As some of you already know from one of my past posts: All the Tea in China, I love tea...brewing a pot every morning to have with my breakfast. A good pot of tea needs to brew and that requires keeping it hot; the traditional way to do this is with a tea cozy. I have made quite a few of them - it's fun to use them with different china patterns. I hope this tutorial will inspire you to make one.
I made this improvised pattern (lovely don't you think, but handy) by measuring my largest tea pot, this way it will fit over all of them. It turned out to be 16 inches wide at the bottom; 10 inches high and 7 inches at the sides before the curve. This should fit any regular size tea pot.
Materials:
12 inches of the following plus any trim or accessories to add embellishments; the fun part! All seams are the standard 5/8 inch.
Decorative fabric
Lining fabric; it won't show so you can get a little crazy here.
Pre-quilted fabric (easily available) or a piece of batting. I used quilted fabric. This is a great way to use up some of those odds and ends of left over fabric. The one I used was a sample I bought when I was looking for fabric to use in the kitchen.
Using the pattern as a guide cut out the pieces (two from each fabric) plus a 11/2 X4 inch strip to use as a handle. Sew on the trim. Then, and this is important, cut off 1 inch from the bottom edge of the lining and the quilted pieces...you will see the reason for this later. For ease of handling you can either pin or sew them together. I used a contrasting thread so you could see it better.
You are almost finished...make the handle by folding over the strip and sewing it together. Sew the two lining pieces together and then the two decorative pieces, sandwiching the handle in between at the top. Trim all seams and press. Press a 1/4 inch fold at the bottom of the decorative cover. Then insert the lining inside.
This is where the inch of fabric you cut off comes into play, it will allow you to fold over the bottom of the decorative fabric to use as a facing. Sew either by machine or by hand. Now add any fun, extravagant, pretty, embellishments you want -love this part, I am the "Queen of Embellishment".
C'est beau n'est-ce pas...it's beautiful isn't it? Hope you had fun!
La Vie ~ Adrienne - this is sooooo lovely! & your pics! oh my gosh! stunning! my mom is listening to All the Tea in China (we left our DVD) last time we visited.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I am so happy to hear that other people are enjoying that book...I thought it was so interesting.(-:
ReplyDeleteWhat a BEAUTIFUL tea cozy! Love the tutorial too.
ReplyDeleteOh noes! - another Adrienne. I was reading away and got to the bottom of the post and was startled to see my name. For just a moment I thought, "why does she have myname on the bottom of her post?"
ReplyDeleteThanks for reminding me about the need to make a tea cozy. So typical of an ADD'er. Make a pattern, buy the fabric, and forget about the whole thing!
Yours is gorgeous!!
Hi Adrienne,
ReplyDeleteThanks for leaving such a kind comment on my blog, The Tattered Tassel. You also asked about my little dog, Chui. Chui is a Shih Tzu. Many centuries ago the Chinese bred Laso Apso and Pekineese to make the Shih Tzu. They were bred to protect the Chinese temples of snakes and rats. The breed was not exported to the west until the 1930's and then it was to England. Eventually they made their way to the US. Funny though, because we adopted Chui while we were living in Seoul, Korea. So he is a true Eastern Shih Tzu. We actually have two Shih Tzu's. The other one, Oliver who is from a breeder in Tucson, AZ, is a little too short legged to jump on the table...otherwise he would be up there too!! I love, love, love the breed. They are the cutest little dogs, very well behaved, very smart and the best attribute of the breed...they do not shed. Now that's my kinda dog!!
Oh...I back read your blog and have became a follower. I look forward to reading your postings.
Hope you have a great weekend.
Fondly,
Ann
@
The Tattered Tassel
Now that's pretty... I wish I were more crafty. I love hot tea ,thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAdrienne, such a gorgeous tea cosy and thank you for the detailed instructions. I am a sewer and can definitely see myself making one of these. I love projects where you can make the most of a tiny, beautiful piece of fabric. I never throw any of them away because they can always be used for something. Merci!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your advice on trends... just look at my bathroom santo... but as a whole, I still try to avoid them. My goal is for my interiors to last as long as possible. Thanks for visiting, it is always nice to see your pretty face there.
ReplyDeleteHi Adrienne, Love the tea cozy. It's very pretty and the tutorial was excellent!
ReplyDelete