DIY Friday: Heat-Resistant Hair Straightener Cozy

I am the kind of girl who will pack for a trip a day or so ahead of time.  It's one part excitement and one part control-freak that causes me to do that.  But on my bathroom counter, I always leave the few items I'll need to use before packing in the morning.  One of those things is always my straightener.  I have curly, frizzy hair.  I need that puppy for my bangs and flyaways.  Without it, there is chaos.  With it, there is hair harmony.  Yet, I'm always delayed in leaving the next day or in peril of forgetting this precious styling tool, because I don't want to throw it in my bag and have it melt my favorite shoes or burn my favorite pair of underwear.  Don't laugh-- you know you have that favorite pair you wear when you're feeling good.

So when I saw this tutorial for straightener cozy on Pinterest, I knew I had to make it.  This seemed like the simplest tutorial (there are several, so look around if you want something more challenging).  Now, I can sew, technically speaking.  I know how to thread it all up, make the machine go, and sew fabric together and have it not unravel.  But what I can't do, and the reason I don't sew very often, is troubleshoot when something goes wrong, and/or hold it together when I can't figure out what the heck is wrong with my machine.  I lack patience, essentially. 

I don't really think I overestimated my sewing abilities when I attempted this project.  I really think I could have done it expertly if I had been a little more patient and my machine hadn't been finicky/weird.  But, I did make the cozy.  And another one for my curling iron.  Mine were done cheaply and quickly (I finished both in about an hour).  So here's my version-- the ghetto version-- in case you're interested.  If you want a classy one, be sure your machine works and you are patient, then follow the tutorial.  I've been known to deviate from a tutorial when I think I know how to do it faster.  So that's why mine turned out more ghetto.  I mean, they look fine from far away-- basic, but fine.  But up close?  Well, let me just ask you to not look at them up close, OK?

Supplies:

• Oven mitt-- I bought a bulky one from the Dollar Tree for $1.  I'd suggest a thinner one that's not actually a mitt, but a square.
• Fabric-- your choice.  I used quilting-type cotton fabric I had leftover from Bestie Jr.'s baby shower.
• Thread
• Needle
• Fabric Scissors
• Pins
• Sewing Machine (technically optional)

Basically, both cozies cost me $1 to make, as I made them out of one oven mitt and used fabric I already had.  Can't beat that.

I apologize for the lack of pictures during these steps.  I don't think you should necessarily follow my directions-- check the original.  This is just for the ghetto version or if you want to know how my brain works.  Wait, why would you want to know that; that's weird.

First, I put my straightener on the oven mitt and eyeballed how big the cozy should be.  I wanted a tight fit.  I cut out the size I wanted out of the mitt, giving me two pieces of heat-resistant material.  I ripped the original fabric off the mitt and then just had the quilted batting left.  Well, one side ripped off.  The other was fused to the batting, so I left it.  Oh well. 

Maybe if you have an awesome sewing machine, you can sew through the thick heat-resistant fabric.  But I don't.  So I hand-sewed the two pieces together, leaving one small size open, through which my straightener will go.

Then place your little pocket on your fabric (inside out fabric-- have the inside facing up), and cut out the fabric, leaving about an inch on every side.  I then pinned the fabric together around the pocket (again, inside of the fabric facing up), as close to the pocket as possible without pinning it to the pocket.  I then pulled out the pocket, leaving me with a fabric pocket now.

I used my machine to sew up the sides with the pins.  Here is where my machine had a conniption.  I don't know why it hated me, but it did.  I had to really soothe it before it would help me out.  Then I trimmed the excess fabric and thread, and turned the pocket out so now it had the pretty side of the fabric up, and it was a perfect pocket. 

Stuff your insulated pocket inside the fabric pocket.  Fold the excess top fabric inside, and then I hand-sewed it to the insulation, finishing the top.  And done.

I did the same for the curling iron, as well.  My version leaves the cords free, but that wasn't my concern-- I just didn't want it melting anything.

It's functional and kind of cute (in a plain kind of way) from far away.  And oh-so-cheap.  Maybe one day I'll attempt this the right way.  But until then, there you go.  Why don't you try your hand at it?


PS: don't judge my old, crappy straightener.

xoxo, A