Jam hats [tutorial]

Not too long ago, I went to my friend Jeannette’s bridal shower. I’d never been to one before, and I was pleasantly surprised: We drank mojitos, ate cheese and arranged flowers bought from the farmer’s market. (Seriously, what a cool activity! If I ever host a baby or bridal shower, we’re doing some mother-effin flower arranging.)

Even though I was a rookie at the whole bridal shower thing, I figured I was meant to bring a gift. But bringing her a bowl or a set of glasses from her registry didn’t seem very personal, and I felt awkward expecting her to open a box of lingerie in front of her mom and mother-in-law.

So what to give her?

Jeannette’s hubby-to-be, a good friend of mine since college, works for a local produce company delivering scrumptious fruits and veggies all over the city, and he brings home samples of what stores can’t sell. Faced with more carrots and cukes than any couple could possibly eat, they end up canning some of the summer’s bounty.

Thinking of this hobby (which, apparently, is on hold until after all wedding planning is finished), I made Jeannette a set of can toppers—or, as I like to say, jam hats.

I also gifted Jeannette a jar of last year’s blackberry jam that I made—good thing I still had one jar left to demonstrate the toppers; otherwise she would have been a bit perplexed by the gift of all these fabric circles. (“Um, thanks?”)

I was pleased with how simple and quick the project ended up being—perfect for this energy-sapped mama. I love a DIY project that I can do in an hour after Peeper goes to sleep. To be honest, that’s about the extent of my crafting attention span lately.

Oregon’s fruit season is in full swing—I keep getting email updates about the peaches, blueberries and blackberries ripe for the picking. (Have you guys signed up for the alerts from Tri Country Farms? They send you a few emails a week listing what’s ripe at dozens of farms in Washington, Clackamas and Multnomah Counties. Brilliant!) If you want to accessorize your jams, jellies and preserves, this is a super quick and simple project.

Jam Hats

1. Pick your fabrics. I used 1/4 yard cuts of four different prints in fun, bright, graphic prints—they just seemed so cheerful and summery!

2. Use a bowl to trace circles on the wrong side of your fabric. *Note: I used a cereal bowl, which yielded discs that fit nicely around regular jars; if you can with wide neck jars, you’ll need a bigger bowl.

3. Cut out your discs. Depending on the size of them, you’ll get at least four from each 1/4 yard cut of fabric.

4. Sew around the edges of the discs using a zigzag stitch.

5. Tie around the top of your jam jars with a pretty ribbon or screw the lid over the fabric for a fit that won’t slip. And you’re done!