Speaking of tea and embroidery and continuing with embroidery by others influenced by Needle ‘n Thread (SUI – Stitching Under the Influence?), today we’re going to look at an embroidered tea cozy.
For those who don’t know what a tea cozy is (it’s true – tea cozies are not so common in the US, more pity to us), it’s a cover for a tea pot that helps keep the tea pot warm.
Asia wanted to make a tea cozy and she wanted to make it super special, so she decided to embroider it.
She searched online for hand embroidery patterns, and happened upon Needle ‘n Thread, where she found this tulips & carnations embroidery pattern.
She read up and watched the how-to videos here on the website and set about making her tea cozy.
But see, this is the thing. This is the Amazing Thing.
This is Asia’s First Embroidery Project.
First.
Ever.
Embroidery Project.
!!!
For threads, she used what she had on hand – stranded cotton handed down from her mum.
Looking back on the project two years later, Asia says, if she did it again, she would work the tulips in a warmer shade of yellow.
Isn’t beautiful?? I love the treatment on the “bulb” at the base, the shading on the red carnations, the fillings – the whole thing! Lovely stitching!
After finding the shading a little challenging, Asia decided to dive into needle painting, so she could get better at long & short stitch shading. To that end, she subscribed to Inspirations Magazine and set about working this Trish Burr project from one of the issues:
This is what I call jumping in with both feet.
Occasionally, I use the term “determined beginner” when we chat about embroidery difficulty levels here on Needle ‘n Thread.
Well, now you know what I mean!
For those just joining in, this is a continuation of series of articles that highlights embroidery from the Needle ‘n Thread community, especially needlework influenced by information, tutorials, patterns, and so forth from Needle ‘n Thread. You can find a call for contributions and an explanation of the series here, and you can see previous examples of embroidery-related reader contributions here.
