How to Sew a Tea Cozy | Free Pattern
Sew your own cute tea cozy with my simple step-by-step tutorial. Keep your tea hot and elevate your teatime in minutes.
If you like to make a pot of tea, you also know that it can cool down pretty quickly. Having a cute tea cozy, though, will keep your tea hot for hours.
Whether for breakfast or your afternoon tea, a cute cozy is always so useful.
While you might like to buy one, you can very easily sew your own. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how. You can either download my pattern or use my instructions to custom-make your own.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read my full disclosure.
Why Make Your Own:
While I love any good DIY project, here’s why you might like to sew your own tea cozy:
- You can choose exactly what fabric and pattern matches your home and tea pot
- It is an easy way to use up some leftover fabric
- This cozy pattern is completely customizable to the size of your teapot (or coffee pot)
- Tea cozies make a great gift any time of year
- This useful cozy keeps your tea hot for hours
- This cozy tutorial is perfect for beginners but works for all skill levels
- This sewing project takes very little time
What you need:
- 1 yard of fabric (or ½ yard of fabric and ½ yard of lining fabric)
- ¼ yard of batting or heat-resistant (insulating) batting
- bias tape (optional)
- thread in a coordinating color
- 1 large piece of paper or 2 pieces of 8″ x 11″ paper
- scissors or rotary cutter
- measuring tape
- curved ruler (optional)
- sewing pins or paper clips
- Scotch tape
- fabric marker or marking tool
- sewing machine
Instructions:
1. Create or Download Your Free Pattern
Download your free sewing pattern or create your own by measuring your tea pot. If you make your own, you need to measure the width of the teapot from the spout to the handle. Next, get the height measurement of the teapot. (find detailed instructions in the downloadable pattern).
Tip: You might have some leftover fabric at home that might work for this pattern.
Example measurements:
Width of the teapot = 13″ and height of the teapot = 9.5″
Multiply these measurements by 2 (since you will need two sides)
Add 1″ for seam allowance.
2. Cut the Fabric and Batting
Using your pattern, cut either 4 pieces of fabric for the cozy or 2 pieces of fabric and 2 lining pieces. Then cut 2 pieces of batting.
3. Cut and Make the Loop Handle
Cut out a rectangular piece of fabric for the hanging loop. Fold the long sides in toward the middle and then fold in half. Sew it into place so you have one long strip of fabric.
Tip: It could be fun to make the loop handle a different color.
4. Pin the Tea Cozy
Sandwich one batting piece between 2 pieces of fabric right sides out and pin it into place. Repeat with the second one.
5. Sew the Cozy
Sew the piece of batting and fabric together with a ½” seam allowance. Repeat with the second one.
Note: I left the edges unfinished since tea cozies don’t get a lot of rough handling. However, you might like to finish the edges with a serger or a zig-zag stitch.
6. Attach and Sew the Loop Handle
Fold the loop handle in half lengthwise so the ends lie next to each other, not on top of each other. With the raw edges lining up with the raw edges of one piece of cozy, pin it right into the middle of the dome side. Sew it into place.
NOTE: Make sure the actual loop is facing toward the middle of the cozy!
7. Sew the Cozy
Now sew the main pieces of the cozy together, leaving the bottom edge open. Be sure to have the outer fabric facing out (if using). You can use scissors to clean up the edges around the wrong sides of your tea cosy. Turn the cozy from the left side to the right side.
8. Make the Binding Tape
If you’re not using store-bought bias tape, you need to make your own. Measure the length of the open end of the tea cozy and add 2″. Cut a strip of fabric at least 2″ wide (better3″) and the length you measured. You can also use fabric scraps and cut them at a diagonal line. Feel free to sew several of them together to get the required length.
Tip: You might like to use an accent fabric of a different color for this.
9. Adjust the Binding Tape
Starting right at the center of one of the bottom edges, pin the binding tape or bias tape the the bottom edge of the cozy. Folding the ends in where they meet, pin them together. Mark that spot, remove the pins, and sew the ends together with a straight stitch.
10. Sew the Binding Tape to the Tea Cozy
Find the center point of one of the bottom edges of the cozy. Line the sewn edge of the binding tape up with that center point. Fold the binding tape around the long edge of the cozy and pin it into place. Use a simple top stitch to attach the binding to the tea cozy.
Click the link below to get your tea cozy pattern:
Other Lovely Patterns and DIY Projects:
Tea Cozy
Equipment
- 1 pair of scissors
- sewing pins
- measuring tape
- taylor's chalk or pen
Ingredients
- 1 yard fabric
- ½ yard batting
- thread
- bias tape (optional – or make your own)
Instructions
- Cut out all the pattern pieces and lay them over your fabric. Note: You need to have the fabric fold where it says “FOLD” on your pattern. The pattern has a ½” seam allowance included!
- Cut the fabric and the batting. Note: you will only need 2 pieces of batting but you will need 4 pieces of fabric (or 2 pieces of fabric and 2 pieces of lining).
- Sandwich 1 piece of batting between 2 pieces of fabric, pin, and sew together. Repeat with second one.
- Cut out the piece for the loop handle. Fold the loop handle in half. Then fold each long side in towards the middle. Sew into a long string.
- Fold the loop handle in half lengthwise so that the ends are next to each other not on top of each other. Place the loop handle right at the top of the sewn fabric piece with the raw edges facing out. Sew it into place.
- Place the two fabric on top of each other with the right sides together (and the loop handle on the inside!).
- Sew the 2 pieces together along, leaving the bottom open. Either make your own long strip of bias tape or use ready-made bias tape so that it will go around the bottom edge of your cozy (about 28” long).
- Pin that to the bottom edge of your cozy and sew into place.
Video
Notes
- you can also use a different fabric as a liner (on the inside)
- it could be cute to make the loop handle and binding tape a different color than the main fabric