Weekend Update

If things like mending bore you, you will not like this post :) Just a warning.

So this weekend was spent doing lots of random little things around the house. I spent a good deal of time knitting, but got a little bored with it and decided to branch out. I have a good size pile of clothes that need mending or altering, so I picked these 3 to tackle.

The skirt with the circles I wear a lot, but the seam at the zipper was coming undone (to the point it was a serious nuisance to zip and unzip). The purple blouse had several of the bows that had fallen off. Also the black skirt had a large section of the blind hem that came undone in the front and was driving me crazy. All of these problems could be fixed with just a little hand sewing, so I just hit the bullet and went for it.

I started with the purple shirt. I love this blouse, but seriously haven't worn it in about 2 years because a section of the bows on the bottom came off. So I repositioned them all so they looked good(not as easy as it sounds) and sewed them back on. I noticed how all the thread that was holding the bows on was getting pretty loose, so I went ahead and stitched them all to make them more secure. I also saw that the back button was about to fall off, so I stitched it up too. Then I cut out the tag because it was very sharp on the edge and always drove me nuts. Now I can finally wear it again!

My next victim was the black knit skirt. This has been my go-to black skirt for a while now and as such has gotten a lot of wear. This caused the blind hem to come loose across more than half of the front edge. It seriously drove me crazy, but I wore it anyway. No more! I did the best hand picked blind hem I could manage on this thick knit and was quite satisfied. You can see the new stitches just a bit if you look right at it, but this fabric was just too difficult to make it completely invisible. I'm happy with the results.

Once I finished the hem, I saw that the end of the zipper was starting to pull free from the stitches. This means that I've been wearing it and it looked like my butt was too big and was splitting the seam. Not a fun realization. So I just stitched the seam together to reinforce it - good as new :) This skirt also had a date with the clothing shaver - it's so comfy but pills like crazy when put in the washer. Now it's ready to wear and looks so much better than before.

My final project was the zipper seam on this circle pattern skirt. I started my sewing the seam back together so I could actually zip it without having to push the zipper base in with my fingers while pulling it straight. This was no easy feat with the lining. It wasn't hard per s&w, just cumbersome.

Once the zipper was secure, I saw that the lining was pulling apart below the base of the zipper too, so I stitched that up too. I used the same black thread, but it's the lining and no one will see it so I seriously don't care.

With just those few simple repairs, about an hour later I had 3 new pieces to add back into the rotation :) I think with today's disposable mindset, most people would have just thrown these away, but I knew they could be fixed and it was well worth the little time it took. Now to just tackle the rest of the stack :)

On Monday, I knew I needed to get going with using up a box full of fresh GA peaches we got, so I made 2 batches of freezer jam. This will replenish our supply and I can hardly wait til it sets up and we can eat it!

So those are just a few things I marked off my list. Did you tackle any long-awaited projects this weekend?

Fantabulous Food! Strawberry Freezer Jam

While on my awesome Publix trip, I just had to buy some of these beautiful strawberries :)

Now, I'll be honest. My name is Megan and I have a problem ("Hi, Megan"). I constantly buy fresh fruit and it goes bad before I eat it. I admit it. Looking at these pretty berries, I just couldn't let that happen to them. So, I decided to make freezer jam :) Strawberry freezer jam us totally my favorite (it's neck and neck with Peach). I have made this many times before with all kinds of fruits, and my favorite recipe is the one from Sure Jell.

I know that many people find the thought of "canning" intimidating, but really it is very simple and doesn't take long at all! The only things you will need are canning jars (whatever size you choose). I have a few different sizes. I use pint size regular jars for myself and half pint decorative jars to give away - this does make a wonderful gift by the way.

So, without further ado...

Sure.Jell Strawberry Freezer Jam
Ingredients:

• 2 cups crushed strawberries (1 quart of berries + a few extra berries)
• 4 cups of sugar, measured in a separate bowl
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 box Sure.Jell Fruit Pectin

1. Take your quart of luscious strawberries, clean them, then cut the tops off. Then slice the berries a little bit - there's no rhyme or reason to it, I just chunk them up a bit.

2. Now, put small amounts of the sliced berries in the blender or food processor. 

Make sure there aren't too many, or some of them will purée while others remain whole. You want your berries to be just kind of mashed looking, not puréed completely. You still want to have some larger chunks of berry.

Notice the bigger pieces of berries. This is what you want. The recipe states that you can use a potato masher too if you don't have a food processor, which will yield larger chunks of berry.

3. Measure out 4 cups of sugar in a large bowl. I like to use a clear glass bowl so I can make sure it's well mixed later on.

Now measure out EXACTLY 2 cups of fruit mash. It is very important that it is exactly 2 level cups. I use a scoop style measuring cup and then take a knife and run it along the top to make it level. If you have too much or too little, the jam will not set properly. Mix your 2 precise cups of fruit into the sugar until well combined. Make sure you scoop all the sugar off the bottom and have mixed really well.

Set a timer and let the fruit/sugar mix rest for 10 minutes.

4. After your fruit has rested for about 5 minutes, you can make your pectin. Take your box of Sure.Jell 

and pour it into a saucepan with 3/4 of a cup of water. The pectin will be lumpy at first.

Heat the water and pectin on medium heat until just boiling. As soon as it starts to boil, set a timer for 1 minute and stir constantly for the whole minute.

After the minute is over, remove the pectin from heat. It will be slightly more clear and goopy.

5. our the pectin into the rested fruit.

Mix the jam very well until the pectin has combined completely. You need to stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. You will feel a little bit of grit as you stir at first and you need to stir until it feels smooth when you scrape the bottom of the bowl.

6. Pour the jam immediately into your prepared jars (prepare the jars by washing in boiling water and air drying). 

You don't have to have a canning funnel (it has a wider mouth to fit the jars), you can just pour it in the jars. The funnel just helps to keep the jars cleaner. Pour the jam into the jars and leave 1/2 inch of space at the top for expansion.

This is about how you want it to look. I like to wipe the lip of the jar just to make sure (if the jam got on there, it will kind of seal the lid on the jar as it sits).

7. Let your jars sit for a full 24 hours at room temperature (I just sit them on the kitchen counter).

The recipe with 1 quart + a few berries will make 2 pint jars and 1 half pint jar. I did have about 2 tablespoons extra that I couldn't fit into the jars. It wasn't enough to put in another jar, so I made the best of it :)

Did I mention how fantastic this jam tastes on ice cream? :) Well it does.

After your jam has sat for 24 hours, put it in the freezer. When you want to start eating it, put the jar into the fridge and let it thaw a little. It will keep keep in the freezer for up to 1 year and in the fridge for 3 months :)

I will warn you, this will ruin you for store bought jelly. Smuckers is a dirty word in my house. This stuff is so good and so easy, you will never go back to store bought :)

This website has a recipe for most any combo of fruit you can think of. I've made Strawberry, Peach, Four Berry, Kiwi and many more. They all come out delicious. I'm very excited to try the Apricot Pineapple :)

Also, if you are interested in giving these as gifts, one of my favorite crafting websites (Lolly Chops) has some really cute free printable labels and tags that fit these jars perfect! You can download a pre-made one or on that you can customize. Add a coordinating square of fabric and a label to the jar and you have gift that it looks like you spent a lot of time on :)

Let me know how yours turns out!