Just Jammin

It's been a busy week so far with very little actual sewing.  Between the the garden and the Black Raspberries there's little time for anything else.  Besides these jars of jam I've also made a Black Raspberry cobbler that Ross has plowed through and is now asking for another!  As you can see I take the easy way out and leave the seeds in the jam.  Also I prefer not to use pectin to thicken my jams and jellies .  Here's a link to a basic Jam recipe with no pectin added.   If you've never made jam or jelly and want to try, here's my advice.  Wear cloths that you don't mind getting stained, and wear an oven mitt when stirring the boiling berries.

Last year  we gave home canned goods to friends and family for Christmas.  If we do that again I'll need to make some pretty labels.  I found these super cute free printable labels.  Even if you don't need labels you need to take a look at this blog....CUTENESS!

There's plenty more berries to be picked for freezing.  We've a bumper crop this year.  Normally the Raspberries don't do as well as the Blackberries.  

 Because they both grow wild we've really no way to control where they grow.  So they're intertwined all over the property.  This is the little patch at the side of the backyard.

While working with the berries my mind is still on quilting.  How about some Jar quilt patterns?  Jenny Doan from Missouri Star Quilt has a easy pattern using charm packs.  Just click on the picture to watch.

 Over at Crafttown.com you'll find a tutorial for a larger version of this block.

And my personal favorite is from Creativity Amongst Chaos.  How adorable are these!  I just can't get enough of Cori Blunts patterns.  She's offering this one for FREE as a stitch along that is currently in progress.  There's still plenty of time to join.  And her tutorials are excellent if you're new to applique or embroidery.

Well the fog is starting to lift outside which means the temperature is on the rise.  That means I need to get out there and pick some berries before the heat cooks them on the vine.

~ Lea Anne ~