Last week I was busy making some hot water bottle covers that were a custom order destined as presents for some special people.
Firstly, I was asked to make a hot water bottle cover suitable for a 13 year old girl. It could not be too pink or overly girly as the recipient is a bit of a tomboy. This quirky dog fabric from the Best in Show collection by Maude Asbury fitted the brief perfectly. It is so cute! There is also a cat design in this collection if that is more to your taste.
Bespoke hot water bottle cover
A pinky-peach toned spot fabric (shown as the background) was used for the lining and I used Kona solid in Cactus for the binding. The spots were a great choice in another unexpected way. Their fortuitous alignment meant that I could easily quilt the fabric by simply joining up the dots.
Bespoke hot water bottle cover showing lining
The second cover was for someone who I was told would live in The White Company if they could. For the outer cover I chose the white large rose fabric from the Petal collection (sadly now discontinued) by Tanya Whelan.
Bespoke hot water bottle cover
The lining is a sage green spot fabric and I chose a deep red solid for the binding. In this case, I couldn’t take the easy option of just joining the dots when quilting as these spots were irregular. Instead I drew lines on the fabric with a water soluble pen and used these as a quilting guide.
Bespoke hot water bottle cover showing lining
Some might think it a waste to use such lovely fabrics for the lining, especially when it is not on show. I disagree. To me it is a secret surprise only seen when the cover is opened for filling. It is that little extra that makes it more luxurious and a bit special.
When making the covers I used Emma’s fabulous instructions as previously. The only change I made was to quilt the fabric as a block first and then cut the pieces, rather than quilting the pieces individually. I found a block of fabric easier to manipulate on the sewing machine and there was the added bonus that the quilting lines on the pieces matched beautifully (yay!).
Hot water bottle covers make a great gift for people of all ages and at any time of year. Pick colours and fabrics that you know they will love and you will be giving a gift they will treasure. Do get in touch if you’d like to order a customised hot water bottle cover as a gift for yourself or for someone special. I’d love to help you make the perfect present.
cakecardcloth 
These are so pretty Jen. I definitely need to make a cover for my grotty old hot water bottle, although hopefully I won’t be needing it too soon!
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Thanks, Sam. The person who ordered them thought they were pretty special too. You should absolutely make yourself a new hot water bottle cover. It would only take you a couple of hours and think how great it would be to snuggle up with a hottie in a gorgeous new cover when the cold weather arrives.
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These look beautiful Jen, and weirdly I was in Fabric HQ today admiring the very same dog fabric! Like the quilting modification too. Lucky recipients!
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Thanks, Emma. The dog fabric is super cute and so many people have admired it. No wonder Fabric HQ had to order in more of it.
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