My son loves salsa, and he buys a lot of it in glass jars. Every time he comes to visit, he brings me a full bag of them - emptied and cleaned! IKR? 👍Currently, my stockpile consists of about 40 of them, so I figured that I better get started on experimenting with different ways to decorate them. I really don't want to be featured on an episode of 'Hoarders', so I feel that if they are decorated, perhaps it will be evident that I am not just collecting them to collect them, you know? Embellishing them also means that I get to give them to others as gifts and that's one of the best parts. I have fun decorating them, I give it to someone, it makes them happy, and for an extra perk, I keep the hoarding down to a minimum. It's just one big happy cycle.
Remember the woven rag rug I made last month? If not, click below:
After completing that rug, I had a few leftover strips of fabric and those gave me the idea for a woven rag jar. Why not? Upcycling two (2) things is definitely a win-win for me.
Here's how it all started with the naked jar below. You don't even have to remove the glue left from removing the label, so that's one less thing to do.
To cut the vertical strips which will provide the base for the weaving, I folded an uncut 1" wide strip in half and placed the fold in the center of the jar's bottom. I then turned the jar over and ran both ends up along the sides of the jar and cut the ends off at 3" higher than the top of the jar's rim. Once I had the first strip cut at the length I needed, I used it to cut four (4) more for a total of five (5). I cut the 5th strip in half because you need an odd number of vertical strips for weaving. I then frayed both edges of all strips, even the short one.
The short strip gets glued down first on the center of the jar's bottom.
I then applied more glue on the bottom of the jar and began placing the folded strips on it creating a wagon wheel formation.
Once all of the strips were glued down, I flipped the jar around and pulled them all up and secured them with a rubber band. I then folded the strips over the rim and tucked them inside of the jar.
Now for the horizontal strips. I used a 45" long strip that was a little wider which is fine because you squish them together widthwise to give it some extra texture. I also frayed both edges on this strip, too. I started by gluing it to the bottom of the jar and just started weaving in and out all the way around the bottom and then up on the sides to just right below the jar's rim. I wanted the frayed ends to show, so I made sure that the edges were not folded under.
Once I got to the top, I just snipped the ends of the vertical strips right below the rim and cut and tucked the horizontal strip and placed it under one of the vertical strips. I then glued the tops of all strips and pressed them down to the jar.
I looked into one of my boxes of notions and found this really pretty leftover trim and decided to add it to the jar by gluing it over the rough edges.
Now some people would probably think that adding a fancy trim like I did to a boho styled piece may be off, but I am a little off and I love mixing it all up. I don't always follow the rules and I often run with scissors, too. 😉
Since I had a cap for this jar, I painted a coat of gesso over it, let it dry, and then using it as a template, I cut out a circle of fabric and glued it to the top. I took the other half of the strip that I cut for the vertical strips and cut it to be a little wider than the rim of the cap. I ran it around the rim to see where I needed to cut it, leaving a 1/4-inch tail. And oh yes, this got frayed on both edges, too. I glued it on the rim and then glued one of my glass flat marbles to adorn the top. I am going to be using these glass flat marbles quite a bit so that I can use them all up and then I will be left with a smaller jar to decorate and give away. Always thinking ahead.
Below is the final result of the jar using all upcycled items, except for the glue.
I added individually wrapped caramel hard candies into it and it was so rewarding to see how happy the person was to receive it. Personally, I would only fill it up with individually wrapped items because you really don't want to have to wash it due to the fabric and trim, but that's just me.
Love your salsa. Love your jar. Then go ahead and weave it.
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