Tea cozy (USA) or cosy (UK)? Either way it’s spelled, cozies have a firm place in the tea-loving home & add a lot of personal style to the setting. Growing up, we never used one, though my mom was known to brew a pot of tea now & again. But cozies were mentioned in the historical fiction romances I practically inhaled. Thus, it seemed to me the proper way to cross a tea.
It is said that when the Duchess of Bedford made afternoon tea fashionable in 1840, she probably also introduced the cozy or tea warmer to insulate the pot. However, its use was not documented until 1867. Still, I wondered what kind of cozy the Duchess used for her intimate tea parties? Did they match her dress? Her mood that day? In these modern times, one can find myriad cozies fashioned to look like animals, beehives, cottages, cupcakes or even a bouquet of flowers. A posy cozy? They might made from any sort of fabric: brocade, velvet, wool, linen, cotton, patchwork, or felt. Or knitted from sturdy yarn to fit like a wee hat over the pot. When I see one of those, I remember Dobby, the house elf, who wore a tea cozy hat in the Harry Potter books.
Crocheted Tea Cozy with Decorations. Photo by delfi de la Rua on Unsplash
Still, I had no desire for a cozy for my teapot…until…I saw a Martha Stewart video online, “How to Make a Tea Cozy.” Monogrammed, no less. It was elegant & it was Martha. I filed the cozy idea in my mental filing cabinet & flagged it. When I took afternoon tea at my friend’s house, I noted her red transferware pot covered with a cozy out of something linen rich, one side decorated in needlepoint. Gorgeous! Plus, it really did keep the tea hot. And…did I mention it was gorgeous?
My friend tried to remember which site she had ordered it from – a store in Bath, England? We couldn’t find the link. Now, I was on a cozy quest. I haunted Etsy & eBay, my usual hot-spots, putting several choices on my “Watch” page. Though hearting other pretties, none were quite right. After the needlepoint cozy, my standard was too high.
Then I found some charmers on eBay, handmade out of vintage materials. One of white linen with antique trims. One cut out of an old Christmas table cloth. The last crafted from vintage tapestry material depicting a genteel scene with two ladies & a gentleman caller. What bounty! How could I decide between them?
I couldn’t. I bought them all, secretly assuring myself that one or more would be a gift for another tea-taking fan. But will that actually happen?
My favorite! A tea cozy handmade from old tapestry fabric with ladies & gentleman.
Shhh. That’s still a cozy secret.
Crafting Mysteries & Suspense 