Final batch from Imogene’s garage studio • In 14 active carts • 173 left
Imogene's Hand-Painted Fruit Jar
Imogene's Hand-Painted Fruit Jar
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Imogene's Hand-Painted Fruit Jar
Painted by hand in a Tennessee garage since 1985
Imogene Tolley, 69, learned to paint fruit from her mother Ruby, who painted at the old pottery in Erwin, Tennessee. For 41 years she has made these jars with Ruby’s brush. Her eyesight has ended the work. These are her last 173.
“Mama painted for kitchens, not for glass cases. I want sugar in these jars. Coffee. Tea bags. I want somebody to lift that lid every morning.”
Imogene Tolley · Erwin, Tennessee
What comes in the box
About 4½ in tall, raised fruit all around
Sits down inside the rim
Sugar, coffee, tea bags or treats
Packed carefully, ready to give
What makes Imogene’s jars different
The fruit is shaped in the clay and stands out from the jar. You can feel every berry with your thumb. Then each one is painted in by hand.
A basket pattern pressed into the clay all the way around. It frames the fruit like a farmers-market basket and gives your hand a good grip.
The lid sits down inside the rim. It doesn’t slide or rattle and keeps dust and fruit flies out of your sugar and coffee.
The handle is a little fruit of its own, the same as the jar. Easy to grab with stiff fingers, and it tells you at a glance which jar is which.
Seven seeds on the front of every strawberry, painted last with Imogene’s mother’s old brush. Never six, never eight.
Heavy, glazed ceramic in the old Southern farmhouse style. The kind of jar that sat on every kitchen counter in 1960.
“Hand-painted fruit was the signature of East Tennessee pottery for decades. The women who painted it worked freehand, without stencils, and every family in the region owned a piece. Today those dishes sell for a hundred dollars and more in antique shops. What Imogene does is rare now: she still paints the way those women did, one fruit at a time. When she stops, that line of hands ends with her.”
Margaret Ellison · Collector and historian of Southern pottery · Johnson City, Tennessee
Pick your fruit
Perfect for
Why it stays on the counter for years
- Real ceramic. Heavy, glazed and solid in the hand.
- Painted by hand. Every berry, leaf and blossom colored in one at a time.
- Lid that stays put. Sits down in the rim, no sliding, no rattling.
- Holds more than it looks. About 2 cups inside.
- Easy care. Rinse and wipe dry, that’s all.
If it doesn’t make your kitchen feel like home, one email to info@craft-folk.com is enough. Imogene would rather have it back than see it sit in a cabinet.
Good to know: Every jar is painted by hand, so the seeds, leaves and blossoms differ slightly from jar to jar — no two are exactly alike. To keep the colors bright for years, wash by hand with warm water instead of the dishwasher.
Product details
| Contents | 1 jar with lid |
| Material | Ceramic, hand-painted, glazed |
| Fruits | Strawberry · Blackberry · Lemon · Persimmon · Apple |
| Size | About 4.1 in wide × 4.7 in tall (10.5 × 11.5 cm) |
| Holds | About 2 cups (16.9 oz) |
| Weight | About 1.1 lb |
| Care | Hand wash with warm water; not dishwasher safe |
| Made by | Imogene Tolley, Erwin, Tennessee — final batch, 173 remaining |
| Made so far | More than 9,000 since 1985 |
The Last Jars
The Last Jars
A note from the studio:
Imogene Tolley has painted fruit jars in the garage behind her house in Erwin, Tennessee, since 1985 — more than 9,000 of them. She learned at her mother’s kitchen table. Her mother Ruby painted fruit by hand at the old Erwin pottery until it closed in 1957, and she brought one brush home with her. Imogene still paints the seeds on every strawberry with that brush. Since this summer, macular degeneration no longer lets her see those seeds. 173 jars are left, across all five fruits. When they are gone, there will be no more.
Free US Shipping
Free US Shipping
Free shipping across the United States
- Delivery time: 3–5 business days
- Every jar is carefully packed and sent with tracking
- Size: about 4.1 in wide × 4.7 in tall (10.5 × 11.5 cm), holds about 2 cups (16.9 oz)
- Glazed ceramic, about 1.1 lb — lid sits down inside the rim
- Hand wash recommended to keep the colors bright
- 30-day money-back guarantee — just email info@craft-folk.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Email us anytime at info@craft-folk.com. We answer Monday–Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday 10am–3pm (ET). Whether it’s about your order, which shelf it will sit on, or just to say hello — a real person writes back.
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Of course. 30-day money-back guarantee. Set it on a shelf, live with it a week, and if it isn’t right for your room, email info@craft-folk.com within 30 days for a full refund. No questions, and US shipping is free.
How is it made?
How is it made?
Each jar is shaped from clay with the fruit raised in the surface and a basket pattern pressed in all around. Imogene paints every berry, leaf and blossom by hand, glazes the jar and fires it in her garage kiln. The seeds go on last, with her mother’s old brush. That’s why no two jars are exactly alike.