How to Make a Mason Jar Cozy from an Old Sweater

This easy-to-make mason jar cozy keeps your drink nice and warm while is the perfect upcycled and repurpose project for an old sweater.

We all love mason jars. I even carry my teas around in mason jars when I run errands.

To keep my drinks warm, I always have some mason jar cozies around.

You could knit one or sew one – or repurpose an old sweater and turn that into your mason jar cozy. It’s pretty easy to make!

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What to repurpose?

If you have an old piece of clothing (even with holes in it!), don’t yet throw it out. There are so many things you can do with it. A mason jar cozy, for example. For this project, I am using an old wool sweater that had been partially eaten by moths. You could also use some old, thick socks for this too. Just make sure to wash them beforehand …..

How to make the cozy

First, you need to decide where to “harvest” the cozy from while considering the size and shape of your mason jar.

To keep things simple, I am using one of the sleeves. Unfortunately, both sleeves have holes in them but I’ll just mend those (same technique as for darning socks).

Placing the mason jar on the sleeve, I generously cut it to fit the jar.

Starting to sew

For this, I am using a sewing machine. If you don’t own one or don’t know how to use one, you can perfectly do this by hand. It will just take a bit longer.

First, I am using a zigzag stitch to go around the cut edge of the sleeve.

For this next part, I am creating little folds or pleats. Make sure that you pin the folds in the direction of where you’re sewing. Otherwise, the foot of your sewing machine will get caught in the folds. Then you simply sew over your pleats to keep them in place.

One more time, I am using a zigzag stick around the edge to make everything look a bit more tidy.

Closing the bottom

Now, you’ll have a bit of a gaping hole at the bottom. In order to close it off, I am taking some yarn or thread in a similar color. Starting anywhere, I am going to approximately the opposite side of the hole and keep going back and forth, gently pulling the sides in. Do this until your hole is almost closed – or you’re happy.

Enjoying your mason jar cozy

To finish it off, I recommend ironing the bottom. This will make it nice and flat so that your jars sits straight and won’t tip over.

I am also pretty excited about this lid that I found. It’s not perfectly spill-proof, meaning you can’t tip your jar upside down. Other than that, it keeps your liquids in. It has a little tab. When open, you can drink straight from it or insert a straw. This is the best drinking lid I have found so far. They come in both regular and wide mouth and in different colors. You can find them here.

Also, check out my tutorial on how to sew a tea cozy for your entire teapot!

I would love to hear your comments or questions below!

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