Instructions on How to Sew a Wraparound Teapot Cozy

Handmade wraparound tea cozies can be customized to fit your teapot.

Wraparound tea cozies are often a more practical and less formal alternative to traditional tea cozies, since they allow you to leave the cozy on the teapot while serving tea. Additionally, their construction is very simple, requiring only beginning sewing skills. They use less fabric and insulation than traditional tea cozies, and so can easily be made from scraps or left-over fabric pieces.

Things You'll Need

• Cotton or poly/cotton blend fabric
• Insulating material or quilt batting
• Sewing machine or needle and thread
• Ribbon
• Scissors
• Measuring tape

Instructions

1. Measure the circumference around your teapot, not including the handle or spout. Add 2 inches to this measurement for seam allowances and extra room, and then divide the number in half.

2. Measure the height of your teapot, stopping at the lid, and add 5 inches.

3. Cut four rectangles from your fabric using the measurements taken in Steps 1 and 2. For example, if you have a teapot that is 12 inches around and 6 inches tall, cut four rectangles that are each 7 inches wide and 11 inches tall.

4. Subtract the extra 5 inches from the height of your rectangle, and cut two smaller rectangles from your insulating material or batting. Using the above example, you would cut two rectangles measuring 7 inches wide by 6 inches tall.

5. Sew two fabric rectangles together along the bottom edge and up the sides with the “right” sides of the fabric facing each other, leaving the top open. Repeat this process with the other two fabric pieces. These will be the sides of your wrap-around tea cozy.

6. Turn the two pieces right side out, and insert the batting or insulating material.

7. Fold the top edges of each tea cozy side over 1/4 inch and sew to create a hem.

8. Fold the hemmed edges over until the bottom of the hemmed edge reaches the top edge of your batting or insulating material, and then sew the folded edge to the main fabric piece.

9. Measure 1 inch up from the bottom edge of the fold you’ve just sewn, and sew a straight line across the fabric to create a casing for your ribbon ties.

10. Cut a piece of ribbon that is about 7 inches longer than the circumference of your teapot, and then cut four pieces of ribbon that are 4 inches long each.

11. Sew a piece of 4 inch ribbon to each of the bottom corners on both sides of your tea cozy, about 1 inch up from the bottom edge.

12. Thread your long ribbon through the top casing of one piece, then through the top casing of the other piece.

13. Wrap the tea cozy around your teapot, and tie the ribbon at the top to hold the cozy around the teapot. Alternatively, you can use a single ribbon in each side of the tea cozy and tie both ends together. Then, tie the sides together using the ribbons at the bottom corners, to keep the sides from flapping out.

References

• Table & Kitchen Linens: Tea Cozy Cover