If you care about reducing plastic use, loose-leaf tea and one of these homemade tea bags will be just your cup of tea!
Single use teabags are not only a waste of resources, but they can contain plastics, glue and bleaches.
These gorgeous reusable teabags are made from fabric remnants and will help you rid your pantry of conventional teabags.
Zero waste teabags are super easy to make, whether you have a sewing machine or a needle and thread. And they make a cute zero-waste gift!
Materials to make your reusable teabags:
- Fabric remnants cut into to 14cm x 14cm squares
- Cotton twine
- Cotton thread
- Buttons or beads
A note on fabrics:
It’s best to use unbleached, organic, natural fabrics made of cotton, hemp or linen for this project. If you choose to use a printed fabric, make sure it is pre-washed in hot water and does not contain toxic dyes.
Step one:
Take your fabric square, fold it in half with right sides facing out and sew down the open long edge and one short edge, with a 0.5cm seam allowance. This is to create a French seam, which will ensure tea leaves are easy to remove from your bag. Trim the seam within a few millimetres of stitching.
Step two:
Turn your bag inside and out and sew along the same two edges as before with a 0.5cm seam again. Your French seam is complete! The raw edges are now enclosed within this second seam.
Step three:
Fold the top raw edge over twice (about 1cm each time) and stitch, leaving a small gap at one end. Given these teabags are quite small and fiddly you may find it easier to hand stitch this seam.
Cut a 25cm piece of cotton twine and secure a safety pin to one end. Thread this through the top casing you have just created.
Step four:
Secure a the two ends of cotton thread with a bead and knot. Your teabags are ready to make tea!
