In this instructable I show how I made mug warmers made of felt. I just thought about it, and actually it's not really true to call them mug warmers, since they don't warm the mug, or keep the stuff in the mug warmer, they actually only prevent my fingers from being burnt, when I drink out of these mugs without handles. So it should actually rather be called "finger protection". Well, whatever, it's very easy to do, and doesn't take a lot of time. I think it's a nice present, especially now, in the cold winter days. All you need is:

Thick felt (approximately 5 mm thick, I bought 5 different colors)
Thin felt (for the decorative part) (I used colors that would match the colors from the thicker felt)
Sewing machine (also possible to sew it by hand)

Step 1: Cut the Felt Components

Measure the circumference of your mugs. Usually the ones without handle are a bit conically shaped, meaning the circumference above is slightly larger than the one below. Make sure your mug warmers are approximately 1.5 cm (above) and 2.5 cm (below) longer than the circumference of the mug.

I took the mugs from IKEA, which have, I hope, standard size.

Cut out a rectangular piece of from the thick felt (for me: 26.5 x 6 cm). This is the basis for the mug warmer, depending on how many you would like to make, you can cut out more pieces.

After that, you can think of shapes to decorate the mug warmers. I took a star, a crown, a hedgehog, a heart and a bee. To find nice shapes, it might be helpful to think of your family members and what shape fits them most (like the crown for the boss of the house for example).

Now sketch the shapes onto the thinner felt and cut them out. If you don't feel comfortable drawing the shapes free-handed, you might want to use cookie cutter as a template.

Step 2: Sew the Decorative Shapes Onto the Thicker Felt

Now you can attach the decorative shapes by a needle onto the thicker felt. then you can sew them onto the felt. I chose a zig-zag stitch because its easier to sew along the borders of the shapes like this. And it also looks more hand-made :).

The bee was actually supposed to look a lot cuter and less agressive, but the zig-zag stitch made it looke like it had teeth :).

Step 3: Sew the Ends Together

Draw a line onto the mug warmers where you want to sew the ends together. Before you sew the real mug warmers, I would recommend you, to try it on a left over piece of felt first. Draw the sewing line there, and sew it together. Try it on your mug. Maybe you want to adjust the line a bit for your "real" mug warmers.

Sew the "real" mug warmers together. Afterwards (optionally) you can cut the overlaying felt along the seam. Then, place them on your mugs and enjoy a nice cup of tea!

PS: If the circumference of your mugs is longer than your mug warmers, you did not read step 1 carefully enough :).