Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Chocolate Bar Cozies (a tutorial)!

I've never met anyone who didn't enjoy a nice chocolate bar. But I needn't tell you that you can't just hand out a single candy bar and call it a Christmas gift. Unless, of course, that chocolatey goodness comes packaged in it's own sweet little chocolate bar cozy!

This is a great way to turn an inexpensive item into a lovely little gift! You will need the following supplies and about twenty minutes to complete this simple project:

- a large-ish chocolate bar, preferably with a foil inner wrapper
- a thrifted wool sweater, washed and dried with utter disregard for the care instructions on its label (felt that bad boy!)
- a few buttons (I like using vintage buttons)
- embroidery floss, needle and scissors.

Instructions:
Simply measure your chocolate bar (sizes will vary), and cut one piece of felted wool large enough to wrap around it front and back, and the length of the bar. (My cut pieces average about 7x7 inches). You want it to be snug - It's a cozy, after all!
Attach your buttons to the upper right hand corner of the cut piece, leaving about 1/2 inch allowance on each side.
Now line up the top and bottom edge of the wool, right sides facing out, and sew a simple blanket stitch along the top, joining the edges.
You shouldn't need to finish the sides at all, because the felted wool won't run - but go ahead and embellish, if you'd like.
Insert chocolate bar (I remove the paper wrapper first). If the cozy is too loose to support the chocolate bar, cut the bottom edge, trim as needed, and blanket stitch it closed again. And that's it!

I keep a stash of these on hand, wrapped up in vintage wrapping paper, for last minute gifts during the holidays. You should, too! But if you haven't the time, or the inclination, to whip up a batch of these beauties, please stop by my etsy shop - I will have a few available there for purchase.