Tea Bags

Look at that little tea bag. Isn't it adorable?
Ok, perhaps I'm biased, because I made that tea bag with my own little hands, but still.

I was drinking jasmine tea this morning with my breakfast (which happened to be homemade yoghurt and chai spice granola). The jasmine tea I have is loose-leaf tea, and is very good. However, I was having some trouble with my little tea strainer... it is a bit handle-heavy to sit on my tea cup like a good little strainer, so it tends to flop out, catapulting wet tea leaves along the way. This situation does not lend itself to a happy, relaxing breakfast.

I saw homemade fabric tea bags on pintrest the other day, and I decided that now is the time to make some. Guess what? I'll even show you how I did it! Alternatively, you could just buy them in my etsy shop. =D

Ok, first of all, I found a really lightweight cotton and cut a rectangle out of it, about twice the length of a tea bag. I stitched a heart on it, where the middle of the front of the bag is going to be. You can put whatever you like on the front of your tea bag... or just leave it plain... up to you!

Isn't it a cute little heart???

Then I folded my little rectangle in half, right sides together, and stitched up both sides to make a bag. I double stitched it, for extra awesomeness.

Still inside out, I folded over the top for the place where the drawstring is going to be.

I put the drawstring in the fold to make sure it was going to fit, and then stitched around the bottom of the fold. Make sure not to catch the drawstring in your stitches! It doesn't work then....

Also, leave a hole for the string to come out of.

I sewed one end of my drawstring down then, so that I only have one string coming off my bag. See the little end of string peeking out there?

Turn the bag right side out now.

I tied a button on the end of my string, for extra cuteness, and so that the string doesn't follow my tea bag into my cup of tea.

And there you have it! An adorable, reusable, eco-friendly tea bag! Put your loose-leaf tea in it, pull the drawstring tight, and you are ready for your cup of tea.

To clean it, just pull open the drawstring top (you might have to work it a little since it will be wet at that point), turn it inside out, and rinse it. Hang it up to dry.

And, you know, if you don't want to make one but you are just dying to get your hands on one, then they are in my etsy shop here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/89620062/reusable-tea-bag-stiched-heart-on-cotton

Happy tea-bag-making!