Merchant & Mills hot water bottle cover made with sherpa fleece and Fableism woven lining and ties.

I had at least half a yard left of main and binding fabric leftover after making my sherpa fleece Ara Overcoat (post coming soon), so I decided to sew up a hot water bottle cover. This project comes together quickly and is great for using up leftover fabric in your stash. It’d make a cozy and practical gift when paired with a ~correctly~ sized hot water bottle (see Sewing Notes below).

Pattern Notes

Merchant & Mills Hot Water Bottle Cover (free!)

This pattern is rated by Merchant & Mills as Intermediate, but I think Confident Beginner may be more accurate. The trickiest bit is sewing the curves with an accurate seam allowance, but it’s doable!

The instructions can be confusing at times because it switches back and forth between the four different views—pay close attention to the headings.
The shading indicating the right and wrong sides of the fabric in the diagrams is the opposite of what I’m used to, so be sure to check the legend.

Fabric & Supplies

Main fabric: Gordon Fabrics Maxine Sherpa Fleece in Pinot (480 gsm / 14.1 oz)
Lining fabric and contrast ties: Fableism Supply Co. Canyon Springs Basket Weave in Soft Pink (155 gsm / 4.5 oz)
Walking foot and edgestitch foot
Schmetz Microtex 80/12 needle

View & Modifications

The cover can be made a) bound or bagged out and b) lined or unlined for a total of four views. I made the bagged out & lined version.
One size
No modifications

Here’s a peak at the cute Fableism lining.

Sewing Notes

For sewists in the U.S., the seam allowance is 1 cm (0.39”), or approximately 3/8.”
FYI: Even with a lining, the bagged out version still has a visible seam allowance on the inside of the cover that needs to be finished (I used a serger). I assumed that the lined version would enclose all of the raw edges and seam allowances but that wasn’t the case.
I should have compared the finished measurements on the pattern with my hot water bottle before cutting my fabric. The pieces looked like the perfect size for my Sänger 2L bottle (also available at Boston General Store) but unfortunately the cover is too short to fit the bottle unfilled. I’m using the cover for my Sänger 0.8L bottle instead, even though it’s a bit roomy.

Finished measurements according to the pattern: 14.25” tall x 9.5” wide
Finished object measurements: 14” x 9.5”
2L hot water bottle (unfilled): 14.5” x 8”
0.8L hot water bottle (unfilled): 11” x 6.25”

I did confirm that I printed the pattern at the correct scale and cut my pieces accurately. Maybe I could have squeezed the bottle in if my fabric had been less bulky. Maybe I was too liberal with my seam allowances? Maybe hot water bottles are made in different sizes and I should have double-checked!

Cover with 0.8L hot water bottle

Size comparison: cover with 2L and 0.8L bottles

Notes for Next Time

Add a bit of length to the front, back top, and back lower pattern pieces to ensure that my 2L hot water bottle will actually fit!
If I used a sherpa fleece again, I might make an unlined version instead to save some time, though I do really enjoy the pop of color from the lining.

Keep In Touch

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I should have compared the finished measurements on the pattern with my hot water bottle before cutting my fabric. The pieces looked like the perfect size for my Sänger 2L bottle (also available at Boston General Store) but unfortunately the cover is too short to fit the bottle unfilled. I’m using the cover for my Sänger 0.8L bottle instead, even though it’s a bit roomy.

Finished measurements according to the pattern: 14.25” tall x 9.5” wide
Finished object measurements: 14” x 9.5”
2L hot water bottle (unfilled): 14.5” x 8”
0.8L hot water bottle (unfilled): 11” x 6.25”

I did confirm that I printed the pattern at the correct scale and cut my pieces accurately. Maybe I could have squeezed the bottle in if my fabric had been less bulky. Maybe I was too liberal with my seam allowances? Maybe hot water bottles are made in different sizes and I should have double-checked!

Cover with 0.8L hot water bottle

Size comparison: cover with 2L and 0.8L bottles