Stamping, stitching and more lavender

I'm still having a lot of fun discovering new ways to present my dried lavender. Today I want to show you a little gift jar I've made which uses rubber stamps (the Stampin' Up! Herb Expressions set), some stitching on Aida cloth, my scalloped circle Nestibilities die, ribbon, felt and a baby food jar.

I love it when I can find ways to combine different hobbies and this little jar topper let me use my stamps on fabric to use as an outline for the image I wanted to stitch.


So let's start at the beginning. When we last left off, I was drying some lavender from the rafters in the basement.
Step 2: While we wait for the lavender to dry take a piece of Aida cloth or any even weave fabric. I would have prefered to have used linen, but sadly I was out of it. Cut the fabric in a size a bit larger than your image will cover. You want to have room to stuff and attach your piece to the lid once it is stitched.

Step 3: I used StazOn ink and the Herb Expressions Lavender stamp. Ink up your stamp and carefully place and stamp on the fabric. You'll want to use a bit more pressure and hold the inked stamp a bit longer than you normally would on paper just to be sure it soaks into the fabric neatly.

And here is the cloth with my pattern, created from the stamp. It doesn't matter if it is a little light in places (notice the lavender isn't completely inked). Once you begin filling in the image with stitches you won't see the ink any longer.

Step 4: Let's begin stitching. I used a combination of French knots for the lavender and backstitch for the vines. And what do you call the stitch for the leaves? Is that a lazy-dazy stitch? I forget.......

Now go ahead and finish your stitching. It is such a small area that it takes only one television program to complete. Yes, I stitch while watching (correction: listen to) TV. I believe it was America's got Talent that evening.

Step 5: Now that you've completed your stitching it is time to get the pieces together for the lid. I used my scalloped circle Nestibilities die and ran it through the cuttlebug on a piece of bright blue felt. Nestibilities dies cut great through felt and fabric.

Step 6: You're ready to finish the jar topper (lid). I cut a circle of chipboard the size of the lid, placed cotton balls for puffyness and then stretched my completed stitched piece over it.

Step 7: Glue the felt to the metal baby food jar lid. Be careful to center it exacly so the scallops will overhang evenly. Wrap the rim with ribbon and attach a bow.

Step 8: It is time to finish this little project. I glued the stitched and stuffed piece to the blue felt jar lid.

And there you have it! A completed jar topper.

I thought this might be a fast and fun way to give small gift jars of lavender. Or, you can just use it to store the lavender in for yourself.

From garden to rubber stamping to sewing to craft project; this jar topper kept many of my hobbies in harmony.

If you enjoy quick embroidery projects, look through your rubber stamps for images with small enough for the lid and one that is primarily outlines would be best to transform into a sewn project. I think it would be fun to use a strawberry, raspberry or peach stamp and stitch it and use it to cover jam or jelly jar lids with the stamped and stitched piece.

Cheers!

Jennifer