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

TUTORIAL - the rosedaisy birthday stocking!

Wow - this is my 9th Rosedaisy Tutorial since the full set of 10 patterns was released in May last year!

I wonder how many of them you've made?

Every tutorial is free here on my blog, and the patterns for the stitcheries used in each one are available as single patterns or one complete set HERE....

This month is my own birthday month (in fact I'm just 24 hours away from the blessed event!) so today we'll be making this truly cute birthday stocking.

It's just a ruler's length from the edge of the cuff to the toe-tip when hung like my photo above - perfect for every pretty gal to hang all year round, right?! 

It's the perfect size to fill with jewellery, make-up, perfume, soaps, scarves...girlie gifts.

First you'll need to download the free stocking templates and if you'd like to stitch those pretty Rosedaisy designs on the heel, cuff and tag, you can purchase the pattern for them as well.

Both are HERE in my shop now....

Materials Required:

I stitched my embroideries on white linen, but any solid white cotton fabric would be perfect. 

You'll also need a 13" x 17" cut of feature print (mine is the green) and a fat eighth of a contrast print (mine is the spot), plus 13" x 17" cut of lightweight fusible Pellon.

Okay, let's start!

Cut out the printed shapes from your template sheets. The dotted lines on both pieces of the stocking show where they overlap. Use clear tape to stick them together...

Trace and cut three of the cuff sections from your spot fabric.

Trace one cuff section over the bouquet stitchery block.

(if you're not using the rosedaisy stitchery then you'll need to cut four sections from the spot fabric)

Lay your green fabric down onto the fusible side of your Pellon, and with a warm dry iron fuse the two together.

Lay the stocking template on one half of the fabric...

Draw a pencil line around the outside of the template, 1/4" away from the edge.

This does not have to be perfect, just as close as you can to 1/4"...

Cut the fabric/Pellon in half.

Cut out your stocking shape along the pencil line...

Sorry about the next step as I did not get photos, but - lay the stocking toe over the embroidered rosedaisy toe block. Draw a line around the template onto your stitchery. Remove the template, and draw a free hand curved line over the stitchery from the left edge to the right. Cut away the fabric on the drawn curve, and add a 1/4" buffer to the toe as you cut around it...

Lay the stocking face down on the other half of the green fabric.

Place the embroidered toe section under the stocking toe facing up towards you...

Pin the stocking and stitchery to the fabric below.

Sew around the stocking with a 1/4" seam but leave the top open...

 Cut away the excess fabric and Pellon so that you have just an 1/8" seam all around. 

Cut straight across the top opening.

Turn the stocking right side out...

Now we'll make the cuff.

Sew two fabric cuff sections together down the sides and press the seams open.

Sew the other fabric cuff section to the stitchery cuff section, the same way as above...

 Turn the stitchery cuff right side out.

Place the fabric cuff inside it, wrong sides of both cuff sections together. Line up the side seams for accuracy and pin the pieces together.

From your remaining spot fabric, cut two lengths for  binding.

One should be 2" wide, and the other 2 1/2" wide. 

Fold the 2" wide piece in half like normal quilt binding and press. 

(If you have never made or attached quilt binding before, watch my tutorial HERE to see how to start and finish as that is important to this design)

Sew the binding around the bottom edge of the cuff (the widest part) just as you would attach binding to a quilt...

Press the binding away from the bottom of the cuff...

 ...and turn over to the inside of the cuff and slip stitch using the machine sewn line as an anchor.

Slip the stocking inside the cuff and pin so that the top edge of the cuff and the stocking are sitting equal...

 Use your sewing machine to secure both sections together with a very scant 1/8" seam.

Now pin the 2 1/2" wide length of binding around the top edge of the cuffed stocking and sew in place with a 1/4" seam as you would normal quilt binding...

 Before you press the binding away from the cuff, make a small loop from a piece of your leftover binding lengths. Press the fabric flat again, fold in half wrong sides together, sew a 1/4" seam down the side, turn right side out and press flat.

(I used a 5" length from the 2" wide binding)

Fold in half and place the raw edges of the loop into the top left corner of the stocking with the loop hanging inside the stocking. Sew in place along the raw edge with a 1/4" seam...

Now fold the binding to the inside, and secure with slip stitches as you did previously.

Press the loop up and out of the stocking.

The Label!

Trim the "my birthday stocking" stitchery to 2 1/4" x 3".

Sew a narrow piece of ribbon 7" long and folded in half to make a loop, into the corner as shown...

Lay your label face down on a scrap piece of spot fabric.

Carefully fold the ribbon up so that it is hidden between the fabric and the stitchery. Pin these together.

Sew around the sides of the stitchery with a 1/4" seam, leaving a small opening along one narrow end for turning out...

Trim the excess fabric away from the label.

Turn right side out, press and slip stitch the opening closed...

Final Steps!

Blanket stitch across the curve of the toe stitchery with a single strand of white thread, just catching the fabric and pellon of the stocking front...

...and sew a line of running stitch around the inside edge of the label.

Sew  or pin the top of the ribbon under the cuff to hang your label...

All done!

I hope you enjoy making this pretty gift!

Hugs