2-inches wide. Hope this helps!
Thank you!
Molly
Is there any reason this can’t be made from purchased felt rather than the Dorr Mill? Never having seen it in person I’m not sure how it differs.
Hi Diane-
The Dorr Mill Felt has more drape and is softer but you certainly could make it out of traditional felt as well.
Thanks for your question!
Molly
How thick is the felt 1mm or 4mm?
Hi Caroline-
This is actually felted wool rather than true felt. That means that it is a woven wool fabric that has been shrunk so its thickness isn’t measured in the same way as classic felt. However it similar in weight to our 1mm felt, which would work as a substitution.
Thanks for your question!
Molly
I’m really enjoying putting one of these together 🙂 However I’m confused about why the instructions for stitching the zigzag along the hemmed side of piece A involves ending and starting a new length of thread? I guess I was expecting the indicated length to go all the way across the whole piece. Was this step intended to teach what to do when you run out of thread while doing the zigzag? Anyways, thank you so much for a great tutorial! It’s a brilliant project.
Hi Rika,
Thanks for writing in and for your kind words! For us, the 24 inch length of DMC did not make it across the hemmed side of piece A. If you cut a piece much longer than 24 inches, you may well find it difficult to maneuver when stitching as it can get tangled up on itself easily. Additionally, we did want to include the information about how to start with a new piece of DMC.
I hope that this helps and happy sewing!
Cassy
That makes a lot of sense. Thanks again for such a great pattern. I am making a second one. 🙂
Water Bottle Cover Enthusiasts,
I suggest you have a “To Buy” button at the top of this page, for people who are more interested in buying this cover than making it.
It’s a beautiful design. Simple and minimal. I would love to buy a few, but it appears it is not possible.
Paul Solberg
Hi Paul,
Thanks for writing in! I’m so sorry, we don’t sell these already made, but we do have all of the materials and instructions for you to make one of your own! Thanks for getting in touch!
Best,
Julianna