Tea Blog

Tea can both stimulate and calm—making it the perfect companion for even the trickiest tasks. For me, that task was replacing all the buttons on an otherwise perfectly good blazer.

And as someone who rarely picks up a needle and thread, that made it quite the undertaking.

The problem:

A few years ago, I purchased a navy blue double-breasted blazer with brass buttons. At first, I loved the look. It felt classic and polished, and I wore it to work often.

Then came the comments.

A little teasing is fine—I grew up with plenty of good-natured ribbing—but hearing “Ahoy, sailor!” repeatedly gets old rather quickly. Eventually, the blazer found its way to the back of my closet.

The solution:

Letting a perfectly good garment sit unused didn’t seem right. I wanted to make it wearable again—but my sewing skills are, to put it kindly, limited.

Turning it into a single-breasted blazer wasn’t realistic. My sewing machine experience (dating back to middle school) had already proven that major alterations weren’t in my future.

So I kept pondering…

[cue imaginary Jeopardy! thinking music]

Then it hit me—the problem wasn’t the blazer itself. It was the buttons.

The brass buttons were what gave it that “naval” look. And replacing them? That was actually within my skill set.

A quick trip to the fabric store, a set of navy buttons, and about an hour of careful hand stitching later…

Problem solved. A wearable blazer once again.

The role of tea in all this:

Before starting, I brewed a pot of English Breakfast Blend No. 1—a tea strong enough to hold its flavor throughout the project.

I began with one cup (with milk and a bit of sweetener) to get into the right mindset. “I can do this.”

Halfway through, I paused for another cup—just enough encouragement to keep going.

Finally, after sewing on the last button and trying on the newly transformed blazer, I celebrated with a third cup.

Much improved—and much less “naval.”

The bottom line:

Even the most tedious or intimidating task becomes manageable—and even enjoyable—with a good cup of tea.

But then again… you already knew that.

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