Want to cover up your ferments with something other than a towel and a clip? I’ve been doing more fermenting this summer and experimenting with my new little Pickl-It jars. With all these jars out in my little kitchen, well things look more cluttered. And I’ve been concerned that my rather thin little towels just weren’t cutting it in the keeping the jars dark department. So I decided to try to reproduce something similar to a jar cover I remember from the Pickl-It site last year.
I’m using three different kinds of jars; Pickl-It, Le Parfait and Fido. I’m using the same pattern to cover all three. The only difference is that the Pickl-It covers have a little hole in the top for the airlock. I’ve been collecting Le Parfait and Fido jars for about 20 years so I have quite a collection. Last winter I decided to order a couple of the tiniest Pickl-Its to see what they were all about too.
I’ll save the detail on my fermenting education for a future post. Suffice to say that I was really encouraged by the results Lea at Nourishing Treasure was getting fermenting in Fido jars and have since shifted most of my ferments to Fido and Le Parfait. Previously, I had used simple mason jars for the few dairy ferments I had going. I was pretty thrilled to discover that the jars I’ve been using mostly for dry storage do a great job of anaerobic fermenting too! So I have quite a few good fermenting vessels without any additional expense 
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With Jar Choice Out of the Way …
So with the issue of which jars to use out of the way at last, I set about making it practical to have several ferments going at once. I have some non-fermentation fans around, and while some ferments are simply gorgeous, others are, well less appetizing to look at. On the counter they are exposed to the light, unless you drape something over them. Putting them in a dark cabinet doesn’t work too well for me if I have several going. Just not enough cabinet space. I love to sew and thought, hmmmm this seems like as good an excuse to sew as any 
… I’ll make a cover for them.
I’ve shared a simple description and a pic with the Facebook Anaerobic Fermentation group. I’ll share this post with the Fido Fermenting group too. I’ve endeavored to make this pattern as simple to make as possible. I’m using double-sided quilted fabric to give the covers body. Jill posted a picture of several Pickl-It covers made in this design with a few towels, a really frugal and practical way to make them!
Instructions to Make Your Own Covers
 Fabric Needed for the Top Before we start determine what fabric you want to use. Quilted fabric is nice but it’s optional. You’ll need something heavy enough to keep out the light. Anything heavy enough for that should have enough body for this pattern. How much you’ll need varies by the size of your jar. Just wrap the fabric around the jar and make sure it extends 3-4 inches above and below. Then ensure that in addition to that you have enough to cut out a square the size of the base with at least a 1/2 inch overage. 1/2 inch works well if you want your cover snug, like mine. But it requires more care in stitching so you may want to opt for 1 to 1 1/2 inch for a looser fit. |
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Cutting the tube fabric – Measure the fabric needed using your jar as a guide. Simply lay the jar on it’s side on the fabric and wrap the fabric around it. Leave a 4 inch overlap on the width with 3-4 inches extending above both the top and bottom. This is a very conservative measurement leaving you with lots of play in case of errors while sewing. If you are short on fabric you can reduce it to about 2 inches top and bottom if you like. Leave the overlap though, you’ll need it for the french seam. |
 Rounding the Edges of the Top Cutting the top fabric – Place the jar right side up on the fabric. Cut a square around the bottom with at least 1/2 inch extra on each side, as noted above. Then cut off the corners to make the top round. You can use a bowl or plate as a guide if you like. |
 Work VERY slowly here … Sewing the sides onto the top – Place the top onto the tube fabric with the right sides facing each other about 2 inches below the corner. Begin sewing a 1/2 inch seam. Work very slowly, easing the edge of the circle into alignment with the top of the tube and under the presser foot. Stop when you about 1 inch from where you began. |
 Sew the side seams together … Sewing the side seam – The side seam is done as a french seam. This is optional. You could just sew a simple seam. I just wanted to give mine that little something extra |
 Trim excess very close to seam … |
 Stitching the french seam … |
| Finish the top seam – Finish the last inch of the top seam and trim the edge of the top seam so it isn’t too bulky. |
 Finishing the bottom seam edge … Sew the bottom – Put the cover on the jar. Lay it on it’s side first and then fold the fabric up. Place it upright and fold the fabric up. Adjust the bottom to where it’s nearly touching the table. Then place a pin right where you want the bottom to be. Take the cover off and trim the bottom to 1 1/2 inches below the pins. Next, sew a narrow hem with the rough edge on the wrong side. Put the cover back on the jar and turn the bottom edge up to where you like it. Pin the hem where you want it to be. Remove the cover and sew the bottom hem about 1 inch up from the bottom. |
 Finishing the bottom hem … |
If you are making a Pickl-It Cover … Hole in the top center … You’ll need to cut a hole in the center of the top and give it an edge finish. I did a simple zig-zag finish … it worked out pretty well |
. The best time to do this is before you sew the top onto the tube.
That’s it!! Pretty simple, huh? Let me know in the comments below if I need to clarify anything. I’d love to see some pictures of your creations!
"This is not one of those cookbooks you buy for the nice pictures and keep on your coffee table. This is a project manual. Fermentation is something you have to experience to understand, and Katz give you absolutely everything you need to get started. "
Check out The Art of Fermentation on Amazon >
This post is shared at Gnowfglin’s Simple Thursday, Real Food Freak’s Freaky Friday, Beyond the Peel’s Keep it Real Thursday, Real Food Whole Health’s Fresh Bites Friday, The Healthy Home Economist’s Monday Mania, The Prairie Homestead’s Barn Hop, Hartke is Online’s Weekend Gourmet, Cooking Traditional Foods Traditional Tuesday, Penniless Parenting’s Hearth and Soul Blog Hop, Mamaldiane’s The Gathering Spot, Kelly the Kitchen Kop’s Real Food Wednesday, This Chick Cook’s Whole Foods Wednesday, Butter Believer’s Sunday School, Gnowfglin’s Simple Thursday, Too Many Jars in my Kitchen’s Fill Those Jars Friday and Food Renegade’s Fight Back Friday.
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Kathy lives just outside of Austin with her husband of 19 years Barry, youngest son Jake, two cats and about a dozen chickens. While not a Grandma yet, with two grown kids she remains hopeful. Kathy wants a world where everyone has fresh wholesome food and feels that cookin' like a granny woman is the surest way to get there.
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{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Ha! You are so good. My ferment cabinet is going to have to be enough. I’m a crazy freak in the kitchen, but I doubt I want to go as far as make my own ferment covers. They look cute though. Wish I was handy that way.
Some like to sew and some don’t
. I don’t know why but sewing always interested me even as a little kid. My mom and sister hated it but I was always fascinated when someone sat down at our sewing machine. I’ve never learned to sew really well though … takes more time than I have for it.
Wow, I’d never seen Lea’s posts and fermenting experiments. Love it! Thanks for posting a link, and your cover project looks like fun. Now I gotta go fabric AND fido jar shopping.
Lea’s experiment is really amazing … I think everyone who ferments should read all of it. Happy shopping
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Forgot to say that my mom has that exact same sewing machine. She inherited it from her mom. That thing is indescructible! Goes through 8 layers of denim like a hot knife through butter.
It’s a Singer 401A. It is the BEST sewing machine I’ve ever owned … some say it’s the best one ever made and I don’t doubt it
. Singer produced these from the late 50′s to the early 60′s. I bought it on eBay a few years back from a sewing machine repair shop. All fixed up and ready to go. The most affordable way to get a vintage machine quickly I think. Here it is in all it’s glory …
Thanks for the mention! You did a great job on those covers!
I’m so glad you did the series and that my Fido/Le Parfait collection did so well in the test! I had been wondering how it would stack up to the Pickl-It and your testing pretty much dispelled all my concerns about the wire bail jars. It must have taken a lot of your time, thank you!!!!
Those are really neat! Unfortunately, my sewing skills are pretty much non-existent. I consider it a triumph when I get a button back on a shirt.
I recently launched a new real food blog carnival called Fill Those Jars Friday. I’d love to have you come stop by and share this on it: http://toomanyjarsinmykitchen.com/2012/08/23/fill-those-jars-friday-august-24-2012/
See you there!
Mindy
Thanks for the invite Mindy
This is a really clever idea for keeping fermenting foods clean!
Great idea, Kathy! Featuring this on Barn Hop #78 tomorrow! Thanks for linking up!
Amy
Thanks so much Amy
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