The Tea Service, The Reason I Save Bits and Pieces

Just wrapping up some little projects until I can reorganize here. This has been on the to-do list and with the cooler weather my little teapot needs a cozy.

An antique style rose, I placed these in an antique water glass. Even though the glass has a chip, it is still good as a vase. A nice little arrangement for the tea service, do you agree?  

Are you familiar with the "Knock out Rose? It is a bush rose that blooms all summer long. Very popular for public gardens because they are so prolific, they are also a favorite in the winners circle at Churchill Downs. I only have this one right now, but there will be more. It is absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, no scent. The color is a deep saturated pink on this one. 

Husband and I enjoy an after dinner tea, particularly on cooler evenings or brisk afternoons. It is a time to recoup from the day and share plans for tomorrow. I have a large collection of teapots and tea cups but usually we use the everyday wear except for special occasions. So lets talk about the tea cozy. 


THE TEA COZY

The tea cozy for my everyday pot has been on my to-do list for a while. While bonding 

with Rocky this is what I made. This is my little every day pot. Made in Scotland, I picked it up at our Highland Games held every September in Ligonier, Pa. A great event for those of us with Scotch and Irish heritage, the crowds get bigger every year and many are not of the same ethnic heritage. It holds two cups of tea.     link to Highland games.    http://www.ligonierhighlandgames.org/                    

 I found another length of this strip set from a quilt I started at least 15 years ago. It was just enough for this project. I folded the strip with the raw edges to the center, it fit the pot perfectly.

I

 I had several pieces of cotton batting that had been trimmed from different quilts. I straightened the edges, butted them together, then pieced enough from the scraps to use as the filler.

 Next, I layered the batting inside the folded over fabric.

 After inserting the batting, I folded over the raw edge of the length of fabric, pinned it in place to close in all edges, then I simply stitched it down, through all layers. This will be the unseen, inside of the cozy.

 I found a wavy stitch on Rocky that I decided to use to quilt the layers. Up one side and down the other on the seam lines to pad stitch the length.

 I made a loop from some other scraps that I had saved from a binding.

 I stitched it in place on what will be the top of the cozy, stitched it in place while the fabric was still flat.

 Next, I folded the length in half, wrong side out, and stitched through all layers. 4 layers of fabric and two layers of batting. Rocky did not even flinch.  I stitched two rows then trimmed away the excess fabric.

 Because of the way I folded the fabric, the edges were finished before it was sewn. At the last minute however, I decided to add a binding on the bottom, primarily for weight to keep the cozy upright but also to reduce wear on the bottom edge. The binding is left over from the same scraps that I used to make the loop on top.

 THE TRAY MAT

 So then, with still some fabric left over, I decided to add a little mat for the tea tray. On a doubled piece of fabric I traced the shape from a dinner plate using a Bic marker. Then I cut the circle out 1/2 beyond the marked line. Using a small straight stitch, I sewed the two pieces together stitching on the marked line. Then trim the edges to 1/4 inch and snip to the stitching line about every half inch to permit the fabric to lie flat when turned.
Layers are pinned to avoid shifting.

 Turn and press.

substitute for the Knock-out roses for the tea tray. Roses were looking tired.

fresh hydrangea to tray, ready to go

redwork towel a gift from dear friend Jean in UK. Our message board did an exchange. This is her birthday week, she is 79, still going strong, still stitching.

Gratuity Moment: glad I save scraps, I always think maybe I should just let them go, then I prove myself wrong!