Friday, March 20, 2015

Let's make a tea cosy!


It's the tenth and final Rosedaisy Design tutorial today and we're going to make a Tea Cosy!
I've really enjoyed the last ten months, sharing the many different ways you can use all the stitchery designs inside THIS pattern set, and I hope you've found them wonderfully fun and useful too.

The single pattern for the 'TEA' applique/stitchery' is HERE if you'd like to make it a feature of your tea cosy, but it's not essential as you can make this project with plain fabric or a stitchery of your own preference.

Are you ready to sew!?
Let's get started then!

You will need:

One, 10" x 16" rectangle of fabric for the front of the Cosy
One, 10" x 16" rectangle of contrast fabric for the back of the Cosy 
Two, 10" x 16" rectangles of fabric for the lining
Two, 10" x 16" rectangles of medium weight fusible Pellon
One, 2 1/2" x 36" length of fabric for the binding
One small button
Tea Cosy template for tracing the shape

NOTE: you could use scraps of quilt wadding instead of the Pellon if you like but it won't allow the Cosy to hold it's shape as well.

**Download the free tea cosy template HERE and cut out the shape**


Fold the fabric for the front of the Cosy in half and place the 'fold' line of your template in line with the fabric's fold. Either pin the template to the fabric or place a weighted object on top to hold the paper and fabric together.
Cut around the curved line...

When you open out the front of your Cosy it should look like this...

Repeat this process with the lining fabric pieces, and the contrast fabric for the back of your Cosy.
Fuse the front and back of your Cosy onto the pieces of Pellon with a warm dry iron, BUT only fuse the centre area as you do not want your iron to run onto the adhesive of the Pellon.
Fusing the centre will hold the fabric and Pellon together well enough for now...

(note: I used scrap bits of Pellon which is why they are an odd shape in the photos!)

You should now have a pile of pieces like this....

Trim away the excess Pellon from the front and back sections of the Cosy and iron them again, right to the edge...

Lay the front and back sections on top of each other, right sides together, and pin around the curve...

Sew around the curve with a 1/4" seam. A walking foot is preferable for this step if you have one as it 'walks' all those layers under the presser foot beautifully...

Repeat this step with your two pieces of lining fabric...

Turn the outside of your Cosy the right way round, pushing gently from the inside along the curve for a nice smooth shape...

Place the lining inside the Cosy so that the wrong side of the lining covers the Pellon...

Make a length of binding from the 2 1/2" x 36" piece of fabric...

...and attach around the bottom of the Tea Cosy.
(I have a binding tutorial HERE if you have never made or attached any before)

When you've finished attaching the binding press it away from the Cosy and over to the inside. Secure with clips or pins and slip stitch in place with a thread the same colour as your binding fabric.

Sew a button into the centre top of your Tea Cosy.
This secures the lining to the outer Cosy, as well as giving you something to grip as you lift the Cosy off your tea pot.
You are all done!

This Tea Cosy is a simple project to sew and would make a wonderful gift, or perhaps you're planning a bundle of them for yourself?
One for each day of the week...now that would be fun!

Next week I'll share a bit about afternoon teas, cosies, and my Nana.
In the meantine, have a fabulously lovable and laughter-filled weekend...and brew some tea!
hugs


15 comments:

Tiny Toadstool Cottage said...

Oh, I love it! And it has a toadstool on it - perfect!

Ju said...

Olá Jenny!
Lindo, muito lindo. Obrigada por compartilhar!
Beijos
Ju

Betty said...

That is so cute. I will have to put one on my to make list.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for a wonderful tutorial! This will go on my list for my personal Christmas Club.

TerriSue said...

Love your colors! I'm a red person. My kitchen is a bright yellow that I then painted a red daisy border on. The design is great also. I'm thinking I might have to get the whole Rosedaisy collection. You have so much in it. My tea cozy has seen better days. It might be time to retire it and treat myself to a new one with your design on it. That way I would be reminded of you that much more to send prayers heavenward.

Julie said...

That is just beautiful Jenny, I have started making tea in a pot again after just using teabags in the cups. It tastes much nicer. Your polka dot teacups ... OH MY !!!!! Hope you have a wonderful weekend too dear Jenny.

selina said...

beautiful cozy! & a very simple tutorial! i understood every bit of it, not into sewing but it's one of the things i want to do more of in the future too
thanx for sharing

Ondrea said...

Very cute. My teapot is only a small one so I may need to adapt it. Thanks for the tutorial.

Lynn B said...

Ooo Jenny, another fabulous design, looking forward to making this one!

MissParker said...

Coucou Jenny ... FĂ©licitations, c'est magnifique !!!!!!!!!!!!
Bises, bon week-end

Sparky said...

and I love the dotted service, toadstool now that is not something you see everyday...love that.

Createology said...

Thank you very much for this lovely Tea Cozy to create. Yours is Blissful Gentle Domesticity.

Elvira said...

Gracias por el tutorial te ha quedado precioso y muy practico
Besos

Allcrafts said...

Lovely pattern - as is all your creativity - sadly when I click on the link for the teapot cover template, it is not listed in Craftsy that I can see - I've been through all 7 pages a number of times.

Can you please help me find the template?

Thank you.

Louise

Jenny of Elefantz said...

Louise, I'll add the template back later today. :-)