Here’s a quick tutorial for making hand sewn heart shaped Valentines Day (or Any Occasion) Tea Bags.

While I made these for my Dad when he was having some issues with his heart health, you can make them for your own special little Sweet Hearts.  For parties or special occasions, serve the tea with  heart shaped sugar cookies or a simple cake for a special treat. Tuck them into a handmade card or handmade mug or as a favor or a gift for a baby shower, wedding shower, birthday or anniversary. They’re sure to be a hit. These little 2 1/2″ square bags are fun to make and will delight the recipient.

SUPPLIES NEEDED

Needle

Thread

Scissors

Iron or Other Heating Element (curling iron, straight iron)

Dried Organic Flower Petals   Rose Petals/Hibiscus/Peony Blossoms/Violets/Pansies/Violas

Organic Tea Leaves from Green Herbs  Dried Organic Spearmint, Peppermint, Nettles, Raspberry Leaf, Green Tea, Catnip, Lemon Verbena

Press and Brew Tea Bags–I get mine from Starwest but they’re sometimes available at Natural Food Stores.

I make these teas from my own farm raised organic dried rose petals and peppermint. The tea drinker gets a little of our Paradise magic in every cup.  The tea is a holder of the memories and imprints of the place where it is grown as well as the lovely phytochemicals and minerals in the plants themselves. You can use other edible flowers and herbs but you’ll  want to think about how the colors work together in your design and how the herbs and flowers taste together as tea.

DIRECTIONS

1.  Lightly draw a heart in the middle of  the tea bag with a graphite pencil. Make sure there is a least 1/4″ between the edge of the heart shape and the sealed edge of the tea bag.
2. Using a needle threaded with white thread and knotted at the end, begin at the top center of the heart shape.
3. Sew carefully all of the way around the shape until you get back within an inch of where you started.
4. Fill the inside of the heart shape with the flower petals.  I use roses, peonies or hibiscus as they’re reds and pinks.
5. Finish Sewing the Heart shape and finish off the end by sewing a couple of back stitches.
6. Fill the area outside the heart with the green tea herbs.  I used peppermint as it works well with the rose petals.
7. Iron the open end of the tea bag to heat seal the bag.

Now the tea bag can be steeped without losing the flowers and herbs.  It’s pretty even after steeping.

Here’s another large  4 X5″ tea bag with a two heart motif filled with pink roses and red hibiscus flowers and surrounded by a field of green peppermint. This teabag makes a full teapot and can be refreshed with a second filling of hot water if you remove the bag after initial steeping and return for a second pot.

This design looks pretty floating in a clear glass teapot or other tea container with a wide opening. Alternatively, float the tea bag in a pretty bowl of sparkling punch. You can tuck it into a gift box or hand thrown/built teapot. It would be a delightful surprise for a tea party at a baby shower, wedding shower, birthday or anniversary. You’ll know the perfect occasion.

♥Some of the images are before steeping in hot water-some after.

xoxo