...Make your own Tea-Strainer...with stuff you already have on hand...

...of course you can buy a ready-made tea strainer like this one...

...but why on earth would you...when...in about 15 minutes you can make one with things you already have...

...I started with a wire coat hanger...these were the little ones that Scout used to hang his little clothes on...so no longer needed...but you can use any stiff wire that you have lying around...

...I snipped the hook off the top...

...then stretched it out straight...or reasonably so...

...then I shaped a circle...

...and a handle...

...and snipped off the rest of the wire...and the structure was done...

...then I needed a 100% cotton filter bag...so I dug around my scrap bin...and found an old pillowcase that's seen better days...but it's definitely 100% cotton...

...so I cut out a conical shape from the folded edge...

...and stitched up the sides...

...then I folded them over again and stitched...the last thing you want is any tea leaves or grounds seeping through your seam...

...and I folded down the top and stitched around that as well...leaving an opening at the seam to slide it onto the frame...

...and then...you guessed it...I slid it onto the wire frame...

...from the top...

...a side view...

...ok...let's give it a trial run...

...just pop it in your mug...

...and pour in your tea...I prefer loose tea as tea bags always make it too strong for me...and I can't stand 'stewed tea' as Barbara Pym would say...

...then just lift it out...you'll need a saucer to set it on to avoid any drips...

...see all those tiny little tea leaves...and not a one in my mug...this works so much better than my wire mesh strainer...

...then just give it a quick rinse and hang it up to dry...the good thing about this wire frame is that you can take the filter off for a good washing too...and you can see Scout's spiffy bag dryer thingy is still in use...years later...

~Have a lovely day!