Buttons and Tea Cozies

There is something about buttons that I find irresistible.  I feel as if I have hit the jackpot if I find a jar of them at a garage sale.  I love old and dull ones and bright colorful new ones.  I love their variety of shapes, sizes and colors. I like to run my fingers through a tin of them.  I like to sort them out into color groups.  I can sit for many stretches of time sorting buttons into separate containers of color.  It is sort of like putting together a jigsaw puzzle to me.  I feel the same way about beads.   It must be some elemental remembrance of kindergarten, I don't know or maybe it is just my creative juices building as I sift through all those delightful colors.

I was inspired by a little button book I found at the craft store, and decided to make another tea cozy using black as the background and lots of bright colors of felt and buttons to create a

" flower garden tea cozy"

Olga has already laid claim to it, so I will consider it a little present for her future "hope chest".

Instructions

1. Cut out four tea cozy patterns in black felt (see previous post on "tea cozies" for instructions).

2.  Iron fusing paper onto felt colors and then cut out a variety of sizes and colors of circles and leaf shapes and 2 flower pot shapes, using pinking sheers.

3.  Place shapes onto felt tea cozy to "try out" where you would like to place flowers and leaves. (Sorry about the blurry picture)

4.  Peel off paper backing of fusing paper and turn shapes, placing them back on desired spot.

5.  Iron shapes onto felt tea cozy.

6.  Sew buttons on top of felt flowers.  

7.  Using embroidery thread, embellish leaves and stems and pot.  

8.  Stitch two pieces together at the bottom; this will be an embroidered piece and a plain piece. You are            connecting 2 pieces to make 1 side for a total of two sides.

9.  Place these two sides together (four pieces in all) and top stitch around the tea cozy.  This way you will have a finished inside and outside, and it will be double insulated because it uses two pieces of felt for each side... I hope that makes sense.