By ALDONA BIRD
Newsroom@DominionPost.com
Just imagine, sitting outdoors on a beautiful morning, birds chirping, flowers blooming. You pour yourself another cup of coffee or tea and take a sip — and it’s tepid.
The season for drinking morning coffees and afternoon teas on porches is upon us. If you notice the pot of your preferred beverage cools before you finish enjoying it, this DIY is for you.
This is a quick and easy sewing machine project – it’s a great introductory project to get comfortable with your machine. More advanced sewers can have fun trying decorative stitches or decorative techniques on cozies.
Hand sewing will take a few minutes longer, but is still a straightforward project.
To make a teapot or French press cozy, you will need:
- fabric (outer, lining and thicker for
- middle layer)
- scissors
- thread
- sewing machine
- decorating trim, optional
Pick outer fabric to suit your style — non-stretch is best. The lining fabric can be the same, or a complimentary color or pattern. Using a medium-weight knit or flannel for the inner layer provides extra insulation and an opportunity to make use of scraps of old pajamas or a sweater.
Measure the pot you want to wrap up snugly. If making a French press cozy, measure the height and the circumference, minus the handle. For a teapot measure half the circumference, and the height — measure including the curve.
You can make a paper pattern based on your measurements, or mark the fabric and cut freehand. For a teapot dome-shaped cozy, cut two of each side measurements; the pieces will be a semicircle and a seam will run down the center top. A French press cozy will simply be a rectangle.
Zig-zag stitch over the edges of your fabric to prevent unraveling — the middle and inner layers can be done together to save time and thread.
Layer your fabric such that the outer and inner fabrics are together, wrong sides out. Place the middle layer on top of the inner.
Straight stitch all but one side. If you are making a dome teapot cozy leave the bottom open.
Turn the cozy layers right sides out. Press seams with an iron to flatten. Fold edges of the open side in to each other, pin and straight stitch to close.
If making a wraparound French press cozy, add ribbons or other trim as ties to the top corners and bottom — measure to be sure the ties won’t interfere with the handles. You can also make a teapot cozy that wraps around, with a hole for the spout.
Add trims, eco-print or other decorations to personalize your cozies. Consider affixing half a doll on top (use a broken barbie or make a cloth doll) of a teapot cozy and decorating the cozy to look like a voluminous skirt. Or add little pockets around the perimeter of the cozy to put an assortment of tea bags in, and fill the pot with just hot water.
However you decorate a cozy, it will help keep your beverage warm so you can savor every sip.
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