How to Make an Ice Pack Cover

Turn an old towel into an ice pack cover, so your skin stays protected and dry when you’re icing injuries. It fits over the ice pack like a decorative pillowcase, so it won’t slip off when you’re using it.

Since ice packs come in lots of different sizes, I came up with a simple formula that you can use to create the size you need.

Ice Pack Cover Tutorial

What You’ll Need:

An old towel (flannel or fleece will also work)
Thread
A ruler
Scissors
Sewing pins or sewing clips
A sewing machine (This is the machine that I have)

Optional (but nice to have):

An air or water-soluble marker
A self-healing cutting mat
A rotary cutter (This is the one I have)

What You Do:

Measure the length and width of the ice pack that you’d like to create a cover for.

Add three inches to the width. Multiply the length by two and add six inches. These are your cut measurements. Cut a piece out of your towel this size.

My ice pack was 5.5″ x 6″. So, my cut size was 8.5″ x 18″.

Note: I designed the cover to be roomy, so it would be easy to slide on and off. It’s an inch bigger than the ice pack on all sides. If you want a snugger fit, just size the cover down accordingly.

Lay the towel out on your work surface, right-side down. Create a double-fold hem on both ends by folding the end up a 1/2-inch, then folding it over another 1/2-inch. Hold in place with pins or sewing clips.

Sew along the edge of the hem to secure.

Then, spread the towel back out on your work surface, right-side up. Mark the center of the towel. Then, mark 1/2-inch from center, in each direction.

Fold the left edge over, until it meets the mark furthest to the right. Fold the right edge over, until it meets the mark furthest to the left. This will create a one-inch overlap at the opening, so your ice pack isn’t visible when it’s in the cover.