How to make your own DIY Neoprene Koozie

DIY Koozies
Does anyone else love it when you can make something practical, also stylish?  I love projects that end up being both super useful and good looking. That’s why I was stoked to make a tutorial for a DIY neoprene koozie.

My husband and I tend to use koozies every time we are drinking beer at our house.  This may be because I designed a set of grey & mint koozies as our wedding favors, so we have the extras handy, but whatever the case may be: for us, beer = koozie.

So when I was drinking a Coronita the other day (yes, baby Corona if you haven’t seen them), I was kind of bummed that it was swimming around in its koozie. Then I thought — I should make a baby koozie!

This led me down the trail of figuring out how difficult it would be to create a DIY neoprene koozie. Turns out not very hard! If you would like to make your own koozie (or baby koozie), I have both patterns available. The directions are below 🙃.

Materials:

1/2 yd neoprene fabric (I bought this.)
Embroidery thread of your choice
Embroidery needle
Iron-on adhesive
Koozie pattern

Optional:

More embroidery thread! (if you would like to embroider a design on the front)
or if you are making the Good Vibes koozie:
Liquid gold foil
Heat transfer pencil, or similar
Cheap paint brush

Instructions:

Embroider, paint or create whatever design you would like for your koozie on the neoprene fabric. Leave space around it for the koozie pattern. I personally embroidered the cacti one (which I kind of just made up, or I would include directions!) and painted the other with liquid gold foil.  If you would like to create the Good Vibes koozie, see below. If you would like to create your own design, skip to Koozie Instructions.

Good Vibes Pattern

Print the Good Vibes printable.

Hold the Good Vibes printable up to a window, so you are looking at the backside of the paper. (Note, the words will be reversed!) Take your heat transfer pencil and outline the letters. Press hard. You may want to go over it twice.

DIY Neoprene Koozie

Pick a spot on your fabric with plenty of space. Place the printable where you would like the center of your koozie to be. (Leave about ____ inches of space around it.)  The pen outline should be placed directly on the fabric, with the computer-printed side facing you.

Take a hot iron and press for 8-10 seconds. This will transfer the outline onto fabric.

DIY Neoprene Koozie

Now, taking a cheap paint brush and your liquid gold foil, carefully dip the brush into the gold foil and fill in the outlines.

DIY Neoprene Koozie

Let dry!

Koozie Instructions

Print the koozie pattern and cut it out.

Pin the pattern to the neoprene fabric with your design in the center. Using an erasable fabric pen (I just used a regular pen), trace the pattern onto the fabric, giving a 1/4 inch margin all the way around. Cut out.

DIY Neoprene Koozie

DIY Neoprene Koozie

 

Repeat step 8 anywhere on the neoprene fabric, so you will have two. (This is to double the thickness of your koozie.)

Using one of fabric pieces as a pattern, trace the koozie outline onto the iron-on transfer paper. Cut the paper out, so it matches. Then trim so it is about 1/4 inch smaller than the neoprene pieces.
DIY Neoprene Koozie

DIY Neoprene Koozie

With the sticky side down, place onto the neoprene piece without the design. Iron on medium heat for five seconds. Repeat until entire surface is bonded. Cool.

Peel the paper off the iron-on transfer paper.

Place the neoprene fabric piece — the one with the design — on top, carefully matching the two together.

Flip over and iron. Trim edges.

DIY Neoprene Koozie

Pin one side of the koozie together.DIY Neoprene Koozie

Take the embroidery thread and needle, and zigzag stitch the side together.

DIY Neoprene Koozie

Repeat on the other side.

You are done! Enjoy!

&nbps;
DIY Neoprene Koozie
DIY Neoprene Koozie
DIY Neoprene Koozie
DIY

Interested in other sewing DIYs? Check out this tutorial on how to make your own woven charger plates.

 

Enjoy these printables?

Check out the latest and best printables in my new Etsy shop! All designs are immediately available for download and most are under ten bucks!