The best part of a coffee cozy is that...well...it's cozy. I'm a tea drinker and if you've ordered a loose tea from a coffee shop and been handed that super hot, paper cup without a cozy then you know cozies aren't just about branding. Channeling my inner Goldilocks, I tested possible core materials to make a cozy that isn't too hot, isn't too cold, but is just right.
My husband and I regularly use coffee cozies that I sewed up years ago. I didn't worry about longevity as I figured if we wore them out I'd simply make more. We've used ours without any issues...but we've never had to launder them...and with cores of crafting felt I'm not sure that would go very well. With my future customers in mind, I began the hunt for core material that would stand up to light washing AND provide the right amount of temperature control.
Like most sewists I know, I have a collection of fabrics that surpass the direct needs of any given project...ok I'm a bit of a hoarder. So I dove into my stash and came up with Warm & Natural cotton batting, fusible fleece, and fleece (this one has been in my stash a while it's from JoAnns and was called "Winter Fleece").
First Impressions
I made four cozies with the following cores: 1) two layers of fusible fleece, 2) one layer of fleece, 3) one layer of Warm & Natural, and 4) two layers of Warm & Natural. The fusible fleece was nice to work with it as it made construction just a bit easier having the core fused to the main fabric but it makes a rather fluffy feeling cozy. The regular fleece holds it's shape well so it was second best in ease of use. Warm & Natural has a little more stretch to it so was the more difficult of the three. Just from feel, I could tell that one layer of fusible fleece wouldn't suffice. With the Warm & Natural, I constructed one with a single layer before deciding it felt too thin and made a second with two layers.
Heat Test
Time to put the kettle on the stove. I used five of the same reusable plastic cups. One for each cozy and one without a cozy. I poured freshly boiled water into each cup. A quick lift of each cup to get a sense of how the heat felt and I found...bare cup way too hot, single layer of Warm & Natural too warm, two layers of fusible fleece was a bit warmer than I liked but it would be okay, both regular fleece and two layers of Warm & Natural were comfortable.
To approach this test a little more scientifically, I used an infrared thermometer to measure the temperature on the outside of the cup.
Bare Cup: 165°F
Single Layer of Warm & Natural: 142°F
Two Layers of Fusible Fleece: 136°F
Fleece: 131°F
Two Layers of Warm & Natural: 131°F
Now keep in mind this is near boiling water so 200°F or more. A home coffee maker will give you coffee at roughly 200°F. A latte will be served around 155-160°F. If you're making yourself a cozy and you only drink lattes then any of these options may work fine. But, if you're like me and you like to a grab a cup of black tea to go for a walk, you'll be more comfortable with fleece or two layers of Warm & Natural. If you're undecided between the two, please consider that Warm & Natural is 87.5% cotton while fleece is 100% synthetic.
Special Note:
One product I didn't have on hand so it was not included in my test is Insul-bright. It is used in such items as potholders and ironing pads. I personally like my coffee cup to feel warm and cozy so this much extra insulation seems unnecessary. Also, Insul-bright makes a crinkly noise from the mylar content. However, if you are making a cozy with the express purpose of keeping your drink warmer longer (or your iced drink colder longer) Insul-bright may be worth a try.
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