Mexican Teaparty Cosy- commission for friends.

I started this tea cosy in 2007, I think, and it was supposed to be a quick project 

for friends of mine who were moving inter-state...and four years later, Voila!!

This is the final item in my 'Mexican Teaparty' series, where I made woollen scarves, garments,

tea cosies & embroidered purses with imagery based on this theme, lots of skulls and flaming hearts!

This cosy is a very simple one in structure. I started with a base of wool I bought from Waverley Woollen Mills in Launceston, and lined it with another layer of old wool blanket and cotton fabric I had printed by Spoonflower with a photo I took in Paris of an enamel 'fire hydrant' sign (Bouche D'incendie), which ties into the friend's new second home in the South of France!

When I rediscovered the unfinished tea cosy in a pile of half-started projects awaiting my undivided attention to complete, I remembered why I'd left it alone for a while (I didn't intend to leave it this long!)- it hadn't been 'working' visually because I'd not put enough colour on it. So I ransacked my scrap bags and found the most Mexican-colourful pieces of silk and linen I could rummage out of the bags and once I started pinning them onto the cosy everything fell into place and I knew how it ought to look!

I've covered all the seams with fancy embroidery stitches and added 'Tea Party" and embroidered in Spanish on one side. I had a tiny piece of German cotton folk ribbon left over from a series of cushions I'm working on now, and this has tied a small brass 'tea bell' onto the top of the cosy.

So what started out as a guilt-ridden rediscovery of a belated and uncertain tea cosy, has turned into a colourful celebration of stitch and textile!

Olé and

					beber té más beber té más!

The Queen was in the Parlour, eating bread and honey...

With a special and glorious cup of Mariage Frères Happy Queen tea!!

Seeing their new tea for the Queen's Silver Jubilee has inspired me to make a collection of elegant and Queenly tea cosies, to add some sparkle and lusciousness to the gloomy grey of winter...

I'm not really 'into' the Royal Family from a moral standpoint, I'm more interested in Australia being a Republic; and yet, I am REALLY into dress-ups, which the Royals do well!

Now to look for some diamonds, diamanté beads and anything sparkly...

TICK TOCK its Tea Time again!

Finally I'm posting something after a motherhood-inspired absence of half a year!!
Time really does fly, and luckily I'm still making work!

A recently finished tea cosy which follows on from the other Sugarpink Colonial cosies I've previously made, will be featured in the Sunday Age's 'Sunday Guide' on the 6th May.
Here is a peek of the cosy, up close and personal...

 Rosettes are featuring heavily in my work at the moment- inspired by a strong memory from my childhood! I was obsessed for a time with awards and prizes and it probably stems from trips to the Deloraine Agricultural Show when I was little. The embroidered silver jug on the rosette side of the cosy is inspired by the glorious collection at the Allport Museum of Fine Arts in Hobart, Tasmania.

I've run out of transfer printed silk 'people' and so I freehand machine embroidered this soldier, based on a drawing of 'early years of the colony of New South Wales' I found in the Australian fashion history book titled 'Parade'.
The star pin is an Etsy find from America.

Another Musical favourite

I'm so besotted with this song and the film clip is stunning....brought to you by the fabulousness that is Gotye, collaborating with Kimbra.

Currently Listening to......

I love the song by Seeker Lover Keeper and Aden Young is quite incredible in this video clip...
So many complicated emotions coursing through his face and body [language]...
I think its the most entrancing interpretation of Female Experience I've ever seen expressed by a man...
And what a gorgeous man!

Back in the Tea Cosy making saddle!

 I've finally completed this tea cosy for an Opera singing friend who luckily loves pretty pink-ish things! I've had so much fun making this cosy, using blocks I cut for the second collection of home-wares I created for STORY online store, adding extra blocks and hand & freehand machine embroidered text that reads continuously "Home is where the heart is there's no place like Home".

These first two photos show the two largest sides and the following two images show the short ends...

I haven't stitched anything into the edges to add support, its just the thickness of all the fabrics and wool inter-lining that give structure when stitched right through. Its a very 'rustic' house shape and I love that its very personal and wonky...as if the inside furnishings of the house have turned themselves to the exterior of the house!


Nice detail of a pompom tassle....

Detail of hand embroidered text...

I love this photo, the shadow the cosy has made is really nice...

I think a tea cosy ought to have a 'body' and a personality to make it special. This is what I'm always hoping to achieve whenever I make a cosy. Its a way of endearing such an object to a person, especially if that person has no real love for things like tea cosies (This Opera singing friend has a passion for them too, so I have no concerns there!)-  in my attempt to make tea cosies part of a person's everyday life in a meaningful way, I invest a lot of humour, humility, grace, fortitude & warmth into each cosy I create...I hope they bring joy and long-lasting pleasure!

If you're Passing by....?

It's been a while since I posted anything and I haven't been making any tea cosies for a little while- the demands of motherhood and orders for bags and cushions have been taking up much of my time...as well as getting out in the fresh winter air and watching the trees change colour and leaves fall (my son Felix's favourite thing to do even though he cannot walk without holding my hands is to trot through the fallen leaves and kick them about, cackling and giggling all the time!! Its Very Cute!)

I'm currently finishing off three new tea cosies for private orders and it feels good to be back in the Land of all things Tea!

So while I stitch away on the cosies during any available moment I wanted to also post a call for the curious...

The fabulous online gallery/store I supply with work, STORY, is trying to get 1000 'Likes' on Facebook and so I thought I'd do my best to help out and spread the word.
If you would like to check out the lovely works on the website, and then mosey on over to their Facebook Page to hit the 'Like' button, they'll be very grateful for your interest and support.
And please feel free to pass on the link also and help STORY reach a wider audience.

STORY is offering a small thank you treat to those of us who spread the word too!