Polka-dot Tea Cosy with Applique Hearts - A Sunday Snippet Make

Afternoon Folks

Yes, really, snippets of fabric and ribbon! Which means I will be skipping over to Di's and joining fellow snippeteers at Pixie's Snippets Playground for Week 129.

In yesterday's post I wrote that I was planning to do a bit of sewing. I've been meaning to make a new tea cosy, to replace the tatty old one we've had for years, ever since we moved here, and yesterday seemed to perfect time to stop procrastinating and get on with it.

Luckily I had enough leftover fabric from all the cushions I've been making for the girls in the family ... already posted here and here. Debbie Shore's book, Half Yard Heaven, provided the instructions, though I adapted the measurements to suit our teapot for two and I used some heart-shaped dies as a template for the applique. In fact, it took longer to measure, cut out and prepare the pieces, than it did to sew everything up on the machine. A dinner plate, as suggested in the book, made the perfect template for shaping the top of the cosy.

The heart shapes were traced out on to iron-interfacing which is then ironed on to the fabric and cut round to create the applique pieces. Next, the smaller white/black dotty heart was stitched to the larger black heart using a close zigzag stitch and then the two hearts were applied to the front piece of red dotty fabric. After that it was just a question putting all the pieces together, including a loop of black/white dotty ribbon at the top, sewing it all up and finishing it off by following the instructions in the book.

The EM is delighted ... the cosy looks perfect with our chosen colour scheme - white units, very pale grey walls with pops of red from the window blind, pot holders, red kettle and a few poppy decorated bits and bobs ... and I love it, it's so Minnie Mouse dotty :)

Now I have to scoot. We are off to visit another open garden this afternoon. It's been touch and go whether we would because it rained this morning but the sun is out now and everything is drying up nicely - just in time :)

Hope you are having a sunny Sunday too.

Happy Crafting,

Materials used: fabric - red/white polka dot for top, plain black for lining and larger of the two applique heart shapes, white/black for smaller heart shape; wadding/batting;  X-cut Homespun Heart die set to use as templates; iron-on interfacing, white pencil and an air erasable pen; black thread 
Tools: sewing machine, cutting board, rotary cutter, scissors, tape measure, pins, and snips