Teapots come in different sizes. Patterns aren’t necessarily made for your size of teapot! Learn how to make your own tea cozy pattern to fit your teapot with our step-by-step directions.
This is an easy project that is perfect for beginners and a fun project for all experience levels! There are so many options to make it yours with our how-to make a tea cozy tutorial.
Keep your tea hot longer with a tea cozy. And, have fun making it your own with our insulated cozy tutorial. No need to buy a pattern, download a pdf pattern or find a free pattern, our tutorial shows you how to make one that fits your teapot! Here are our easy step-by-step instructions:
How to Make a Tea Cozy
Learn how to make a tea cozy that is perfect for your tea pot! No need to buy a tea cozy pattern. It's easy to draw your own pattern.
Materials
- Fabric for outside of the tea cozy, fabric for the lining of the tea cozy
- Insul Bright Heat Resistant Batting, you can use cotton batting, too.
- Thread for sewing
- Handle for the cozy. I used a piece of fabric string that I made from scraps. (see below for more great ideas)
- Large piece of paper for the pattern. NOTE: you can tape together printer paper
- You'll need the teapot that you want to make a tea cozy
Tools
- Sewing machine
- Iron
- Pressing surface or ironing board
- Pen or pencil to draw the pattern
- Removable fabric marker, I used a Frixion pen
- Quilter's ruler
- Rotary cutter or fabric scissors
- Paper scissors
- Sewing tape measure
Instructions
- Let's start by drawing the pattern for your own teapot. Take your tape measure and measure the circumference of your teapot at its widest point. This will help us determine the width of our cozy. Mine measures 18-inches.
- Next, we need to determine how tall our tea cozy will be. I measured from the tabletop to the middle of the top of the teapot. Mine measured 6-1/2 inches.
- Now it is time to add the seam allowances and ease (so that the tea cozy isn't too tight).
The circumference is the full diameter of the teapot. We'll develop a pattern with a front and a back piece, so we'll only need half of the diameter + seam allowance + ease.
My teapot circumference is 18-inches. I divided in half, added 1-inch for 1/2 inch seam allowances on both side seams and then another 1-inch for ease. 18/2 = 9 + 1 + 1 = 11-inches wide.
For the height, I measured 6-1/2 inches. I added 1-inch for seam allowances for 7-1/2"
My rectangle to start my pattern is 11" x 7-1/2".
- I like rounded corners on the top of my tea cozy. You can use a fancy ruler, but I just traced the bottom from the teapot in the corners to make the curved edge.
- This is your pattern piece! Cut two from your outer fabric and two from your Insul Bright batting. For your lining fabric, cut it 1/2 inch longer so that the lining fabric can wrap around to the front side as a design element. If you don't want the lining to show, cut the lining pieces the same size as the outer fabric.
I like to use Insul Bright batting it has a heat-resistant layer that will help hold the heat in the teapot. You can use any batting.
- Start by attaching your outer fabric to your batting pieces. If you are using Insul Bright, layer your fabric on the batting side, so the metallic side will be closest to the teapot to help keep your tea warm.
- Stitch the outer fabric to the batting. I decided to just do some channel stitching. You can have some fun with free motion quilting, or use the fancy stitches on your machine. I started by marking the center of the fabric and batting sandwich with a removable fabric marker. I used a Frixion pen. NOTE: Always test your marker on a scrap of fabric.
- I stitched down the middle and then used the presser foot to stitch parallel lines across each of the outer pieces. I used my walking foot to make it easy.
- Here are both of my outer pieces for the tea cozy all quilted. You can see on the top one where I show the wrong side, the batting did 'shrink' up a bit with the stitching. I'm okay with this as it will be in the seam allowances. If you want batting all of the way to the edges, cut the batting larger than the outer fabric.
- Layer the lining and the quilted main fabric pieces right sides together.
- Stitch along the straight edge with raw edges aligned with a 1/2-inch seam allowance. This is the bottom of the tea cozy.
- Press the seam. Lay one of the sections on your table. Take your tea cozy handle and center it on the right side of the outer layer. Secure with a Wonder Clip or pins.
- Right sides together, using the clips or pins, secure the two sections together.
- NOTE: It's important to leave a 4-inch gap for turning the tea cozy right side out.
Start sewing with a 1/2-inch seam allowance from the bottom of the lining. Sew all around until you round the corner of the lining. STOP and leave a 4-inch opening.
- Now it is time to turn your tea cozy right side out through the opening.
- Here is the cozy turned right side out and ready to be pressed.
- Press around all of the edges. Press the opening seam allowances to the inside.
- Close the gap. I used a narrow zigzag stitch. You can use a straight stitch or hand stitch with a ladder stitch or whip stitch.
- Push the lining fabric into the outer fabric. I wanted a little bit of the lining to show, so I cut the lining fabric 1/2-inch longer. To secure the lining to the inside, I stitched in the ditch just above the lining on the right side.
If you cut the lining the same as the outer fabric you'll want to top stitch along the bottom edge.
- And, here is the finished tea cozy ready for a pot of tea!
Scrap Fabric Tea Cozy
I started my scrap fabric cozy by cutting out the basic pattern in white fabric and a few scraps from other projects called to me to be used in making another tea cozy. The black and white pieced strata started the process. I thought it would look great around the bottom of the tea cozy. The hot pink jumped out and then I pulled another black scrap from the scrap bin. And, I started playing!
Tea cozies are a perfect place to try out new techniques – or enjoy some of your favorites!
I enjoy playing around with scribble appliqué. And, polka dots are happy! I added a narrow flange of the hot pink above the black and white strata. And, topped the cozy off with a fabric tassel made from scraps of the three fabrics!
Here is a close-up of the stitching and the tassel. This tea cozy keeps my tea warm, and brings a smile to my face in the morning!
More creative ideas for your tea cozy
- Use fun novelty prints that reflect your hobbies or passions!
- Have some orphan quilt blocks? Use them to for the outside of the tea cozy
- Play around with a new technique for your outer fabric. Try appliqué, or raw edge appliqué with fusing, use scraps and piece them together.
- Make an appliqué design that coordinates with your kitchen decor.
- Fussy cut a piece of fabric to center a large design on your exterior fabric.
- Pull out one of those pieces of fabric you made in a class to make it special.
- Use pre-quilted fabric – either purchased or a quilt sandwich that you never quite finished.
- Looking for an accent fabric? Finish the bottom edge with bias tape. You can make your own bias tape from fabric in your stash.
- Tea cozy handles can be a time for creativity, too. I used hand made fabric string from fabric scraps. I’ve seen tea cozies that use a large prairie point. Make a fabric tassel. Make a loop of coordinating or contrasting fabric. Sew a fancy button or large bead on the top of the tea cozy. Use a piece of ribbon – go ahead, cut a 5-inch piece from that fancy ribbon you just had to buy that has been sitting in a box!
These make thoughtful gifts for someone you know who enjoys an afternoon tea.
Browse through more home decor sewing projects on Create Whimsy.
