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 During the summer months, while many Americans are welcoming in the season and celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence declaring Americas independence from Great Britian in 1776 with fireworks, bbq, parades, trips to the shore and baseball games, African Americans across the United States are also celebrating the official 1865 abolition of slavery with speeches, parades, picnics and family reunions. June 19th, also known as Juneteenth or Emancipation Day, is an American holiday honoring African American heritage and commemorating the official day in 1865 that Union Genral Dordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops arrived in Galveston Texas to take possession of the state and enforce the emancipation of its slaves. Until that time, news of the Emmancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham Lincoln on September 22, 1862, had not made way down to Texas and therefore, slaves there were not informed of their freedom. According to those African-Americans who had been liberated from the bondage of slavery, until all slaves were emancipated, one could not be free. For many years only twelve states recognized Juneteenth as an official holiday but as of May 2009, 31 states have recognized Freedom Day as either a state holiday or state holiday observance including: Texas  Arkansas New York Massachusetts Connecticut Alaska California Colorado Delaware Florida  Idaho Illinois Iowa Kansas
Louisiana Michigan Missouri New Jersey  New Mexico North Carolina Oklahoma Oregon Tennessee Vermont Virginia Washington Wyoming Washington, DC In honor of Juneteenth, and the diversity of the American melting pot, J&O Fabrics offers an array of patriotic U.S.A. and African prints celebrating the liberation of a people and the fabric of a nation. Labels: 4th-of-July-fabric, african-american-holiday, african-fabric, emancipation-day, fourth-of-july-fabric, freedom-day, juneteenth, summer-fabric
GiRL TalK!Whether you refer to yourself as a girl, lady, women, gal, or chick we all have something in common. We are strong, vital, people, not the weaker sex by any means. Somethings however, are uniquely ours, and if you're like me, forever feminine - even if only a little, you may enjoy these finds. At J&O Fabrics we have tons of designs to help bring the roar out of the kitten. Here are a few that celebrate just us.  Radianceto me, this celebrates life, a women with her child raising her arms in the air at the joys of the sun above and the earth below. Simple pleasures! Matching mother daughter dresses or soft comfy shorts. This lifts my spirits just looking at it.  Vintage Fashion Women fabricI'm a big movie fan and this reminds me of the old movies I grew up with. The ones my daughter refers to as grey. Movie stars, TV mom's that wore pearls and dresses. Yikes! If I had my own personal bathroom I would use this for a shower curtain and matching drapes. However, I would love it as a lining in a jacket or handbag so I get a little grin on whenever I see it.  Cancan Dancers fabricThis is just downright gorgeous! A picture does not do it justice. At first it looks like flowers...surprise! I see myself in a long flared skirt out of this and a black top. A Duvet cover would be lovely too. And my personal favorite   How to keep your Husband fabric Words can't express how much I love this! It just cracks me up. I already bought some, and of course I have NO IDEA what I'm going to do with it. But then, I'm sure you understand! You'll find more under: Womens AccessoriesView broadcloth fabricsView dots novelty fabricView striped novelty fabricPosts by J&O Fabrics StoreLabels: african-fabric, beach, Fabric, retro-fabric, vintage-fabric, women
 Dear Netfah,I was interested in making a rain coat for my four year old girl, but was not sure what kind of material I should be purchasing. I would like it to be kind of see through like the rain capes from my own childhood. I saw some vinyl online, but it looked too heavy. Any suggestions?-Rain Rain Go Away, Ellicott City MDDear Rain Rain in Maryland,I used to have one with ducks on it when I was a little girl. I even had an umbrella to match. Now that I am an adult, I wish they made them for my size because they protected so well. The kind of material that is best suited for the style of rainwear you are looking to create is a lightweight clear plastic vinyl. It is the material most often seen and affiliated with table coverings and tote bags. Well, it is a great water protectant and wipes clean for easy care. Clear vinyl comes in varying thicknesses called gauges that range from 10-30. A 10 gauge vinyl is the thinnest and therefor lightest of the weights. Suitable for a range of uses, 10 gauge vinyl is good for cosmetic purses, storm windows, and some garments. The thicker 30 gauge vinyl is harder to sew through and is used primarily for seat covers and greenhouses.As always, it is best to get samples before ordering any yardage if you want to be sure the material you are purchasing is suited for the project at hand.Check out the selection of solid vinyl at J&O Fabrics here!
Check out the complete selection of vinyl fabric at J&O Fabrics here!
***Send in your Ask Netfah questions to info@jandofabrics.com. We'd love to hear from you!*** Labels: clear-plastic-vinyl, conservative, free fabric, frugal, rain-coat, rain-coat-fabric
 When I was a child, one of my favorite field day games at my school was the sack race. I remember the thrill of pairing up with my best friend as we climbed into that woven beige colored bag that would soon become our mode of transpo in a race to the finish line. Though somewhat rough to the touch, the burlap material I knew back then is not too different from the one that I use today for my unique one of a kind handcrafted bags. The difference, a little less abrasive, a little more color selection. Tough enough to be used as a building material and loose enough to place over the ground as a weed barrier, burlaps versatility and potential are as endless as the artists imagination. From flexible draping paper and decorative wall hangings, rug backings and decorative dollies, record of burlap use dates back from the biblical days, all the way up to modern times. Its durable yet flexible nature makes it a great fabric for a wide array of uses. A natural fabric made from jute, hemp or flax fibers, burlap is grown all over Asia and Central America. It prevents soil erosion, promotes plant life, and acts as a natural soil enhancer. On the go-green sustainable planet scene, burlap is recyclable and may one day surpass cotton as the most used natural fiber. In the meantime, post consumer burlap composts create a constantly renewable product that increases soil fertility rather than depleting it.
Weave it, wet it, embroider it, shred it, braid it, mold it, stretch it, fold it.....With so many positive attributes and usage techniques, burlap offers some great crafting ideas for the decorator, seamstress, agriculturalist, and artist in all of us.
Top Ten Burlap Craft Ideas1. Use loose weaved burlap as a carpet backing. 2. Embroider with fabric scraps, yarn and other odds and ends to create beautiful wall hangings. 3. Shred into paper pulp and add to paint for a textured look on any surface 4. Sew up ends for a rustic and natural window dressing. 5. Lay over lawn to encourage grass growth. 6. Wet into a paper mache like texture to make bowls, vases, and sculptures 7. Laminate on card stock to make beautiful cards and paper art. 8. Stretch fine weave burlap on a frame to make a textured canvas for art. 9. Braid or weave strands and add beads for creative jewelry.  10. Sew up to make cute satches for potpourri or jewelry. 11. Create a potato sack. 12. Line and paint to make unique back packs and hand bags. 13. Line to make fun hats. 14. Leave raw and create great recyclable shopping bags 15. Sew up sides for a good old fashion sack race. Whatever you are inspired to do with burlap, have fun doing it! See all of our Burlap Fabric View our Drapery FabricView our Upholstery Fabric View our Burlap Fabric
Posts by J&O Fabrics StoreLabels: burlap, burlap-craft-ideas, burlap-crafts, eco-friendly-fabric, go-green, natural-fabric, sack-races
 Dear Netfah,The other day I bought a cotton/poly knit, kind of like the tee shirt material, that I really love. I am planning to make a dress for a friends birthday and wanted to know if I should prewash it to allow room for shrinkage before I start cutting.-Suzie, San Francisco CADear Suzie,I would suggest washing almost any NON dry clean only material before I construct a garment in this case not only for shrinkage allowance, but for the same reason its good to wash new clothes before you wear them; you never know where they have been stored or what unwanted pests and chemicals may have found their way into the fibers.Knits of any kind are pretty much guaranteed to shrink, especially the common jersey knit found in tee shirts and lounge wear, even if it is blended with polyester (which reduces shrinkage). How much shrinkage to expect is not guaranteed, so to prevent as much as possible, wash your fabric in cold water and hang dry. To keep vibrant colors bright, dont hang your knit material in the sun for too long as some fading could occur.Keep in mind that the source of your material is just as relevant to the quality of your material before you handle it as after you purchase it. A bad fabric supplier or mill is capable of stretching the fabric on purpose or possibly skipping certain finishing steps when producing the fabric to save time and money. The end result, yardage that will eventually shrink back to its prestretched state, in addition to whatever length is lost during the pre washing process.Jersey knit is a comfortable, versatile and easy to care for fabric once the prewash step iS complete. I am sure your girl friend will appreciate her birthday garment. Especially since it is fashioned with love. **Send in your Ask Netfah questions to info@jandofabrics.com. We'd love to hear from you! View our Dress Fabric View our Drapery Fabric
Posts by J&O Fabrics StoreLabels: fabric-care, jersey-fabric, jersey-knit, knit, knit-care, knit-fabric, knit-shrinkage
 Madagascar, a plush and awe inspiring island located off the south east coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, is home to not only the famous Lemur and Baobab Tree, but a uniquely diverse wild life as well. Home to over 250,000 species with 70% of them found only on the island, Madagascar. Referred to as the Red Island due to its large amount of red soil, and considered the forth largest island in the world, Madagascar celebrates its 49th year anniversary of colonial freedom from France on June 26th. In celebration of Madagascars Independence Day, J&O Fabrics offers a wonderfully colorful assortment of fabrics inspired by this beautiful land and many others of the south eastern region. Happy Independence Day Madagascar! Check out our selection of African prints here!Check out our selection of animal print novelty fabrics here!Check out our selection of floral novelty prints here!Posts by J&O Fabrics StoreLabels: african-fabric, free fabric, frugal, lemur, madagascar, madagascar-independence-day
Whenever it rains really hard, my auntie says its 'raining cats and dogs'. I grew up hearing this saying from not only my family, but the elders in my community as well. I never really understood where it came from or why it was used to describe a heavy rain to I did my research and this is what I found. The metaphor or idiom (whichever you prefer) had several suggested sources ranging from a greek aphorism meaning an 'unlikely occurance', a mythological symbolism for rain (cats) and wind (dogs), to an expression of sensory overload as in the case where the loud sound of the rain caused the ears to hurt, like the loud sound of cats meowing and dogs howling. But the meaning that seemed to have the deepest roots and strongest following was the one that connects the metaphor to a period in time when the streets of 17th & 19th century Britian were so dirty and poorly constructed that many cats and dogs would drown whenever there was a storm. People seeing the corpses floating by would think the animals had falled from the sky. Further reading gives reference to a poem by Jonathan Swift dating back to 1710 called "A Description of a City Shower " where the author describes a similar scene to that of the rainstorms in England.  "Sweeping from butchers stalls, dung, gut, and blood; Drowned puppies, sinking sprats, all drenched in mud, Dead cats, and turnip-tops, come tumbling down the flood." If nothing less, my findings certainly gave new meaning to an otherwise beautiful rainy day.
Labels: cat-fabric, conservative, dog-fabric, free-fabric, frugal, novelty-cotton-fabric, raining-cats-and-dogs
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