Some of my friends have called me the tea cozy queen, since I have probably made about 3 dozen or so of them. I'm not familiar with a pattern on the web, but hey, you are right, you really can make one yourself. This is especially important since there is a wide range of sizes of tea pots, and tea cozies, unless quite large, really are not a one-size-fits-all affair.
The pattern is pretty simple, basically just a D lying down on its side. An average 4 cup tea pot of the Brown Betty ilk is likely to take a cozy that measures (finished size) 13" across its base and 11 inches in height through its middle. If in doubt, cut out a muslin pattern and stitch it up to try it out. Remember though that when the cozy is lined with batting and has its inside lining, it will fit more snugly than a simple muslin cover. In other words, make sure your pattern is big enough, that in the pattern stage, it fits somewhat loosely over your pot.
(Be sure to add seam allowances to your pattern. See illustration "C" below.)
A few more points: Rather than stitching the batting into the seam and then trimming the seam, I make the batting a little smaller so that it fits just inside the seam line. I then tack it to the muslin lining. It keeps the seam a little neater.
Don't skimp on the thickness of the batting either. The cozies really do do a marvelous job at keeping the teapot warm, but you need to give it the material to work with.
One other variation some people like is to line the cozy but not put any batting in it. One can then make a plain muslin "under-cozy" lined with batting and cover *it* with the outer cozy. [Similar to a "slip cover" on furniture.] That way, if your pot gets the inside of the cozy dirty with drips, it doesn't affect the crazy quilted portion. I've never done that myself, but it is an idea.
It also improves the finished look of the cozy if you use piping along the seam when stitching it up.
Cheers...
Phyllis
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