I am part of the Being Creative group. This month's theme was 'garden'.
I wanted to make something all my own so I drew some butterflies from photos and put them on a tea cosy. This cosy fits over a medium tea pot - 2 or 3 cups.
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The butterflies
The cosy body
The cosy gusset
To make the butterflies I cut out the shapes and used them as patterns to cut out the fabric. Any future butterflies will be traced onto fusible applique paper in reverse. The fabric needs the extra control afforded by the glue.
I placed the fabric buttefly onto a large piece of felt and free motion sewed the edges and details. I then trimmed around the felt leaving 1/8" border.
I cut out the tea cosy body in 2 x outer fabric and 2 x wool for the lining.
I sewed a front outer to a front lining 1/8' from the edge to hold them together then I sewed on my butterflies in free motion just around their body leaving the wings free. I added the legs and feelers.
I sewed the back to the back lining close to the edge then with right sides together sewed over the curve between the dots.
In order to make the tea cosy stand straight I put in gussets. Sew one side of the gusset to the front from the bottom to the top seam allowance point. Sew the second side of the gusset from the bottom to the top seam allowance point. Repeat for the second gusset on the other side. You may have to trim a bit off the bottom of the gussets before you do the binding to stop the front kicking up.
I used a 2 1/2' binding strip folded in half. I sewed it to the inside and folded it to the outside and finished with machine sewing close to the fold of the binding.
Happy Quilting,
Val
