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My Aunt Gladys immigrated to the United States from England just after World War II with two small children in tow. Her husband had been killed during the war and she - only child of parents who had long since gone to Heaven - was alone in the world. Striking out in her new world, without many skills, she became a lady’s maid (Today we would call her a Personal Secretary) to a very wealthy woman. Her life was a simple one of caring for the Misses wardrobe, appointments and idiosyncrasies. Aunt Gladys lived in a small cottage on the Estate; her children went to the local school. Her life was orderly and peaceful until the eventful day when taking her son for a haircut she met my uncle the Barber. My history of the tea cozy begins with Aunt Gladys marrying my uncle and subsequently discovering that in my parent’s cozy-less home she would have to improvise and use one of my Mother’s dishtowels folded over the teapot as a cozy. She would never have used my uncle’s hat as is attributed to tea cozy folk lore. Aunt Gladys would have labeled his fedora a germ laden and repulsive cozy to keep the tea palatable and properly hot. Interesting tidbits I discovered while researching this topic: Coffee rather than tea was a favored drink in Europe up until the late 1700 to early 1800’s. When compared to the heavily taxed tea, coffee was an inexpensive drink that gave the drinker a “lift” after drinking. Only the very wealthy drank tea and in small quantities – by the cup. Once the tax schedule was changed and tea became more affordable, tea drinking became the vogue. Not only Queen Victoria but even those people of modest means could afford tea which could be brewed with a pinch of leaves in a container to be savored for an afternoon. But - how to keep the brew from getting cold? You know the answer. Tea Cozies were fancifully embellished with beading, embroidery, lace, crochet work and lavish fabrics – all this to wonderfully elevate the utility of the teapot cover. There was a special tea cozy basket so that you could take hot tea to a picnic. During the Edwardian period a metal sleeve tea cozy was custom designed and sold as a set with a special fitting teapot. There was even a tea cozy that was made to look like a lovely lady – the top portion a porcelain doll and the bottom portion to cover the teapot her skirt. When I learned this I must tell you I was rather miffed. I was going to do that very same thing with a Barbie doll. What was done ‘then’ is still being done now. Tea Cozies are a springboard of creativity.They are knit, crocheted, quilted, made as a top-down cover, made as a snug-up cover, made to wrap around, made as an envelope, made to look like ski caps, hard hats, kitty cats, bird cages --- Oh my! If you can imagine it, someone has made a tea cozy to look like it. In my opinion the history of the tea cozy is very simple. A need presented itself: I need to keep a quantity of tea palatable and hot for my friends to enjoy this afternoon. The answer became evident: A cover for the teapot. The rest of the story is the delightful journey of creativity and embellishment of a simple design. Don’t have a tea cozy? You have two choices: Buy one or improvise like my dear Aunt Gladys. 
Never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cozy, doesn't try it
on.
Found on QuoteGarden.com
attributed to Billy Connolly,
Gullible's Travels
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