Whimsical Jar Swap - Jar 1

So I am participating in a "Whimsical Jar Swap" in a sewing group that I am in. You may be wondering what, exactly a Jar Swap is so let me explain. The basic gist of a jar swap is that you switch decorated jars full of "stuff" with other people. This jar is going to a woman who loves sewing, knitting and bow making and whose favorite color is burgundy, aqua and purple.

Inside the jar I have managed to fit a whole skein of wool yarn, a set of circular knitting needles, two 1/2 yard pieces of fabric, 5 small spools of Gutterman thread, a set of titanium sewing machine needles, lots of ribbon and some bottle caps and clay bow toppers. Shopping for the items to go in the jar is fun, but decorating it is by far the highlight of the swap! This particular jar started out as a pickle jar and the biggest challenge was getting that distinct smell to fade!


Now for a how to on decorating the jar: (Sorry I don't have step-by-step pics)
I started the decorating process by dipping a strip of fabric (black w/white floral print on outside of jar) in Mod Podge and then adhered it to the jar. In case you are not familiar with Mod Podge it is messy and needs to be evened out so it dries smoothly. In order to achieve a nice smooth finished look I took a small paintbrush and evenly spread the Mod Podge around until it looked uniform. I did the same thing on the lid of the jar.


Once the fabric layer was dry I did the same thing with a piece of 1.5" grosgrain ribbon.  It's important to know that once the Mod Podge has dried that ribbon's color will appear darker than usual, for example, the burgundy ribbon shown on the jar was actually a brighter shade of red pre-Mod Podging. Once again I laid the saturated ribbon on the jar and then smoothed it out with a paint brush.


The outer beaded wire was done with some jewelry wire and small glass beads. I cut the wire to a length that would wrap around the jar 3 times and then added some beads, I'd say about 1/3 of the wire was covered in beads. I tucked one end of the wire under the ribbon which holds it firmly in place then proceeded to wrap the beaded wire around the jar spreading out the beads as I went. Once I got to the end I bent the wire and wedged it under the ribbon layer as well. It might be a good idea to use a dab of a strong glue to hold the wire in place, but I don't have any on hand so I'm skipping that step this time.

The pin cushion on top was the most time consuming. I started out with a square of fabric, a needle and thread. I went around the edges of the fabric with the needle and thread just putting a stitch in that I could pull tight around the fiberfil. Once I got this stitch done and the stuffing in I pulled it completely tight and added extra stitches to keep it closed. I will suggest that you use cotton stuffing in your own as poly will dull your pins! 


In order to attach the pin cushion to the lid I used a hammer and nail to make 7 holes in the top of the lid. I placed one hole in the center and the other 6 in a circle around the first approx 1/2" from the edge of the lid. After some trial and error I suggest that you turn the lid over after you make the holes and lightly hammer down the jagged edges. The next step is to thread a pin with a double layer of crochet thread and knot the end. Run the needle through the center of the cushion and out the middle hole on the lid leaving the knot on top of the cushion. PULL TIGHT! At this point I simply used the remaining holes to thread the needle through and sew the pin cushion down, it's easy I promise! Make sure that you secure the thread very well to keep the cushion attached.


The final step was adding a circle of matching fabric to the inside of the lid to hide the stitches and holes. Once again, this is a job for Mod Podge. 


Now, your have a completed jar!


Since I just made this, and I am sending it off for a gift (think of the jar as fancy gift wrap) I can't say how well this will hold up. I don't currently have any clear sealer I can spray on the entire bottle, but I'd suggest it if you are making a bottle that you want to last a while. Remember that Mod Podge is water soluble so keep your jar dry.


Watch for another post on making these adorable quilting pins!