Mrs Wiggins made this crazy patchwork tea cosy in the Young Historical Museum’s collection.
Tea cosies were first used in Britain in the 1860s when afternoon tea had become a tradition.
According to Marion Harland’s 1876 book on etiquette ‘Breakfast, luncheon and tea’, the tea cosy ‘is a wadded cover or bag made of crotcheted worsted, or of silk, velvet or cashmere, stitched or embroider...
