This tutorial teaches you how to make a decorative tea bag holder for 6 tea bags. Makes a really nice gift for tea lovers and you can make them in any kind of style.

 

The Alice in Wonderland tea bag holder is embellished with an Alice in Wonderland image and filled with Alice in wonderland tea bag envelopes.

The steampunk tea bag holder is filled with Octopus tea bag envelopes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Materials:

• piece of card stock 11″ x 3″
• 3 pieces of decorative paper 6″ x 6″
• piece of scrap card stock 3″ wide
• 6 tea bags, I used these envelopes
• little piece of velcro
• embellishments
• thread

Tools:

• scissors
• pencil and eraser
• ruler
• scoring tool
• scoring/cutting board
• cork board
• needle
• circle punch (about 1/2 inch)
• decorative corner punch (optional)

1. Take the 11″ x 3″ strip and put markings on the long side as shown in the picture. Don’t forget the mark in the middle of one short

 

2. Connect the marking in the middle of the short side with the two markings closest to it on the long side and cut the corners off.

 

3. Optional: use a decorative corner punch to create a beautiful closure.

 

4. connect the other markings with a ruler and use a scoring tool to score along the ruler.

 

5. Take the 1.25″ rectangle on the left. Make markings like shown on the picture on either side of the rectangle and connect the markings with a ruler. Put the cover aside for a while.

 

6. Take a 6″ square piece of decorative paper and place it upside down. Put markings on either side as shown on the picture.

7. Connect the markings with a ruler and score along the ruler with a scoring tool.

 

8. Fold along the scored lines and put glue on the narrow part and close the sleeve.

 

9. Measure the center of each small side of the sleeve and mark it.

 

10. Take a circle punch and punch out half a circle on either side. Use the markings as a guide.

 

11. Place markings 2 7/8 inch on either side of the sleeve, left and right. The markings will be almost in the middle.

 

12. Connect the markings with a ruler and score along the ruler.

 

13. Fold along the scored lines. Repeat steps 6 – 13 with the other two 6″ squares.

 

14. Take a 3″ piece of scrap card stock and draw a line from left to right. Put the card on a cork board and punch holes with a needle or a hat pin every 1/4 inch. There should be 11 holes. It might help to cut out a bit right next to the first and last hole for the next step.

 

15. Use this card as a guide to punch holes in the middle of each sleeve (the narrow piece between the score lines you made in step 12).

 

16. Do the same on the three lines you drew on the cover in step 5.

 

17. The result so far. It’s not so clear on the picture but the cover has three rows of punched holes.

 

18. Fold the cover along the score lines.

19. Put a 30″ thread on a needle (more if you want to be sure). Place one sleeve on the cover and align the holes. Put the needle from the inside of the sleeve through both holes on one end.

20. Bring the needle back up through the second hole and make a double knot.

21. Put the needle in the third hole.

22. Bring the needle back up through the second hole.

23. Now always put the needle in two holes further and bring back up one hole back.

24. Repeat until the end of the row.

25. When finished bring the needle backwards again through the last hole but only through the sleeve, not the cover.

26. Take a second sleeve and put the needle up through the last hole.

27. Put the needle backwards through the second hole. From now on put the needle all the way through both sleeve and cover again.

28. Bring back up in the last hole. Now you can repeat steps 23 – 28 and add the third sleeve too.

29. This is what the tea bag holder looks like so far.

30. Glue on some velcro to close the tea bag holder.

31. Embellish the tea bag holder like you want. I used items from a scrapbooking kit from Ikea and an Alice in Wonderland image in an oval setting with a glass on top.

 

Have a lovely day!

Tinne
VectoriaDesigns