I read about Softies for Mirabel a few months ago and decided that I wanted to make a toy to mail over to Australia to help out. The problem was that I couldn’t decide what to make. A doll? An animal? No, let’s make a mug of tea was my first thought. This soon evolved in my crafty brain into a cup and saucer set.
How do I make a teacup and saucer I thought. I planted the idea in my head and let it grow a little bit, made a couple of sketches on random pieces of paper and got started. I am a very ‘trial and error’ soft toy maker, no pattern, just an idea, a pair of scissors and a sewing machine!
The cup had to be fastened to the saucer so they didn’t lose each other, so I made a fabric ribbon and attached it to the cup and the saucer leaving it long enough for tea time play.
The handle on the cup took me an age to turn and stuff, but my trusty knitting needles saved the day and I managed to employ a little bit of patience too which was the main tool I needed!
The ‘tea’ is felt fabric and is a little weak in colour for my tea taste, but it was either that or dark brown, so I decided on weak tea!
I am very pleased with my impromptu tea cup and saucer and I hope whoever ends up with it has a lovely time playing with it!
Are you a crafty kind of person? Do you like to whip up the odd softie whenever the mood takes you?! Making stuffed ghosts, monsters and plant pots (yes there was a flower in it) is a summer holiday pastime in our house!
Clare Davis Etheridge 
i love that you jumped into making that without any pattern. It’s so damn cute! Did you practice sipping from it? It will make someone so happy.
There has been lots of sipping and offering a cup of tea to anyone nearby!!!
How fun, my little niece would love it! I wish I had more time for craft.
Have a great day!
Thanks! I almost want to keep it so that I can play tea time!!
I’ve never seen a cup and saucer in fabric like this before – love that you did it by ‘trial and error’. And that colour of tea is perfect for me I think. A really worthwhile project and I’m sure this little set will inspire many hours of ‘dolls tea party’ fun x
I hope a small person enjoys taking tea from this tea cup! I sent it to Pip last week, so hopefully it will get there on time.
This is so adorable Clare! Love it x
Thanks Karen, I just hope it makes it over in time.
That looks so cute! I think you are on to a good thing here, lovely.
Maybe I should work on a teapot! That sounds hard though.
Ooh a nice cup of tea eh Clare, just to remind you of home. How come tea doesn’t taste the same anywhere else in the world?? It’s got to be Yorkshire Tea, it’s got to look like builders tea and you’ve got just the right shade going on in your softie, I think any darker and it would look like coffee and that would never do!! Love it 🙂 xx
I rejected the darker brown because it looked like black coffee and we can’t have coffee in a tea cup! Yorkshire is the best, but sometimes I can only get PG Tips or Tetley over here.