Saturday 6 April 2013

Making a Tea Cosy - Stage 3


Finished!  Thank you QuiltE for the lovely fabric!

And well done QuiltE and Gavin, both of whom spotted a tea cosy in the making.

Hiding underneath the cosy is a two and a half pint teapot...



... but the cosy can stand up on its own when there is nothing underneath it.

Here is the method:-



First, round off the top corners of the two quilted panels.  Cutting round this 6 and a half inch plate gives a nice curve.



Make a loop and machine stitch it in place at the top centre of one on the panels, stitching about an eighth of an inch from the edge.



Stitch panels together a generous quarter of an inch from the edge.  For the backing when quilting I used a lightweight cotton and synthetic mixed fabric that has been in the cupboard for years. Because I am lining this tea cosy this fabric is not going to show and I can happily leave the loose ends of thread hanging on the back. 



When the seam is done, machine stitch an eighth of an inch from each side of the seam line.



These two extra lines of stitching keep the edges flat on the inside and the tea cosy will keep its shape once you turn it the right way out. 



For the lining I used thermal curtain lining.  I cut two pieces 12 and an eighth by 8 and three quarter inches, and rounded off the top corners with the plate..

This stuff is stiff, with one fluffy side, and is very fray resistant, so I can get away with sewing just over an eighth of an inch from the edge.  I sewed them with the two smooth sides together.  On the picture they are already sewn together, so it is the fluffy side that is showing.
  
I have used more yielding thermal curtain lining in the past that has a slight tendency to fray, but I prefer the stiff variety.



Next I slid the lining into the cosy.  It was a good snug fit.



Now for the trickiest bit.  The lining and the outer shell are never exactly the same size.  The lining seemed a bit tight, so I hand sewed some running stitches at the edge of the quilted outer shell to gather it slightly.  Then I did two parallel lines of machine stitching with a large stitch to tack the two edges together before adding the binding.



That gave a firm easy edge to work with when binding the bottom edge.

I dread to think how many gallons of tea I got through when working on this cosy.

This post is being linked up with the Let's Get Acquainted Monday Link Up at Plum and June, hosted this week by Nat at Made in Home, so you can visit lots of other blogs showing interesting projects.

9 comments:

  1. Absolutely splendid!!! )
    Another thing in common with you, Muv, as I too am a profound tea drinker.

    Now I wonder what is going to happen with the rest of your FFC fabric? aaahh a new challenge begins!!!! :)

    Best Regards, Elaine

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wonderful - I am a big fan of tea cosies (and tea pots), and your cosy is gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That's a very petty tea cosy!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hello Muv
    This is a great quilting project. Quite a few techniques show-cased there - I lost count at five. I really like your use of colour here.

    I too measure/drink tea by the pint. Coincidentally I spent some of this weekend using bicarb and boiling water to bring my stainless steel teapots back to shiny as-new condition on the inside. I could hardly believe how well it worked - no scouring required.

    Hugs
    G

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, please do tell this Canuck tea drinker what your bicarb and boiling water method is?
      Thanks ... QuiltE

      Delete
  5. can never have enough tea cozies. love it!

    visiting from made in home :D

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great tea cozy! I bet the thermal curtain lining keeps the tea hot. I may have to make one as I am drinking my tea cold more often than not. Thanks for the tutorial.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Very neat!!! I Love tea too--especially with a good dollop of honey! And my kids drink it 'watered' down with milk! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great tutorial, and tip with the double stitching to keep the shape! Thanks for sharing on let's get acquainted!

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...