My wife and I will be buying a house somewhere in the near future. Whenever she asks me what kind of neighborhood I want to live in, I just say, “One within walking distance of a coffee shop.” That’s my only criteria, because that’s how much I love coffee. Right now we live in an apartment in a busier part of the city, so most of my coffee is to-go, and grabbed on foot. Which is where this DIY leather coffee sleeve come into play… 
For now, I don’t live in a house within walking distance of a coffee shop. I live in an apartment within walking distance of like 20 coffee shops. It’s a caffeine-lovers dream, really. I don’t know if you can call “grabbing coffee” a hobby, but if you could, I’d be the most skilled at that hobby. Even though I get a lot of coffee, I don’t always remember to grab a reusable cup prior to a coffee run. A coffee sleeve, though, is small enough to keep in my coat pocket. It helps cut down on a little bit of waste, plus it’s cute and let’s everyone know that I am definitely not drinking tea.
Because I live in an apartment and not a house, there’s not a lot of heavy duty crafting happening at my place. Tools are loud, and the walls in my building are thin. I had never even considered doing any mechanical etching, sanding, etc. before I got my hands on the tool I used to etch this leather coffee sleeve. You guys – it’s so quiet. And it’s small, so it’s not intimidating at all. The Dremel® Stylo+? 10/10, would etch again. Keep reading to see how I made a reusable coffee cup sleeve to keep my hands cool and my drink hot.
Materials
- Dremel® Stylo+ tool, plus engraving accessories
- Scrap leather
- Leather coffee sleeve template (print out here)
- Sharp utility knife
- Pencil or pen
- Hammer, a small nail, and a scrap piece of wood
- Embroidery floss and needle
- Safety glasses
Step
Print out the Leather Coffee Sleeve template, cut out the template, and trace the shape of the cup sleeve onto to the back of a piece of scrap leather.
Step
Use a sharp utility knife (or a sharp pair of scissors) and cut out the shape of the sleeve.
Step
Line the template back up with the cut piece of leather, both the leather and the template facing right side up. Trace over the lettering lightly with a pencil. This will leave an indentation in the leather.
Affix the leather to your work surface (using clamps or tape, just so it doesn’t move while you’re trying to work on it), and throw on a pair of safety goggles. Following the indention, etch over the design using the Dremel® Stylo+ tool.
While this tool is small, take the same precautions as you would with a larger power tool (because while it’s small, it’s still powerful!). When switching out the accessories, make sure to unplug the Dremel® tool. And always wear some type of protective eyewear. Safety first!
Step
Lay the leather on a scrap piece of wood, and use the small nail to press a few equally-spaced holes along the edge of strap. After you’ve marked your holes, hammer the nail through each mark to puncture the leather and create a hole to stitch through. Line up the other edge of the strap with the punctured one, and press the same number of holes onto the other side. Puncture through these holes with a hammer and nail as well.
Step
Thread your needle with embroidery floss, and stitch into one of the bottom holes. Leave a few inches of floss at the first hole (so you can tie it up at the end). Stitch across as you go up the edge of the cuff, joining the strap together. Once you’ve reached the top, turn around and stitch down, going through each pair of holes again. Once you’ve reached the bottom, tie the ends of the thread together in a knot.
Oh, coffee. I really do love you. There are few things that I will always agree to no matter the time or place, but coffee is one of those things. It doesn’t even matter the kind of coffee. Espresso shots, mochas, drip coffee, crappy gas station cappuccinos… just give me caffeine. I’m drinking an almond milk latte right now as I write! What a coincidence.
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