How to make a tea cosy

Ever wondered how to make a tea cosy? Use Ali Burdon's tea cosy sewing pattern to whip yourself up a new set for your kitchen. Everyone needs to keep their brew warm in the morning.

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Ali Burdon

Published: March 3, 2021 at 9:05 am

Brighten up your kitchen with Ali Burdon’s geometric tea cosy sewing pattern. Embroider 80s-inspired shapes onto your fabric then follow our free sewing pattern below to make a classic fabric tea cosy.

There’s something so comforting about brewing a pot of tea and cracking open a packet of biscuits, especially if said treats are displayed on a fancy plate. Even teapots feel the cold in the winter months though, so keep yours warm with this geometric tea cosy sewing pattern.

It’s easy enough to sew together, but if you want to up the difficulty factor, embroider small sections of the fabric like we have. Ali picked three thread shades to stitch shapes that echoed those printed on the fabric – take inspiration from her motifs or customise it your own way. Keep scrolling to learn how to make a tea cosy and once you're finished have a browse of our sewing patterns for beginners for more free projects.

Looking for more home décor projects? Learn how to make a duvet cover, how to make roman blinds for your home, how to make a lampshade, how to make curtains or how to make a doorstop.

You’ll need:

• Two pieces of patterned fabric, 45.5 x 30.5cm (18 x 12″) (we used Cloud 9 Fabrics Brush Strokes Geo Grid) • Contrasting fabric (we used Cloud 9 Fabrics Brush Strokes Trellis in Turquoise) • Wadding • Medium-weight iron-on interfacing • Embroidery thread (we used DMC threads in 444 (yellow), 958 (aqua) and 3804 (pink)) • Tapestry needle • Embroidery hoop • Erasable fabric marker

If you're new to sewing then make sure you check out our beginners guide to sewing and our sewing kits for beginners which will teach you all the sewing skills and show you all the materials you will need.

How to make a tea cosy

how to make a tea cosy

You will need:

Fabric
Sewing machine
Thread
Contrasting fabric
Wadding
Embroidery Thread
Embroidery hoop
Erasable fabric marker

Step 1

how to make a tea cosy step 1 Back your patterned fabric with the interfacing, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Photocopy and cut out the template from Mollie Makes issue 72, then fold under the bottom section along the marked line. Using the fabric marker, draw around the template on the right side (RS) of both pieces of fabric.

Step 2

how to make a tea cosy step 2

If you want to, add embroidered detail using two strands of thread, leaving at least 2cm (¾”) of fabric around the edge unstitched. Once complete, cut out both pieces along the template outline.

Step 3

Cut two 38 x 5cm (15 x 2″) pieces from your contrasting fabric and back with interfacing. With RS together and raw edges aligned, pin a length of contrasting fabric along the bottom of a patterned piece. Sew together along the bottom raw edge, then press the seam towards the bottom strip. Repeat with the remaining patterned and contrasting fabric pieces.

Step 4

how to make a tea cosy step 3

Unfold the template and use to cut out two lining pieces from the wadding. With the fabric wrong side (WS) up and using basting stitch, sew the wadding to the fabric 0.5cm (¼”) in from the edge.

Step 5

Turn one side of your tea cosy RS up, then reset the stitch length and top stitch along the seams as shown. Repeat with the other side.

Step 6

how to make a tea cosy step 4

Cut a 9.5 x 5cm (3¾ x 2″) piece of contrasting fabric. Fold in half along the length to crease, unfold, then fold the two long edges to the crease. Fold in half lengthways, then sew along both long edges – this will create your loop.

Step 7

Fold the loop fabric in half along the length with WS together. Pin to the RS of a tea cosy side, positioning it centrally at the top with raw edges aligned. Place the tea cosy sides RS together. Pin and sew together along the curved edge, 0.5cm (¼”) in from the basting, leaving the bottom edge open. Snip out your basting stitches, turn the tea cosy RS out and press.

Step 8

Using the full size template, cut two pieces from your contrasting fabric and back with interfacing. With RS together, pin with raw edges aligned, then sew along the curved edge using a 1cm (3/8″) seam allowance. Put the cosy outer inside the lining with RS together, pin and sew around the bottom edge, leaving a 10cm (4″) gap for turning.

Step 9

how to make a tea cosy step 5

Turn the cosy RS out through the hole, press, then top stitch around the bottom edge. Fold in the seam allowances of the turning gap, pin together and hand sew closed using a neat slip stitch.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our tea cosy sewing pattern and can now enjoy your tea nice and warm. For more cute sewing projects head to our rabbit sewing pattern or how to make a face mask and catch the sewing bug!

More about Tick Tock Tea

Crafting and a good cup of tea go hand-in-hand, so it seemed only natural for Tick Tock to team up with Mollie Makes to bring you this tea cosy sewing pattern. We encourage you to pop the kettle on, let your creativity flow freely, and make something that makes you happy! If you enjoyed this tea cosy sewing pattern then make sure you tag us in your pictures on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Tick Tock celebrates good craftsmanship and fun design, from its hand-harvested teas to iconic colourful packaging. Tick Tock’s naturally caffeine-free rooibos is the perfect cup for crafters to enjoy whenever inspiration hits – morning, noon and night.

Quilt Designer

Ali Burdon is a designer and sewing teacher who’s also known as Very Berry Handmade. She crochets too and has recently been experimenting with natural dyeing yarns using plants from her garden. You can keep up to date with her latest news over on her Instagram @msaliburdon. She lives in north Staffordshire with her husband, twin sons and their dog, Barney, where she does lots of sewing, crochet and baking, which became the main themes of her blogging and Instagram feed. Ali loves to use patchwork in her designs and has a seriously enviable fabric stash!