A Stroll in the Garden

Lamium/Dead Nettle

*Clicking on a photo will give you a closer look!

Rock Cress

Candytuft

Sweet Woodruff

Weigela
Lilac

Montana Blue/Centaurea

Strawberry

Tree Peony

Fritillaria Persica

Geum/Avens

See the world around you!

Jam and Jelly

When great weather arrives, bringing with it the bounty of sunshine, I spend less time in the sewing studio.

I have always enjoyed canning. Some of my most favorite memories are of my Mom canning and she passed on that love to me.

The rhubarb is ripe, and one of my favorite jams is a rhubarb, strawberry and pineapple mix.

Rhubarb, Strawberry and Pineapple Jam

I am also trying something new to me.

We have an abundance of lilacs all over the property.

Did you know that the flowers are edible?

Lilacs

I was very surprised at how easy it is to separate the flowers from the stems. It also doesn’t take all that much to fill two quart jars.

I did look for the darkest blossoms, so I didn’t harvest any from the shrub you see pictured above. I have several varieties of whites and purples. I want the darkest to get the most color that I can.

Lilac Blossoms in Jar

Hot water is poured over the petals to make a tea.

Lilac Tea

I left mine to soak several hours to be sure and extract all that goodness from the petals.

Lilac Tea

Boiled with lemon, sugar and pectin to make the jelly:

Boiled Lilac Jelly

I forgot to take a photo of the jars after the water bath, but you understand.

Delicious!

There are several recipes online. Here are two if you would like to try this:

Have fun and carry on!

Teapot Cozy

Have you ever made a teapot cozy? Me neither.

One of my sisters asked me if I would make seven of them for her.

She doesn’t sew. I do.

So off I go to the internet again!

I found a free pattern at the Embroidery Library.

I don’t own an embroidery sewing machine. However, this looked like a pattern that I could adapt for my own purposes. I like that it shows me how to measure and make my own pattern to fit the teapot.

However, I don’t live close to my sister, so I am making a prototype that I can deliver to her when I get to town (about 90 miles away). She can take the prototype home and text me later to let me know the adjustments that I need to make.

While making my pattern and prototype, I discovered that this is not as difficult as I imagined. In fact, it is an easy project!

Happy, happy!

Tea Cozy

As you can see from the photo, my prototype is a bit small for my teapot. And I used a piece of string for the closure. Finished cozies will have ribbons for closures.

Have fun and carry on!