Tea cosy

This tea cosy is made from handwoven woollen strips prodded into hessian. Alison Milne designed it and prodded the woollen fabric strips and prodded the woollen off-cuts, which are off-cuts from fabric hand-woven by Cathy de Seton, into the hessian. Prodding (or proggy) is a traditional method used for making rag rugs. Short peices of material are prodded through hessian or burlap with a pointed piece of wood, which produces a shaggy pile. The Auckland area winner, this was designed and made by the two women as a non-functional response to a national competition organised by New Zealand Spinning Weaving and Woolcrafts Society at the behest of Te Papa. According to Milne, the tea cosy embodies the 'make do and mend' element of thrift and recycling that became habitual to many generations of women in New Zealand.