So, my teapot kept getting cold way too fast. You make a nice pot of tea, pour one cup, and by the time you want another, it’s lukewarm. Gets on your nerves, right? I figured I needed one of those cozy covers. But the plain ones are a bit boring. I saw some pictures online, these cute little doll things that sit right on the pot. Decided I’d give making one a try myself.
Getting Started
First thing, I had to rummage through my fabric stash. You know how it is, bits and pieces saved from other projects. Found some old floral cotton fabric, looked cheerful enough. Also grabbed some plain stuff for lining maybe, and batting for insulation. Crucial part, that. Needed thread, needles, scissors. Had all that stuff already, which was good. Didn’t feel like going out to buy anything special for this.
Making the Thing
I didn’t use a proper pattern. Just kind of winged it. Measured my teapot roughly – height and around the belly. Drew a sort of dome shape on paper, big enough to cover it with room to spare. Then sketched a simple doll idea onto that dome shape. Like a little character sitting down, with the dome being its big skirt.
- Cut out the main outer fabric pieces based on my sketch – two sides of the ‘skirt’.
- Cut out similar shapes from the plain lining fabric and the batting.
- Layered them up: outer fabric, batting, lining. Did this for both halves.
- Sewed the curved top edges together for each half, sandwiching the batting inside. Like making two padded panels.
Then I sewed those two padded halves together along the side seams, leaving the bottom open. This made the basic cozy shape. Had to wrestle with the sewing machine a bit because of the thickness with the batting, but got there.
Adding the Doll Bit
Now for the ‘doll’ part. This was simpler. Made a small stuffed ball for the head out of some plain fabric. Used embroidery thread to stitch on some simple eyes and a mouth. Just dots and a line, nothing fancy. Found some brown yarn and made some quick hair, stitched that on top.
Attached the head firmly to the top center of the cozy. Made two simple tube shapes for arms, stuffed them lightly, and sewed them onto the sides of the cozy, near the ‘shoulders’ where the head joined. Positioned them so they looked like they were resting on the skirt.
Finishing Touches
Checked the fit on the teapot again. Seemed okay. The bottom edge was still raw, so I turned it under and hemmed it neatly. Made sure the opening was wide enough to easily slip over the teapot. Gave it a final once-over, trimmed any loose threads.
And there it was. My little kettle warmer doll. Sitting proudly on the teapot. It looked quite homemade, a bit rustic maybe. Not perfect like store-bought, but it had character. Most importantly, I made a pot of tea, popped the cozy on, and yes, the second cup was definitely warmer than usual. It actually worked.
It’s funny, these little things. Solves a simple problem, uses up scraps you had lying around anyway. Took an afternoon, fiddling with fabric and thread. Better than just buying another thing, I reckon. This one’s got a bit of a story to it now, sitting there on the kitchen counter.
