Teabags have gotten some bad press lately, because where they used to be made from just paper it seems that they now contain a plastic web as part of their makeup to improve their wet strength. This certainly reduces their capacity for recycling or composting. While I am not a tea drinker I was fascinated when Les Davison showed me some of his home made reusable teabags while we were at the latest PSW permablitz.
To make your own teabags
Start with a fine gauze or chiffon fabric, or a loose weave cotton such as muslin or voile, the advantage of using a cotton fabric being that at the end of its service life, it can be composted. The colour doesn’t matter although Les uses white fabric for black tea and a light greenish fabric for herbal teas.
The size isn’t critical either, but cut a square of fabric roughly 150 mm a side and then fold it in half, this will allow you to make two tea bags.
With a machine or by hand, run a straight stitch up each side roughly 5mm in from the edge and stopping roughly 4 centimetres from the open end. Then measure in to the centre of the fabric (75mm in from one side) and draw a pencil line to divide the fabric into two halves.
Sew a line of running stitch on each side of the pencil line and about 6mm away from it, from the closed end to about 4 centimetres from the open end and cut down the pencil line to make two tea bags.
Place some cotton string around the open end of the bag and tie the ends off to make a drawstring to close off the open end of the bag and give you something to hold when you’re jiggling. Fold one side of the open end of the tea bag over the drawstring so that it forms a cover for the drawstring roughly 2 centimetres wide.
Sew a line of running stitch over one side of the open end, near the edge of the drawstring cover to keep the drawstring in place. Turn the teabag over and do the same on the other side. Repeat with the other teabag.
You now have two complete tea bags, ready for filling with your favourite type and brand of tea, but before using them it is always a good idea to give them a wash first, just to remove any soluble fabric treatments which are on the fabric. That way, on their first use you only get tea!
You can charge them up ready for use with a teaspoon of tea in each bag, or take empties with you and fill them up with tea provided where you are going.
After use, compost the used tea leaves/material and wash the bag ready for next use!
