Like many of you, I LOVE loose leaf tea. However, I'm always looking for cute and creative solutions to use my tea. These D.I.Y. tea bags are super cute. I think they would make amazing gifts! Here's how you can make your own…
Supplies needed: Coffee filters, Scissors, Sewing machine, Loose tea leaves, Stapler, Embroidery thread, Paper for tags (construction paper, old book pages, etc.), Optional: Spices (pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, ground ginger, etc.)
Step 1 – Cut two coffee filters into a rectangle. I typically just cut off the ridged part.
Step 2 – Stitch the filters together on three sides, leaving one of the smaller sides open.
Step 3 – Fill the teabag with the loose tea leaves. I use anywhere from 1 to 2 teaspoons, depending on the size of the bag and how strong you like your tea. (You can also add about 1/2 teaspoon of your favorite spices. Pumpkin spice is one of my favorites!)
Step 4 – Stitch the top of the tea bag closed. All four sides should be stitched now!
Step 5 – Fold down the corners, placing a 3-4in. piece of embroidery thread under one of the flaps.
Step 6 – Fold the tip of the tea bag down, and use a stapler to hold it shut. (You could also stitch this part if you wanted to.)
Step 7 – Cut paper tags and glue, stitch, or staple them to the ends of your embroidery thread.
To make your tea, let the tea bag steep in hot water for 3-5 minutes…and enjoy! xo. Amanda
*Amanda is one of my brand new D.I.Y. Contributors! Check my about page for a full list of contributors. I'm really happy to have added these ladies to my team so we can bring you even more inspiration this season! Oh… and I have a pretty new blog design launching very soon. I've been working on it since May, if you can believe that…. so excited to share. Stay tuned!
172 Comments
What an adorable little DIY! I love me some tea!
oh my gosh that is so cute! I never would have thought to do something like this!
-meesch
http://www.aperfectkindofday.com
This is ADORABLE. Thank you for this!
This is super stinkin cute. Pretty sure I need to make them!
OO awesome, I’m totally going to experiment with combining tea flavors now. yes!
Perfect Christmas basket present…paired with a cute mug and some local honey 🙂 thanks!!!
yay! I always love your creative ideas Amanda. I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us next!! 🙂
This is too adorable! I will have to try this soon. Thanks for sharing!
Quick question: If we choose to staple the tea bags, will the staple add its own “flavor” to the tea, considering that it will be dipped in hot water?
Oh amazing!
We got a lot of Rose & Violet flavoured loose teas in France but have yet to drink any because we lack the means to work with leaves!
Perfect!
Best idea ever! I’m definitely going to try that. A few cute tea places in my city only sell loose leaf, but I prefer tea bags…happy compromise!
I would love to try this, but I don’t have a sewing machine. 🙁 Would hand-stitching be sufficient, or would the tea leaves leak out?
Q: Quick question: If we choose to staple the tea bags, will the staple add its own “flavor” to the tea, considering that it will be dipped in hot water?
A: I don’t think so. Most tea bags you buy from the grocery store are stapled, actually! 🙂
Q: I would love to try this, but I don’t have a sewing machine. 🙁 Would hand-stitching be sufficient, or would the tea leaves leak out?
A: I think it would work if you did TINY stitches. It might be pretty time consuming though, for a disposable tea bag. XO!
Yay… lovely idea, I’ll do it with a delicious English Breakfast I have 🙂
Aww now isn’t that just the cutest way to drink tea?!? Love it.
now that is precious!
-grace
http://herumbrella.com
Great DIY! These look like fun, I can’t wait to try to make some! <3
What a wonderful diy project! I am thinking of trying it out, but I wonder if I could make reusable tea bags, using the same idea…
WHY didn’t I think of this? this is so brilliant! i love loose leaf chai in the mornings (not too much caffeine…but still some, since baby gets what i drink) so this would be awesome to do myself!
Smoking Crayolas Blogspot
I adore this DIY. So simple, but so perfect. I love tea and it’s the perfect idea for gifts to fellow tea lovers! I’m excited to try with loose leaf from Teavana! Yum!
-Taylor
http://pocketfulloflace.blogspot.com/
i LOVE this just cus!!!
#teafreak!
xo.
http://dropsofjupiterBLOG.com
What a wonderful idea.
Thank you for sharing.
Adorable!!!
I’m liking the DIY team! Looking forward to many wonderful projects to take on 🙂
<3 Linda
So adorable! Now I have an even better reason to try loose tea. 🙂
Ahh I really want to do this now, I can’t get over how easy that actually sounds! I think this DIY team is a great new addition to the site by the way 🙂
xo
http://kittysnooks.blogspot.com/
how great! i discovered her blog a few months back when searching for a tattoo shop in OKC. glad to see a fellow Oklahoman on the team! <3
I made this for a friends birthday in February, I also ironed shut some cellophane for wrappers.
What a great idea!! Super cute
AH! I LOVE this. I definitely need to make some of these!
-Kat
what seriously great DIY! Can’t wait to make these for gifts 😀
Genius! All of my tea problems are solved Thank you!
This is sooo cute! I can not wait to make my own 🙂 Thanks for the idea.
So cute! I love tea. 🙂
This looks familiar….
http://frecklednest.typepad.com/la/2011/09/diy-tea-party.html
I enjoy your blog but hope your new DIY blogger doesn’t steal all her ideas.
@stephanie – I sent Elsie this post before Miss Leigh-Ann’s post was up. It was merely a coincidence, and her DIY is super cute! It is tea season, after all! No ideas were “stolen”, promise. 🙂
-Amanda
Or, you can just go buy tea bags since Lipton makes those too
I love, love love this idea! So cute. I think I’ll be making pumpkin spice tea bags for some friends and family this fall!
<3LJ
Thanks for all the kind words!
Stephanie, It’s true that this post was already scheduled *BEFORE* Leigh-Ann’s post was up. It was absolutely a coincidence and I made the choice to not worry about it and still post this as planned because it’s a different concept. The only real similarity is that there is a heart on the tea bag string.
Leigh-Ann is a dear friend of mine and we support her %100 and love her blog.
That said, this idea was Amanda’s own. It was planned last month and I think that she deserves nothing but kind words for it because she did an amazing job!
So there you go! No sneaky business going on. No one is stealing ideas. 🙂 Hope that clears things up!
that is so cute!
I am definitely going to try this most especially that it is starting to get chilly. it would be lovely to drink tea and cuddle with somebody on a typical cozy night. 🙂 an added bonus is that it is very pretty to look at. i was thinking of even adding little love notes and sweet nothings at the tea tags. 😉
What a simple yet great idea! These tea bags would make a very cute gift :).
Have a fun weekend!
Miki.
What a fun idea for gifts to my tea-drinking friends! Now I have to find out how to grow teas, as I already have an herb garden, and I dry lots of the herbs. Wouldn’t it be fun to try some herbal tea blends? Love the little tags you made! Thank you for sharing this! Blessings
you have no idea how much I love this.I was getting tired of swallowing chunks of green leaves.♥
…going to find the loose tea that I didn’t like to mess with now, and thinking of ways to avoid the sewing machine….
so the staple gets soaked too?is that okay? I think attaching a heart on a regular tea bag is better, yeah?
love it!! 🙂 nice idea! 🙂
http://lovesimplegreen.blogspot.com/
Fun and easy!
http://www.thoreausdaughter.com/
that is amazing!! OMG! 😀
chickything,
yes, i think it’s ok. most tea bags with strings have staples.
You can always stitch it on if the staple freaks you out, though! XO
Amazing! Love these ideas 🙂
Hope that the Embroidery thread doesent leak colour…. Or some other yacky things in the water..
Super cute! This could be a great gift too.
XOXO
Beautiful;)Love this things.
I must say, I have learnt the best thing of the day. I love drinking green tea and making the tea bags will save me few bucks and drink the best flavor I love to drink.
What a great gift idea! I will definitely be trying this 🙂
Sarah x
http://www.smallestsarah.blogspot.com
I’m so excited to see new contributors here!! 🙂
Hey I know her! Amanda! Congrats, this is so fun and cute! I wish you the best of luck, friend : )
These are too cute! I have to make some of these.
Being a huuuuge tea connoisseur, and a fan of loose leaf, this DIY is perfect! I’m so excited to mix my own styles and put them in my own tea bags. So cute!
😀
Wow, I absolutely love this! Totally going to make some soon 🙂
http://confessedtravelholic.com
I was skeptical at the beginning but the final bags look very nice. Great idea. I just wish we had a sawing machine : )
Lovely idea! Certainly going to do this 🙂
I LOVE IT!
That’s super cute! Thank your for this idea! 🙂
These are lovely. My loose tea just sits there in the kitchen. I will start doing this asap. Thank you.
This is super cute and I love it. I also love loose tea and here in Saudi we use cardamom, saffron or mint in our tea 🙂
I think, it is just one of the most awesome ideas ever! I am a huge tea lover myself and I will so use this tutorial for the gifts! Thank you! 🙂
Brilliant idea. :O I love the thought of making some as gifts for my friends!
Really cute idea!! I will definitely be referring to this post come Xmas season for some much needed DIY gifts!
: )
Jen
I really glad to got this idea, I will try it and I am sure I get awesome experience after that.
One of the best gift ideas I have ever seen! Thanks a million for sharing 🙂
Oh how I do love teacups and paper hearts! <3
http://victorypaperdesigns.blogspot.com/2011/08/in-studio-you-warm-my-heart.html
Me encanta!!!!
Intentaré hacerlos con algún blend con vaililla!!!
Kiss
Pinned!
Great idea!
–Jaclyn T
Silver Twig Necklace GIVEAWAY on my blog @:
http://positiveponderings.blogspot.com/2011/09/necklace-giveaway.html
oh thats so adorable!!
http://www.herpersona.blogspot.com
http://www.herpersona.blogspot.com
oh em gee…this is FANTASTIC!! Now I can make bags for the loose tea that i have…the hearts are cuuute!!
feast.fashion.faves
This was awesome…first tried your design and then my kids gave ideas and we had good lots of designer tea bags. Thank you for great ideas.
Cute cute cute! Also very frugal and a way to make personalized gifts! Love it 🙂
Sooooooooooooooooo Cute!!!!!
What a great idea! I’ve been mixing my own leaves for iced tea all summer, and love to mix leaves for a nice hot cuppa, but how cool to just be able to grab one and go, without the mess! Thanks for the tip!
Cute idea, as always! Thanks for sharing the step-by-step. Super helpful and fun.
These would make great little gifts or party favors.
This is awesome and would make some great christmas ideas! My only thought is…do you think the color of the thread would leak out or seep out? Not sure of that part…have you noticed anything like that? I keep picturing the soup in Bridgit Jones that turned blue from the string! lol
this is the cutest idea ever! totally trying it!
What a great idea! Very cute as well. I shall make some for meself and for my friends! Mwhaha~
My word, how splendid!
Love this idea! Might have to share it on my blog! Where do you buy pumpkin spice though? Is it just a US thing?
Amazing DIY.The perfect combination of great art and passion are seen on this post.Very creative and nice to know that there are people who are really into artistic designs.
that’s so sweet! great idea for when I run out of things to do with my daughter!!! 🙂
I LOVE this tutorial!I hope you don’t mind that I reblogged it on my site.
http://iamthetipsygypsy.blogspot.com/
I made one! Yay thank you http://debiegracebersabal.blogspot.com/2011/10/tea-bags.html
How adorable is this. I am a tea lover and was thinking how lovely this would be as wedding favours …
So cute! i love it, thanks for sharing.
I love this idea………great way to try a new blend without committing to a large amount. Also a great gift idea for loose tea lovers.
Great idea.
Love your tattoos too
This is a very cute project, and I love the idea of customized tea bags. Another thought might be re-usable tea bags, which can be sewn with muslin or unbleached cotton fabric, and a ribbon drawstring. These can be washed and re-used, for the frugal crafter.
Great tutorial!
for christmas gifts this year, i’m utilizing a large bag of starbucks coffee by making my own “coffee bags”. This is how i prefer to drink my coffee, since folgers started packaging coffee this way (tastes fresh every time- as opposed to coffee getting stale in the pot). love the idea of making my own teabags, but you can also by a box of 200 heat sealable tea bags (use an iron to seal) from amazon.com for 6.99. a large bag of starbucks coffee cost me 15.99, but i’m just going to put 20 bags in each basket and have some left over for myself!
Wonderful project! This would be an excellent thing for children to make for Grandparent’s Christmas gifts. I will make some for myself as well.
Peace and Raw Health,
Elizabeth
I am totally going to try this out one day!!
this post inspired me to make tea bag gift jars. i’m so proud of them!=) you can see them here if you’d like.
http://animalfriendlyeating.blogspot.com/2011/12/gifts-in-jars-homemade-tea-bags.html
thank you for sharing all you do, elsie! your blog is a continual source of inspiration! i just love it here.=)
Hi!!
I added a link from my blog´s post to your tutorial. Your blog is so lovely!
Maider
I read two comments asking about possible dye in the embriodary thread. Can someone answer this question? Is it really safe to use colored embriodary thread? Or any thread for that matter…
Oh my god I love these! Have to make for Christmas!!
Really lovely!
=)
This is perfect!! I have never found a satisfying way to make tea bags. You nailed it! Thank you so much!
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What a wonderful idea! Great for a special tea party.
Wow, this is the most amazing idea ever! So cute!
That was funky! Cool ideas!
This is so cute! And great idea for a gift!
What a charming idea! Tuck one inside a Get Well or Thank You Card.
these are so cute. i make my own out of muslin fabric and then i fill mine with chamomile flowers. yum.
great idea for tea parties!
Is there dye in the thread? Should we use undyed embroidery thread?
Great gift idea!!
I am the age when you could ONLY buy herb tea in bulk. And I lived in Boulder, home of Celestial Seasonings (late 1970’s) Wish I knew about this then!
If you don’t have a sewing machine you could cut your coffee filter (or try organza for a re-useable bag) about twice as wide and fold both sides in before you do the point at the top fold. Since the bag is just dropped into the hot water it shouldn’t move around enough to get tea leaves out of your ‘bag’. I have found this is a good way to use up some of the Christmas pepermints that are always left over after the holidays!
I love tea, I love loose leaf, therefore I love this idea. Great blog 😀
I LOVE this idea ^^ So sweet <3
Looooove it!!! I’ve been thinking of doing tea bags for a while but have always slacked… never thought of using coffee filters. Brilliant!
are the dyes in thread, food safe?
Just the DIY tut i needed! Thanks 🙂
This seems great but probably takes a long time!
Val
http://valentinaduracinsky.blogspot.com/
Wonderful idea 🙂 I love the tea cup – I think that pattern is just like my mom’s china she gifted to me and that made me happy to see!
Genial……..lastima que es solo en ingles…..
Great idea! they look cute!
What a cool idea, I am so going to try this for Christmas Presents, will write little messages on the tags to make them personal.
Thanks Amanda
Love this!! But I’m more inclined to go with dilmah :D~
Yes, you can easily and quickly hand-stitch these. Use a back-stitch instead of a running stitch. Here’s a good video: http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Sew—The-Back-Stitch-140618068
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS! I’m glad I saw it. I love buying loose tea leaves and I’m about to be out of bags. I already have everything I need at home to make this 😀
love it love it!!! ♥♥♥
great idea! 😉
Have to try <3
Kiss Kiss
O'
http://www.guccibagsjapan.com/ 国土交通省運輸安全委員会は同日、船舶事故調査官を派遣。苫小牧海保は船長から事情を聴くなど事故の原因を調べる一方、巡視船など５隻とヘリを出して行方不明者を捜索している。
This is too adorable! I will have to try this soon. Thanks for sharing!
hey, quick question. if you’re using embroidery thread, won’t the chemicals leech into the tea you’re drinking? i love the idea, but this was the only thing that would stop me from trying this.
I luv this idea…what a great way to enjoy tea!
Cheers +_+
http://www.looklikemenyc.com
Super cute! I’m thinking if using them for a special gift, customize it even more…
1.)you could even make your own personalized tea bag BOX w card stock. (Lable it… while we are apart, remember the days, off to collage, the ways i love you, rainy reading days)
2.)write/print out little quotes, scritures, inspirational sayings, love notes, rememberances on the tags.
3.)use different color thread and tag combinations on the bags for different flavored tea.
4.)include a key code for the different teas like you sometimes get on the lid of a box of chocolates.
Wow~! someone make this for me please =)
Love it, thank you for the inspiration.
I am doing this as soon as I get a sewing machine!Super cute with the heart tags. Love it!
This information is to debate how to do your tiffany sterling silver bangle.Resources like the one you mentioned here will be very useful for me!
i would like to read newer posts and to share my thoughts with you.
Couldn’t the thread dye seep into the tea??
I’ve pinned some go those stuff, cute and smart web site!
Perfect! I have an odd bod collection of favourite teas that are milling around in an old tin in half opened bags. It’s pouring rain here so looks like I have something to play with today also great cup of tea weather!. Thanks for sharing. Dotti
There are some exciting points with time in this article however I don’t know if I see all of them center to heart.Lovely website! I am loving it!! Will come back again.
great idea
Most of us believe that tea is good for the health because it is proven effective. Loose tea is one of the best example and we need to create our own bags for this. This DIY project is a big help.
I am in love with this post!! (mainly because I am obsessed with tea)
Learn all about the great benefits of green tea on my blog pinky to posh!
http://pinkytoposh.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/starbucks-green-goddess-vs-green-tea/
I love your blog, it inspired me to make a blog:) And this project is so cute!
this is lovely! im going to do this for some of my friends:) thanks for the idea. ALSO; i love your tattoo. legitimately wanted the exact same thing. i just got back from africa 🙂
Kelly, you’re so adorable and SO tenalted. My word. Love all your sewing projects. And i had to leave a comment on Leah’s blog after I saw your comment about my sis’s wedding dress. My mom is SO amazing and the things she sews are just out of this world. I wish I had learned a thing or two from her, but I refused to pay attention growing up and swore I’d NEVER sew things for my kids. Can you say “regret”?Enjoy your sunny Christmas and it is FREEEEEEZING here. Came out of nowhere and it’s NOT pleasant. Keep the entertainment coming@
Oh my goodness this is brilliant!
-Taryn
sweetsweetnightingale.blogspot.com
Kevin: After watching you eat all these years, know for sure that you would eat ayinhtng that doesn’t crawl off your plate. Seems like Ken is having the harder time since he is even pickier that me. He picks beans out of chili but now will eat something that looks like it died on his plate and and is decomposing. YukI lost 31 pounds last July simply because the hospital food was SOOOOO bad I could not force it down, no way, it was realllly bad. Have gained about 8 pounds back but eat what I like now just not as much, and shoveling snow helps.But, whatever works. Just seems like its highly repititious and what are Lentils ? He will get tired of the same ol same ol and give it up.Look like some kind of beans to me but the boy is scuffing them right up.I shudder to think what he would have done with brussel sprouts when he wasMUCH younger. Obviously none of the 4H stuff has mayonaise on it.
I recognise that menomevt anywhere He used a swipe card to get in inside job, or some idiot left there card around to get nicked/copied.The ID of the card used should be in the security log. But I imagine the Police/company owners already know this
This is a classic explame of getting your cake and finding it too rotten to eat. So the home owners group wins and the developer walks away from this property. Now what, the course becomes overgrown, street urchins creep in and steal everything non organic. Fire and police calls for service go up taxing services that are already thin. Everyones property value goes down further than they already are and the entire community looses including the golfing community that had a great local course. Help me out because I still don’t see the winner here. Eat your cake people and don’t complain when it taste like poo pie!
Does everyone keep fttoerging that politicians who invent and fund such programs are doing so because the public wants them? Why the public wants them is an interesting sociological question, but we still fortunately live in a democracy where the people get what they want. Unfortunately, because the people don’t want to pay for their wishes, we get ourselves into a financial hole. In both cases the politicians we elect have trouble leading public opinion to a good place instead of just following it. Most bloggers have the attitude that what they want is their birthright and that the rest of the public has a duty to finance it. Hooray for democracy!
Hard to comment wuihott knowing which Nikon model, but I agree that for comparable price points they deliver comparable performance.I generally recommend people pay a bit less for the camera and get a good quality lense. If they can afford just one lense, I recommend the Tamron 18-200 or if they can afford it the Tamron 18-300. I never recommend buying the kit. There is a bunch of junk it it that wastes money. Buy the body. Buy a great lense. Buy a case that matches your portability needs. Get Photoshop, or Elements if on a budget.
Well, anybody who sutggses it is accused of hating kids. Since I know you don’t, that is a bogus charge, but they will make it anyway.And if you view schools as most parents do, as daycare with lunch provided that other people pay for, you can understand that cutting it will be viewed as a tax raise by them.Sure, they get 12 years benefit and pay for another 50 or 60, so they are being stupid, but hey it all boils down to stupid doesn’t it?
something I degrsaie with, I’ll point out why I degrsaie.What does riding a bike have to do with any of this? To answer your question, because its enjoyable. Many activities contain a certain amount of risk. The intelligent man weighs the risk, decides if he wants to take it, then goes to great lengths to reduce the risk. Is it more intelligent to live your life in a bubble than to risk ever getting injured?
Do politicians who use itendcins like this to further their rightist agendas have a equal effect on you?Is a con artist or shameful opportunist anyone in the no gun vs. pro-gun debate, or any other subject, who argues the side that you oppose? A con artist operates a knowingly fraudulent scheme. Many people who want something you do not want are sincere and honest in their arguments.
If you want higher brow enmnttainreet, you’ll have to live in or near a higher brow place. How about the DVD shelves of your local library from which I suggest episodes of Foyle’s War or Bones, Amadeus, or Fiddler on the Roof. Try Anonymous or Richard III or Hamlet. Any film from novels by Sinclair Lewis or Alistair MacLean or Charles Dickens or Michael Dobbs.
Ratchet logic (all directions lead to his cociousnln), ideological scientists, crisis adds to funding, and the sense of opportunity by socialists that they could use it as a lever to gain central control. Global warming is nonsense. Even if true, we would more likely benefit from it. Global COLD is MORE likely and way more dangerous.
There is nothing as ernintaeting as the old TV shows: My favorites do not really include the BHB, but the dialogue is still pretty funny. The best shows were Dick Van Dyke, F Troop and the original Batman and Robin. Great classic lines in all those shows.Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
This is incredible. I love DIY and tea so my day is made! Thanks. 🙂
I love this DIY project! I’ve become a big tea drinker and this is super cool to add a bit of style and character to my teacup!
Thanks for sharing!
I just made these, and I love them! They turned out so cute! I love my loose leaf tea, but every other way of steeping left me with pieces of tea leaves floating around. Not with these tea bags! Thanks for such a great tutorial! I just found your blog, and I want to make everything!
Your idea is lovely, but regular staples are not for food-grade applications. Who knows the less-than-sanitary conditions under which they are made or what harmful alloys they may contain. If food-grade staples are not an option, you could sew the bags closed with safe cotton thread. There are also stainless teabag clips available from sites like devotea.com. It would be awful if some one was harmed from this.
I made them last night and they turned out really well. Will definitely try again. Thanks for all the inspiration!
Thank you for sharing this! I spent HOURS trying to find a set of instructions for this.
This was a very creative thing to do. I guess you really enjoy doing this. You can also made one for your special someone. So sweet then.
So cute!!! I love drinking tea. I am going to make these for my friends who love tea. Thank you for sharing. I just pinned your project, I hope you don’t mind.
I love tea. I have never been a coffee drinker like everyone else in my family. I have tried a variety of teas over the years but it is hard to say which one I like the best!
Hello, do you allow guest posting on abeautifulmess.com ? Let me know on my email 🙂
Hi Dear,
I was searching how to make a tea bag?. Recently, I’ve seen your article and read it. You’ve explained very good. I really liked it. So, keep up the good work.