Wild Things Hottie – Pandas, Hot Water Bottles, and Being Sick

I’m back with another One Thimble Issue 14 (*affiliate link) make today!  The Wild Things Hottie cover by Twig & Tale couldn’t have come at a better time.  Bean has been sick this week and a Panda hot water bottle cover would be just the thing to cheer her up. This post contains affiliate links, but all opinions are mine.

I must confess that I don’t ever remember using a hot water bottle, but a couple of months ago I thought it might be a nice thing to have and I was hooked from the first use.  So of course I was excited to see the OT14 was going to have a fun hot water bottle cover!

As has been my experience with all Twig & Tale patterns, this one went together easily and was fully detailed.  These cute arms can either be appliqued down or made to snap on and off in front.  It’s a nonfunctional detail, but oh so cute and I definitely didn’t want to leave it out.  Plus Bean has some tactile thing where I knew she’d enjoy snapping and unsnapping them over and over, hehe.

The back has an envelope closure which also has snaps (or buttons) to secure the hot water bottle inside.

Have you guys ever thought of covering your snaps with fabric??  It hadn’t even crossed my mind until I saw the article in Issue 14 showing how to do it!  I’m completely in love with this idea and know I’ll use this trick in the future.  I used the same plastic snaps as I did for the paws on the front, but covered them with the polka dot fabric to make them stand out a bit.  Genius tip and just one of the few things I’ve learned over the years from the articles in One Thimble!  All the more reason to get the whole ezine vs the stand alone pattern.

Here is how my hot water bottle fits inside before I’ve closed the end.  It’s a perfect fit and easy to get in and out for cleaning.  I know there’s some controversy about whether or not it’s safe to use a hot water bottle, so here is what I do to fill ours:  I boil the water and then let it sit off the stove for 10 minutes.  That way any yuckies from the tap water are boiled out, the water is hot, but not so hot that it would burn if the water came out.  The twist stop at the top of the bottle is very secure and I don’t imagine it would start to leak, but just in case I think it’s safest to wait the time for the water to cool just a bit.  It is still PLENTY warm and cozy and the warmth lasts way longer than I’d expect it to.

This is the Hot Water Bottle (*affiliate link) we use.  It seems to be holding up well and we’ve been really happy with it.  It’s easy to fill with the large funnel shape up top and it doesn’t want to fill with too much air which makes it easy to “burp.”

And most importantly Bean is smitten with her new Panda Hottie Cover.  She’s still under the weather, but her fever is gone so a warm friend to cuddle with is so special.

The fabrics I used for the cover are just right for snuggling too.  The grey is a sweatshirting and the white is a soft microfleece.  Both were scrap pieces so the pattern is a great scrap buster project. (speaking of fabric, that lovely dress in this fabric from Girl Charlee is another sneak peek of a new DbCA pattern in the works!)

This weekend is the last chance to get the full One Thimble Issue 14 (*affiliate link) Early Bird Bonus so grab it quickly.  Or you can always purchase the stand alone Wild Things Hottie here (*affiliate link).  Here’s to taking the rest of the weekend to rest (and enjoy a little downtime reading over One Thimble)!