In February 2021, I was contacted by Emma, a local nurse who loves cold water swimming around Shetland (you might have seen her in Island Medics). 

Emma asked me to create a hot water bottle cover with a strap for the neck like an apron, a waistband strap that was easy to attach, and if possible, a hand-warming pouch. We discussed the details, size, and materials over Messenger.

I designed a traditional hot water bottle cover shape with an attached elasticated waistband and a plastic buckle, making it easy to fasten with freezing-cold fingers. It also featured an adjustable neck strap, so it could be worn higher or lower on her front.

The best part was the internal cuddle fleece-lined hand-warming pouch on the front. It was the snuggliest, super soft, cosiest place to warm up her cold fingers after her dip in the frigid winter waters around Shetland.

Since I like to go the extra mile, I also added thermal insulation to the front of the hot water bottle cover, helping to keep it warm longer by directing heat back toward the body. It works, as the feedback I received indicates they stay warm much longer than expected.

After I made Emma’s hot water bottle cover, I thought that would be the end of it—who else would want to wear a hot water bottle cover? Well, the answer turned out to be a LOT of people.

In the first few months after making that first cover, and once they were shared on social media, I was inundated with orders. I had to close my order book on several occasions because I was so overwhelmed with requests.

The Sewing Pattern:

Once the initial craziness calmed down, I decided to create a pattern so that people could make their own covers.  It was a lot of work but worth it. 

I sell it as a PDF on Etsy worldwide, and as a paper pattern.  A contact on Facebook who had her own Sewing for Swimmers group encouraged me to advertise the pattern on her group. 

That turned out to be a stroke of genius, as I’ve sold over 450 copies of the pattern as of December 2024.

Here are some reviews from people who bought the wearable hot water bottle cover or pattern:

• “OMG, I LOVE my hot water bottle cover! Thank you so much!” 😍
• “My friend absolutely adores this for her wild sea swimming and greatly appreciated getting it as a gift.”
• “The hot water bottle cover was a gift for a friend. She was very pleased and praised the careful workmanship and the high-quality materials. Shipping to Germany was absolutely problem-free. Thank you very much!”
• “Fantastic item, really pleased with it—ideal for the bird hide.”
• “This pattern was amazing and made something very daunting easily doable. Full-colour step-by-step instructions held your hand throughout. I can't fault them. I made a cover for my daughter for wild swimming and chose to make all the straps detachable so she could use it in the house as well.”

You can check out all the reviews on Etsy here.

If you would like to experience the warmth and luxury of being warm outside on a bitterly cold day, you can find all the available hot water bottle covers here. There are lots to choose from, with more added each month.