How to Make Quick & Easy Koozies from Foam

This is a great play-date, party, or school activity for children. It’s easy enough for a 3-4 year old to help out with and still allows great creativity for older children. Talk about easy gifts or fun decorations for your summer party! Use cheap craft foam, double-sided tape, brads, and stickers and have FUN, FUN, FUN with your children today!

Items you will need include: 11 x 6 Craft foam, scissors, hole punch, stickers, double-sided tape, printer, and 6 brads (optional).

Prior To Making Your Foam Koozie

Wash foam prior to cutting out in warm soapy water. This will allow stickers and double-sided tape to stick better. Allow to dry completely before proceeding.

Print out pattern at http://www.makethemyourself.com/skoozie.html. Click on the photo of the pattern and a PDF file will be opened that you can print out. The pattern has a 1-inch square box to allow you to confirm sizing prior to cutting out the pattern. It may be necessary to enlarge the pattern after printing it out.

Decide if you want to add the brads to the sides of the koozie or not. As long as the foam is pre-washed the sides have a 80-85% chance of remaining sealed. You can add brads and do the tape method, or just do brads. But you will need to decide prior to tracing your pattern. If you are going to do brads you will want to actually punch out the holes in the pattern when you cut it out. This will allow you to mark the punch locations on your foam piece.

Making Your Foam Koozie

Lay your pattern over a piece of foam and trace.

Cut out foam piece and punch out brad locations if marked.

Apply double-sided tape to both edges of the wider side of the koozie. Place the tape on the non-marked (the side you did not trace on) side. Then fold these edges under the shorter piece. Be sure to align holes if you punched any.

Add brads. Open the arms out sideways to prevent catching on anything inserted into the finished koozie.

Decorate with stickers!

Tips

You can purchase brads in tons of fun colors at craft stores, and some department stores, in the scrapbooking section.

If you do not use brads, using border stickers (long thin stickers) that wrap around the entire koozie will help ensure it stays sealed as it should.

When made using brads and no stickers these koozies last a long time and are hand-washable.

About the Author

Misty Marquardt is the designer and owner of Make Them Yourself patterns. She has over 20 years experience sewing with all fabrics and is currently teaching classes on making leather shoes at the University of Texas. Visit her site to check out her pattern line: http://www.makethemyourself.com.