Jam, fingerless mittens and Abigail part 3...

 

JAM

It is the end of stone fruit season in Australia, so before it all disappears I have jam making on my calendar. Over the weekend I made apricot jam, one of my personal favourites, but I did have to be frugal about it as apricots are quite expensive. It helps that no-one else in the family considers apricot jam their favourite, so the two large jars I made up will last me a while. 

Blossom's favourite jam is strawberry, and I always make a big batch of that around July or August, as where we live in the tropics, strawberries are in season through winter. 

Cully May and I both love plum jam, and I have about three kilos in the fridge waiting for me to prepare them, but as I've had a very painful few days with my knee and cannot stand very long, they will have to wait a bit longer. 

Rafaella and Charlie David love my Lime Butter, and Lemon Butter. As our lime tree is heavy with fruit right now, they are making the most of whatever I can make them. Apparently Charlie David eats our limes like oranges! I give him a few to take home, thinking he'll have some slices in his water (he loves that) but in fact he's eating them whole. By the way, he eats lemons too. 

KNITTING

Lately I've had a feeling that we may get an actual winter this year - something rare in the tropics. Last year's winter was so mild and very warm, that it was only during a week of cooler temps (23-25C days) that I realised my feet were cold and I needed some warm clothes. I still do not have any closed-in shoes, or warm slippers, but I am starting to prepare for these purchases. 

One thing I am doing, using what I already have, is to knit fingerless mittens. Many years ago I bought this pattern, Misselthwaite Mitts from Alicia Paulson, because I loved how she'd embroidered the little vignette's (inspired by the book The Secret Garden) on all sides of the mittens, but as I only have variegated 4ply fingering yarn in my stash and no solid colours, I simply went ahead and knitted them plain. Such an easy pattern too!

These are the mittens I completed for myself...

On Tuesday I had Blossom and the children visit for the day, and Charlie David absolutely loved my mittens, wearing them around for ages. The he asked, "Nana, will you make me some too?!" and of course I said yes. :-)

He told me how he loves the colours in a sunrise and sunset, so this is the yarn I'll use for his...

I altered the pattern to fit his hands, with room for growth, and made a start this morning. Blossom is very excited because she is sure he will love them. She also requested a pair for herself. It's rather fun to have these projects on hand because I adore knitting, but always need a purpose for it. 

I hope to make the embroidered mitts one day, but for now I am very happy with the plain ones!

SEWING

Another frugal activity recently has been to repair some of my linen/cotton dresses. I wear dresses every single day, and because of this, the hems can become a bit the worse for wear. I hang all our washing out back on the clothes line, and the fierce summer sun probably has a part to play in the wear and tear, but oh how I love the smell and feel of washing off the line!

Anyhow, I've been going through the cotton quilting fabrics for prints I can use as new borders on the dresses which need repair. 

This Tilda print from 2024 was leftover from a quarter metre bundle I was sent to design with back then. It's not exactly the same in colour (nothing in my stash was), but it wasn't bad and the final look is really nice - after all, this is only a day dress for wearing at home. 

Have you done any mending lately? Do you alter or repair your clothes? 

I have a number of items in my wardrobe that will be made-over in the coming month or two, but I will need to purchase some warm things as well. Even if we do not end up having a cooler winter, I'd rather be prepared than regret not doing it. 

ABIGAIL

Part three of the Abigail study is up on the Abigail page today. Looks like I've been sharing one part every three weeks, and so I'll have part four (the final part) in three weeks from now. Have you been following along?

On the Abigial page you can simply choose to read the study from there, or scroll to the bottom of each part to download the file and store on your computer. :-)

Go HERE for Abigail Part Three

The summer is fierce right now, as is usual in February, but I must admit that its really knocking us around this year. I find with each passing year, the traveling forward in age, things that were once easy are increasingly challenging. 

Staying on top of things in the garden is not happening, especially as I am unable to stand for long periods and water the parched pots and raised beds...however I am still doing a bit each day, and that consistent labour, small though it may seem, does reap rewards. As overgrown with weeds as our front garden is, the grocery delivery man this morning said "what a beautiful garden!". I lamented all the weeds which have crowded out the flowers and shrubs quite a bit, but he said, "it's still lovely!" You know, my heart lifted when he said that. 

Too often we see the weeds in our life, and the beauty that still dwells within the weeds is unnoticed until someone else points it out. That's just like the Christian walk isn't it. We are a mix of weeds and beauty - but as time passes, and our walk with the Lord grows deeper, the weeds get less and the beauty becomes more obvious. There is hope in that! 

In case you ever missed this free HOPE patterm I shall share it again...

Go HERE to my FREE patterns page for this and more stitchery gifts I have shared in the past. 

Until next week, God bless dear friends...

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Jam making two ways and shopping from home...

 I only make two types of jam. Plum for myself and Cully May, and strawberry for the rest of the family. January is the season for plum making, as is March, and you may wonder why both months?  

January, because plums are abundant and both Cully May and myself are scraping the bottom of our last jars from 2023, and March because plums are at the end of the season and can usually be bought at their lowest price. Thinking about that now, I should plan to make double the amount of plum jam in March so we do not run out by the following January. Now why did I not think of that before?? ;-)

Most of my family prefer smooth jam (I like lumpy) so for the past couple of years I have washed, cut, and then chopped the fruit in my food processor and found this to be the easiest way to make the jams they like best. 

The pulp is smooth, and the jam cooks quicker too. 

Then I add the sugar and a split vanilla pod, and let it all marinate together in a covered pot for about 3 or 4 hours.

We don't like jam that's too sweet, so my ratios are mostly fruit, with about 40% less sugar than most jam recipes. For this batch of jam I began with 1.8 kg of plum pulp, and added 1 kg of sugar. 

(That's around 4 pounds of plum pulp and 2.2 pound of sugar, for those in the USA)

After the 4 hours I boil the mix, and just before it's ready to fill my pre-sterilised jars, I add a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and 25g of Jamsetta. Then boil for another 5 minutes before testing a teaspoonful in the fridge.

I use exactly the same method for strawberry jam and it always works perfectly. If apricots were cheaper I'd love to make apricot jam, but the prices at the moment, and usually all through summer, are beyond my budget. Also, I don't make strawberry jam in summer, as here in the tropics, our strawberry season is winter and come August they are the cheapest price all year - so I buy a lot and make loads of strawberry jam. 

Did you notice the lovely lids for my jam jars?

If we want a marmalade, or an apricot jam, I usually buy Bonne Maman, as does my neighbour and Blossom, so I have a regular source of Bonne Maman jam jars (I now have a cupboard full) for preserving my own jams. 

Last year I went on the hunt for new lids for those jars, and discovered these gorgeous gingham ones from Amazon, which fit the jars perfectly, and now I use them for all my jam making. They measure 82mm if you're after something similar and I bought them HERE on Amazon Australia (I am not an affiliate, just sharing the link in case it helps you). 

What I love about these gingham jam jar lids, and the fabric jar toppers I make a lot of, is that they brighten my pantry shelves! Recently I made a new batch of jar toppers from leftover Tilda Sunday Brunch fabric, but I also made a rather different type of jam jar to sit on the shelf as well. 

This is actually a pin cushion, and I made it on the weekend from Amy Sinibaldi's 2014 book, "Sweetly Stitched Handmades". It cost me nothing but my time as I am shopping from my stash this year to decorate my home and make gifts...but I also didn't have to buy a pattern. Admittedly, I failed in the first attempt because of a missed step in the pattern instructions, but I soon worked it out and the second attempt made my heart sing as its so cute on my pantry shelf among the remaining jars of strawberry jam.

It occurred to me last week as I was considering things I'd like to make for the kitchen and pantry, that I have a lovely big shelf of craft books, and some of them 10-15 years old. So I decided to brew a cuppa and sit down with a few and browse their pages for projects to make this year. I mean, after all, they are a free resource, another way of shopping from home!

Here's a project idea that will soon be on my cutting table with associated threads. It's from Caroline Zoob's 2013 book "Hand-Stitched Home", and she has two options in the pattern section for an embroidered shelf edging, one is red...

...and the other is blue.

The book has all the pattern sheets to trace, and it is full of many other gorgeous vintage style designs too. Like this one, an embroidered egding for a chair cover...

I am actually considering using the chair embroidery for my planned shelf edging...it's so sweet and simple and perfect for my kitchen style. 

Do you have craft or sewing books on your shelves that are gathering dust? Perhaps a nice afternoon could be spent browsing through them, making notes, and planning a few slow-stitched projects for your home?

Sewing for the home is an aspect of Gentle Domesticity that I love, especially unrushed, slow-stitching, that has a purpose. Creating beauty in your home is indeed a worthwhile purpose. When God created in the beginning, just ponder the extraordinary joy it gave him, far beyond anything we can understand or have the imagination for, and the satisfaction at the end of the day when He looked over all He had made and said, "It is good." He could have created the world in one instant if it had been His desire, but day by day He added to His vision, until all was complete and ready for us.

Little by little this year I shall be bringing beauty to our home, by the work of my hands, and using what is already here. I'm so excited about this, and added to this plan, I began an extra Instagram account that focuses just on the home, homemaking, home crafts, home cooking, faith...yeh, all things to do with HOME. You'll find it HERE or search for @elefantzhome on Instagram. (My original IG account will now just focus on designing) 

So I'd best sign off for today as my plum jam mix is still marinating in the pot, and it's about time to begin cooking it. Cully May will be thrilled!

Thank you for praying for Blossom and her family. It just might be possible that they'll find out today about a house, after missing out on about thirty others. I designed and stitched this little framed stitchery late last year (inspired by an old one with the same message that I did many years ago), and yesterday the Holy Spirit prompted me to take it over to her, so I did. The message was very clear. 

We do believe in miracles, and we do believe they come in God's perfect timing, so we keep the faith and let Him work it all out. That has brought our family a whole lot of peace recently. 

If you're interested in the pattern for someone you know, or for yourself, its HERE in my shop. 

God bless you today, and every day, and may He garciously impart a portion of His creativity into your own life this year. 

Hugs,

You will find me on Instagram HERE @jennyofelefantz

And my NEW IG account just for homemaking HERE @elefantzhome

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Homemaking...

Making time to do the many things around home which mean much to my gentle domestic heart isn't always easy. 

Mr E and I both had a busy Saturday attending to our various work commitments and on Sunday we spent the day in recovery mode, however, come Monday morning we were still quite weary and I suggested we take a leaf out of Hobbit lore and substitute their second breakfast for a second Sunday. 

Good idea, but not to be, he replied. 

With hubby's lunch made and packed in his bag I waved goodbye as he drove off to work and prepared myself for a day with Blossom and her girls. Ross was returning to work after paternity leave and as this was the first day she would be on her own with Cully May and Rafaella, I'd suggested we go out to the coolest and quietest shopping centre in town and trial her double pram. 

She'd not left the house since coming home from hospital so was eager to see what life was like 'out in the real world' with a baby and a toddler. Having me there as an extra pair of hands would ease her in to what would now be a regular part of life. 

We had a lovely day, and the little girls were wonderful. Funny thing, though, Blossom forgot to switch from the single pram she has used for Cully these past 19 months to the double so when she opened her car boot she realised our 'plan' now had a hiccup. Never to mind, she had her baby wrap in the car so we popped Cully in the pram for me to push and Blossom wrapped Rafaella to her chest in the snug carrier. 

We started with a morning tea of coffee, tea, juice and cake at a cafe, chatting away for almost an hour while the baby slept and Cully May scooped the froth off my soy chai latte, licking her lips with every spoonful. Following a list of what she needed to purchase we slowly made our way around the large shopping centre, bumping into old friends, and adding the occasional treat along the way. Since Blossom was young we've shared a love of pajamas and now that she is no longer pregnant we thought the best thing to treat ourselves with was a pair of pajamas. Myer had a really good sale on our favourite brand so we both came home with a nightie and a pair of pajamas each.

That night we were texting back and forth about how exhausted we were, but how satisfied we felt to have spent precious mother/daughter/granddaughter time together. 

Tuesday dawned and I knew my house needed attention! 

The steam cleaner man was due at lunchtime to 'revive' our old blue couches and the living room rug, all of which bore a 5-year evidence of dog and cat sleeping arrangements, to the point we could not ignore the stains and odour any longer.

SO....I gathered my energy and did four loads of washing, a complete scrub down of the ensuite bathroom and shower, total cleaning out of the back verandah, washed the dog, scrubbed the laundry and gave the house a good vacuum. The steam cleaner man arrived at midday and leaving him to do his magic I headed into the sewing room with a glass of sparkly water and Bob-the-dog.

I read on Annabel's blog how she cuts up old flannelette sheets into small squares for hankies. The softness of these flannie hankies isn't harsh on the nose the way a tissue or cotton handkerchief is, but are gentle and soothing when a family member is down with a runny nose and head cold.

I purchased some flannelette sheets and pillowcases at the local op shop last week to make a supply of soft hankies for Blossom and her family, as well and Mr E and I, so while the couches were being cleaned that's exactly what I did. 

The larger hankies are man size for Ross, and the pink and pastel striped ones are perfect for Bloss and the girls. In the pile on the right the black stripe are my hubby's and there's more pastel striped ones for me. I still have plenty of flannelette to use but this is a good start!

Today I've been in the kitchen all morning, as well as making up some cleaning and skin care items, so I thought I'd share a few things with you.

Blossom and I both love using the Miracle Spray on surfaces, but another idea for it which may have been on Annabel's blog or perhaps on someone else's (sorry, can't remember) is to clean out the squeeze bottle your toilet cleaner came in and refill with Miracle Spray. The shape of the spout gets right up under the rim of the toilet. I added extra eucalyptus oil to the mixture for this purpose because the smell is beautiful and a stronger antiseptic in the loo is my preference.

I've had a lot of emails and messages asking what is the US equivalent to some of the ingredients we use for Miracle Spray in Australia.

100% pure eucalyptus oil is in every supermarket and chemist here, but apparently not so easily found in the US. I had a look on amazon and this one is fine. It's inexpensive and 100% pure (there are others that cost more on amazon but there's no need to pay through the nose). 

Lectric Washing Soda is the same as Arm & Hammer Washing Soda in the US. 

I used to make my own laundry powder as well, but I actually didn't like it as much as the Planet Ark's Aware brand we've used for years. I cut costs by buying boxes of Aware in bulk when it's on special, sometimes at half price. I pour a box of Aware into my laundry powder tin and add 2 tablespoons of eucalyptus oil, giving the whole thing a good shake while I hold the lid tightly shut.

Yes, the smell is amazing, but eucalyptus oil also kills germs in the wash, and it cleans the hoses in your washing machine during the rinse cycle. Good, huh?!

And that pretty but crazed tea cup? That's my laundry powder scoop. I think it was Aunt Ruthie who gave me the idea. The point being to make your laundry a desirable place to be by adding pretty things, like a china tea cup for a scoop. 

I'm planning to sew a pretty peg bag later this week (or maybe on the weekend) and add a few other nice things to the laundry room as well. 

Jam. 

Blossom asked if I'd make her some blackberry jam. As fresh blackberries cost an arm and leg in the tropics I opted for frozen ones. Having never made blackberry jam before I just went with my stock standard jam method and prayed.

Bless my girl! This blackberry jam cooked up a treat and when I tasted a wee bit on some bread before popping it in sterilised jars it was delicious.

Now, when I'm not sure how long I need to keep a jar of jam I create an air-tight seal by placing the lid on my jars and turning the jars upside down until they are cold.

As the jam cools in the jar it pushes out all the air, strangely enough, and the little pop top in the middle of the lid is sucked down to create an air tight seal. This technique has never failed me.

Oh, and another tip is to store opened jars of things like tomato paste, mayonnaise etc in the fridge the very same way. I have had tomato paste in my fridge for months and months stored upside down and when I open the jar it's a fresh as it was the first time I removed the lid. 

Cully May can not eat any dairy so I baked her some dairy-free banana and date muffins this morning which I'll deliver this afternoon...

...along with the rest of Blossom's bounty, which also includes a little container of pure coconut oil.

For many years I have used rosehip oil on my body as it's a natural healer of sun damage, and in the tropics it's hard to avoid the sun. However, I also used a rosehip based skin care cream which was quite expensive. The cheaper versions seem to be made for younger skin, but at age 59 this enriched cream suited me far better. 

Well, it has for a number of years, but then its been a very hot and humid summer/autumn and the other day I noticed the cream had a rancid smell and should probably have been stored in the fridge.

Not wanting to spend all those $$ again I remembered something Jess wrote about using pure coconut oil on her face and skin and how it had improved dramatically. We use pure organic coconut oil in raw foods and to cook and bake so I always have a jar in the cupboard, and I had also found a few little plastic squeezy bottles still in their box from when I tidied the kitchen drawers in the new year. 

So I have filled one for Blossom and one for myself. You only need a drop in the palm of one hand, then rub it gently into your hands before using them to spread it over your face, neck and elbows. It's beautiful, not greasy, just absorbs as though your skin is super thirsty. 

This costs me less than 1 cent a day.

Well, you can see there's been a bit of this and that happening here and I've rambled along with it all for long enough. Bless you for reading through, and I do hope you found something useful along the way.

Our old cotton couches are clean and fresh, and I finished my 'Love' stitchery as a new cushion too.

Tomorrow and Friday I can stay home all day and potter around, maybe do some baking for the weekend and sketch up a few new designs. 

The Jeep will be off the road (yes, again) for a while, but this should be the final repair, so I will be without a car for a bit...and that doesn't bother me because being home is where my soul thrives and my heart is at peace.

I should probably mop the floors (least favourite chore) and I will, but apart from that the house is clean and things are up to date so you can expect a few photos next time of things being accomplished in the sewing room.

Unless life steps in, which it is apt to do. 

God bless you abundantly with every good and perfect thing, and may your heart find joy in the simple things each day has to offer.