22 OCTOBER 2016 Sewing World

PROJECT Folksy Tea Cosy

Folksy Tea Cosy

MATERIALS• 30cm Essex Yarn Dyed

Linen in Flax for front and

back

• Acrylic felt squares

(I used royal blue, wine,

red, lime, baby blue and

gold)

• 30cm contrast fabric for

lining, loop and binding

• 30cm calico/sheeting

• 30cm compressed

wadding or Insul Bright

heat resistant wadding

• 25cm Bondaweb

• 40cm of decorative trim

(optional)

• White embroidery floss for

the birds’ eyes

• Basting spray (505)

• Silicon sheet or

greaseproof paper

• Darning foot (if using the

free motion sketching

technique)

DESIGNED BY JUDITH HOLLIES

TO CUT See pattern sheet for pattern pieces

(for bespoke measurements, see Made

to Measure section)

Linen fabric:– Cut 2 front/back on fold (for outer

body)

Contrast fabric:– Cut 2 front/back on fold (for lining)

– Cut 1, 7.5cm x 15cm for loop

– Cut 1, 6.5cm x 112cm for binding

Wadding:– Cut 2 front/back on fold

Calico:– Cut 2 front/back on fold

TO SEW

1 Using the templates provided

(see pattern sheet), trace the

appliqué pieces onto the paper

side of the Bondaweb. Leave

1.5cm gaps between each shape

when tracing.

2 Cut the shapes out wider than the

pencil line. Iron these onto the

corresponding felt pieces. When

cooled, cut the shapes out on the

pencil line and peel off the paper

backing.

GOOD TO KNOW• All measurements assume cuts

from 112cm wide bolts.

• Finished size (using template) is approximately 29cm x 23cm.

• Assume 1cm seams throughout, unless advised otherwise.

• When using Bondaweb, protect your iron and ironing board by placing a silicon sheet/greaseproof paper down fi rst.

MADE TO MEASUREHow to measure your teapot for a bespoke fi tting tea cosy:

1 Measure your teapot’s circumference (around widest part - handle,

middle and spout). Your tea cosy needs be much bigger than a flat

measurement might indicate. Divide the circumference by two and add

two inches. This gives you some ease plus seam allowances. This is

your fabric width.

2 Measure over your teapot. Start from the work surface at the front, over the

lid and down to the work surface at the back. Divide this measurement by

two and add three inches. This is the height for all pieces.

3 Using these measurements, cut out as per main instructions. Use a

round plate/bowl to curve the top corners of all pieces

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Folksy Tea Cosy PROJECT

USE THE ‘MADE TO MEASURE’ INSTRUCTIONS OR THE TEMPLATE PROVIDED TO CREATE THIS SCANDINAVIAN INSPIRED TEA COSY AND KEEP YOUR TEA WARM IN STYLE. PLAY WITH THE COLOUR SCHEME TO MATCH YOUR DECOR; ALTERNATIVELY IT WOULD MAKE

A GREAT HOUSE WARMING GIFT!

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24 OCTOBER 2016 Sewing World

PROJECT Folksy Tea Cosy

3 Iron the main front piece in half

vertically. Position the appliqué

shapes centrally, referring to the

image for layout and iron in

place.

4 Spray baste the front, wadding

and calico together, ensuring

right sides are facing out and the

shiny side of the Insul Bright

wadding is towards the heat

source i.e facing away from the

outer fabric. Repeat for the three

back layers.

5 Appliqué the shapes through all

layers. I used the free-motion

machine embroidery method

which produces a sketchy

appearance. To do this drop the

feed dogs on your machine and

use a darning foot. You could

also blanket stitch around the

edges by hand or machine if

prefered.

6 Embroider a few French knots for

the birds’ eyes.

7 Make the hanging loop. With

wrong sides together iron the

strip in half lengthways. Open out

and press the long sides up to

the centre crease. Press in half

lengthways again and sew down

both long sides, 3mm from the

edges. Bring both short ends

together and machine tack

across the short ends.

8 Machine tack the loop onto the

centre top edge of the tea cosy

front, with the loop pointing

down.

9 Sew decorative trim across the

back of the tea cosy (optional).

10 Pin the front and back pieces

right sides together and sew

around the sides and top, leaving

the bottom open. Carefully snip

the curves at 1cm intervals. Turn

right side out and press. Repeat

to make the lining but do not turn

right side out.

11 Place the lining into the tea cosy

so that wrong sides are together

and the side seams are aligned.

Pin around the lower edge,

machine tack.

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Folksy Tea Cosy PROJECT

12 With wrong sides together, iron

the binding strip in half

lengthways. Start at the back of

the tea cosy and match raw

edges. Leaving a 13cm length

unsewn at the start, attach the

binding using 1cm seam

allowance. Stop sewing just short

of the start of the binding so you

have a gap of approx. 7cm and

remove from the machine.

13 To join the binding ends, mark

where the two pieces meet with a

crease or chalk line. Open out

the ends and pin right sides

together. Stitch along the marked

line and cut off excess binding.

Finger press the seam open and

refold the binding in place. Stitch.

14 Press the binding out flat and fold

it over the raw edges to the

lining. Finish sewing the binding

down by ‘stitching in the ditch’

from the front side.

Judith Hollies is a self-

employed ‘40 something’ mum of three

daughters! She teaches patchwork,

quilting and sewing in Belfast and talks

about her creative endeavours on her

website www.justjude-designs.com

STOCKIST DETAILS Essex Yarn Dyed Linen –

www.justjude-designs.com

Calico, wadding and quilting cotton –

Quilter’s Quest, www.quiltersquest.co.uk,

tel: 02890 454745

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