Tea Wallet Prototype

I kept instructions from a Handmade magazine last year for a project I thought looked interesting and useful. My interest was sparked by the crocheted edge. I am interested in progressing my newly acquired skills in reading a crochet pattern and one of the reasons I wanted to learn this was to crochet edges. While I don't carry teabags around with me, I know people who do, so thought this might make a pleasing gift.

So recently I dug around in my stash for suitable fabric and came up with the bottom of a dress I made and wore in the 80s - a Paisley Liberty cotton. It needed a bit of unpicking, but yielded a piece of fabric the required size - 27.5cm x 59cm.

I also found interfacing - but then forgot to use it - folding the fabric, stitching and turning it inside out without the interfacing. I'm quite pleased I made this mistake because the fabric is firm enough without interfacing and better, I think, without the bulk.

In line with instructions, I buttonhole stitched around the outer edge of the folded fabric using ecru crochet cotton and crocheted a chain on top of it.

I then followed the crochet pattern to finish the edge. It actually worked!

This is what it looked like.

It folds neatly into three to form a handy pouch, or wallet.

I used an odd piece from an earring as a fastener. I undid my stitching of the fastener three times before I got it in the right place!

I like the finished effect. I don't, however, think it works as well as it could for teabags. It would be better to be narrower - the width of - well, a teabag... As it is it might be more use for holding a comb, nail file and a small packet of tissues. I like the concept however and am now in the process of adjusting the size to fit teabags more precisely.  More on the results soon.