Saturday, April 5, 2014

Tea Cozy---Part 3

Many tea cozies were made to look like dresses with extra fullness and ruffles.  A half doll, usually made with porcelain, would be used on the top.  The skirt of the dress would be used to cover the teapot.  Many of these were knitted or crocheted, but many were also made from fabric.  I adore the Russian doll tea cozies.  Most of these only have a porcelain face; however, the rest of the cozy would be made from fabric.  The skirt would be stuffed with wool or other fibers to keep the teapot warm.  Some of the doll faces would look like they were blowing on a teacup to cool the hot tea down.  The dolls may even be holding a small saucer or tea cup.

This is my Russian Tea Cozy holding a cup and she is blowing on the cup.  The cozy is made with fabric.. 

See how thick the underskirt is.  It should keep the teapot very cozy.
This is my latest tea cozy.  It is lined with cotton fabric with cotton batting inside.  This tea cozy is made with hand spun yarn. 
There is a detachable charm dangling from the top of the cozy.

I can't forget to mention all of the cozies made to look like:
fruit (pears, strawberries, pineapples...)
flowers (sunflowers, roses, tulips...)
vegetables
baskets of fruit, flowers, and vegetables
cupcakes, cakes
dogs cats, bears, chickens, sheep, ducks, squirrels,
martians and sea creatures
cottages, barns, English hillside with grazing sheep
apples and pumpkins in the fall
holiday decorations
hats, sweaters
citrus slices
purse-like
pink poodles
bee keeper variations
patriotic variations and flags
favorite team colors and mascots
circus tents and themes
The latest trends such as owls, and skulls

One of the latest fiber trends is felting and wool.  This has lead to more variations in making fiber tea cozies.   Another trend is similar to the ugly sweater contest at Christmas, the oddest and most unusual tea cozies tend to get the best press, but the old familiar stand by gets the most use.

My 1/2 doll ready to be dressed up.
You may notice tea cozies on kitchen tables while watching videos and TV shows, especially English crime dramas.   I just re-watched Vera and I noticed two different tea cozies on her kitchen table.  One of these tea cozies was the most common type of cozy that I discussed in Part 2.

I hope you have enjoyed my tea cozy blogs.  Have a great weekend!  Dawnie




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