June strawberries!
Nothing says summer quite like some fresh strawberries...don't you agree? So, when I was asked to do a summertime jam jar cover project for a magazine a few years ago, I just knew I had to have some strawberries in there somewhere! This was such a fun project to do, in fact I enjoyed it so much that I've stitched it several times, something I rarely do. And to celebrate the start of summer we've decided to have this as another one of our free charts!
Isn't that cute? And here's a close up of the stitching that's on the top...
And a close up of those strawberries, just waiting to be picked....
When I was first asked to do this project, I did wonder who on earth actually still used jam jar covers....it's the sort of thing that reminds me of my Grandmother (she always had little crocheted covers on her jam - which was always home made, never store bought!) Still, who am I to question a commission?!! lol. Once I started making it, I fell totally in love with the concept, they are so cute and make even a store bought jam look fabulous. After a little noseying around Pinterest it turns out that these little covers are all the rage. And so, of course, my little brain got to thinking (it does happen - occasionally!) how can I use this idea? Of course, I could make some homemade jam and give it to friends and neighbours, although I'm more likely just to go to the store and buy some jam! And then I had the 'light bulb' moment. A 'sold' sign just went up on the house at the bottom of our street - wouldn't this make a wonderful welcome to the neighbourhood type gift? When the new neighbours move in, I'm going to give them a little basket filled with some crusty french rolls, the jam (yeah, it'll more than likely be store bought!!) with this cute little cover, a jam spoon and some coffee and tea sachets, maybe add a little teapot....ooh, I can't wait to put this together. I'm sure the new neighbors will love this...and Grandma would be proud that I'm using a jam jar cover!
Jam jar covers rock!!!
Want to make one for yourself (or a friend!)?
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Just follow these simple instructions - once you've finished your stitching, all you'll need is some red gingham fabric (or fabric of your choice) some narrow green ribbon, fabric glue and iron-on interfacing.
So how do you make the jam jar cover?
It couldn't be simpler!
Stitch the circular cover piece and the two strawberries following the chart that you can find at the bottom of this post.
Iron on the interfacing following the manufacturers instructions, then trim the pieces to one square from the edge of the stitching.
Handy tip: use really sharp scissors for this part.....but not your kitchen scissors, not matter how sharp they are! Small scissors are often easier for this ;)
Cut the fabric to a circle shape wide enough to cover the top of your jam jar and to hang down the edges. You can be fancy and use a compass, but I just grabbed a plate from the kitchen cupboard and used that to draw my circle on the fabric! You can use a pencil to mark the fabric or a disappearing ink pen specifically designed for fabric (this is the one I use.) Cutting the fabric using pinking sheers gives a nice fancy edge and helps prevent the fabric from fraying, but regular scissors work well too....that's what I used.
Glue the circular stitched piece to the middle of the fabric. Leave to dry.
Cut a length of ribbon that will be long enough to wrap around the jam jar twice and be tied into a bow and have the strawberries attached to the end (use picture to reference)
Cover the jam jar with the fabric making sure the stitching is in the middle of the top, then tie the ribbon around and make a bow. Glue the strawberry cross stitch pieces to the ends of the ribbon making sure they hang so that the front of the stitching is facing outwards. Leave to dry.
Wasn't that easy?!!
So once you've made this, are you making your own jam or heading to the store to buy some? :)
-Rhona
P.S. Remember to share your stitching on social media using #TangledThreadsAndThings ...we love to see your stitching!
Jam jar cover chart
.pdf
Download PDF • 646KB
If you'd like to come back at a later time, save an image to Pinterest:
