Guys, I did it — I pulled out the sewing machine to make something for Clara’s third birthday. It’s become a little tradition to make her a handmade gift since she already receives so many store-bought presents from family and friends. I even used fabric from her monthly photo collection, which I’ve used before to make her a quilt, a table runner, a beanbag, and a birthday banner. Sewing up little projects from that stash has been really handy.
It started when I spotted some fabric tea bags on Pinterest and thought they would be perfect for Clara’s play kitchen. She loves pretending to cook, pour tea, and host tea parties for her stuffed animals, so a set of fabric tea bags seemed like a fun addition. There weren’t any instructions, but I decided to wing it and see what happened.
First I cut small tea-bag-shaped pieces from ten of my favorite fabrics. I cut two matching shapes from each fabric so each tea bag would have a front and a back. I also cut long narrow rectangles from the same fabrics to make the little tags that sit on the end of the string.
I used twine leftover from gift wrapping for the strings and cotton balls from the bathroom to stuff the bags. After cutting out the shapes and the small rectangular tags, I threaded the twine between the two fabric layers and started sewing.
My first attempt was a total mess — I sewed it incorrectly and had to rip it out. There may have been a few whispered obscenities. Sewing can definitely test my patience, but I stuck with it and tried a different approach.
For the next ones I placed the right sides of the two fabric pieces together, tucked the string between them so the end extended out of the top, and stitched around the sides, leaving the bottom open so I could turn the bag right-side out and stuff it. I didn’t follow the tea-bag-shaped outline perfectly at first, so a few of them were a bit uneven.
After turning the bag right-side out the string was securely anchored at the top. Initially the shape looked a little odd, but stuffing half a cotton ball inside and folding the bottom seam up before stitching it closed helped shape the bag into something that actually resembled a tea bag.
To finish the tag I folded the rectangle in half around the string and added a few stitches so it stayed in place. After that, things went more smoothly. I kept sewing and in about ten minutes made a few more tea bags.
After about half an hour I ended up with nine finished fabric tea bags. They’re far from perfect, but the first failure was the only casualty and the rest turned out nicely. Best of all, the sewing machine survived the ordeal.
Clara loves them — she sees me using real tea every morning and night, and now she has her own little tea bags to sip pretend tea alongside me. Watching her host miniature tea parties with her stuffed giraffe is absolutely adorable and made the effort worthwhile.
This project almost didn’t happen, but I’m glad I finished it. The lesson: if something looks weird halfway through, keep going — it might just turn into something sweet once it’s completed.
Anyone else sewing lately? My relationship with the sewing machine is often tense and a little anxious, but the results make it worth the struggle. Seeing Clara’s little tea party makes all the missteps feel trivial.
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