Work by 70 artists features in tea-inspired exhibition Warming the Pot at Scarborough's Gallery 6

Gallery 6 owner Leslie Stones pours a cuppa at the exhibition Warming the Pot being held at the gallery in Victoria Road, Scarborough

Knitters, ceramicists, crocheters, embroiderers, sculptors, felters and painters have used their talents to celebrate a great British pastime – drinking tea.

Warming the Pot features, in one form or another, tea cosies, teapots, teacups and teabags.

There are paintings, sculptures, wall-hangings, bookmarks and brooches, fridge magnets and greeting cards displayed at Gallery 6, Victoria Road, Scarborough.

Music featuring songs about tea – including Tea for Two – also plays as visitors browse the gallery.

Artist Angela Knipe amongst some of the exhibits

The exhibition in pictures here

The exhibition is a collaboration between friends bookshop owner Leslie Stones and designer Angela Knipe. Jeweller and artists Chantal Anderton has also played a huge part in organising the event.

Both Angela and Chantal have work on display. Angela’s work includes tea cosy – one featuring Anne Bronte, the other Edith Sitwell.

“I sent out 105 invitations to artists and got 70 pieces of work back,” said Angela who owned Angela and Rosie in Bar Street, Scarborough.

Handmade tea cosies have also been donated by two groups – Newby and Scalby-based Crafty Articles and a group of makers from Todmorden near Halifax.

These can be bought by donation with half the proceeds going to the Scarborough-based charity, Art Therapy Yorkshire.

"The range of work is really varied,” said Angela. “People have also loaned us items including vintage tea cosies and a children’s tea set.”

Angela’s grandmother read tea leaves and she did consider leading sessions for the exhibition, which does include a piece dedicated to the art of tea-leaf reading.

Many of Scarborough’s leading artists are taking part in Warming the Pot. They include Lebberston-based Shirley Vauvelle, Woodend-based Lindsey Tyson, Adam King, who has a studio in Gladstone Lane and sea swimmer and ceramicist Lesley Warner.

Staxton-based mosaic specialist Sheila Downing made a tea cosy for the exhibition and her grandchildren, Max, seven, and Poppy, five, made coasters.

Among the exhibits is a penguin tea cosy made by Rachel Boddington using, among other things, a vintage tea towel, teddy bear eyes, pony club rosettes and a … bra.

The biggest cosy is by Sue Turner and is called The Cat’s Whiskers Tea Room while Vicky Snow’s cosy is made from wire. London-based singer Jeni Hankins has contributed Peg People Dream of Tea which includes a bed cover made of old tea bags.

Cloughton-based Christine Heath’s textile wall-hangings are on display in the window of the gallery as is a cup and saucer decorated with a Mabel Lucie Atwell illustration which belongs to Angela.

Scarborough-based dress designer Isabelle Randall has made a Chinese-inspired tea cosy with a dragon and phoenix motif and Wendy Doughty has made brooches.

Wendy’s husband Simon, a set designer, has tea-cup sculptures for sale. Called Storm in a Teacup 1 and 2, they feature vintage miniature figures in resin surf.

Fatima Fletcher has made a series of biscuits on a plate – including shortbread and bourbon.

Vivien Mousdell loaned a ‘naughty lady’ teapot for the exhibition.

There are also tributes to Ukraine and its people.

Warming the Pot runs at Gallery 6 until Friday September 30. The gallery is open each Wednesday to Saturday from 11am to 4pm.

Entry is free and most of the work is for sale.