With Christmas less than a few days away and Kwanzaa soon following, why not pull on your creative juices and save a little money at the same time with great fabric gift wrappings and bows?
For most crafters and designers alike, fabric scraps from botched projects, incomplete projects, and projects with more fabric left over than used, often times accumulate into colorful mountains of textured material eagerly waiting to be recycled and put to good use. Many times the end result is a funky reconstructed shirt, festively trimmed greeting card, or cute little fabricated doll for the holidays. But what about using that beautiful fabric as an inexpensive and easy substitute for actual store bought wrapping paper for use during the holidays and any special occasion.
Since fabric can be cut to size just like regular paper, wrapping a gift box in your child’s favorite Disney character or your wife’s favorite material is a great say I love you with an added flair! From Dora and Sesame Street prints, to brocade dress fabrics and Pima dot cottons, the perfect fabric wrap for that special someone is right under your nose. With the added benefit that recycling your fabrics can bring to our ecosystem and in turn, humankind itself, this single craft idea alone contains one of the greatest gifts you can give our planet. That same fabric you used to wrap a gift for your sister is the same fabric that she will use to make a patch for her son’s pants, and the same print her husband will transform into sellable bookmarks for the holiday. It’s the gift that just keeps on giving.
To start utilizing your fabric scraps to their fullest, the following instructions are helpful. In as little as 1-2-3, your fun and fabulous fabric wrapping will be garnishing dull shirt boxes in no time. Well, what are you waiting for? Christmas is almost here!
Supplies
· pinking sheers
· fabric scraps
· ribbons, twine
Instructions
Lay your scrap fabric out on a flat surface.
Place the gift in the center of your scrap fabric and check the fit to see if you have enough to cover all the sides once cut. Leave about a 1-2” surplus for complete coverage.
Fold the corners and sides up together to get a visual measurement then cut your fabric accordingly using your pinking shears to create a nice decorative edge.
Wrap the gift box with the fabric.
Secure it closed with scrap fabric ribbons, twine, or fabric tape.
Check out our great selection of Holiday fabric here!
Check out our large selection of novelty cotton fabric here!
Posts by J&O
Fabrics StoreLabels: back to school crafts, christmas crafts, christmas presents, consumer savvy carol, frugal, frugil, frugile, holiday crafts, holiday fabric, holiday fabric crafts, special occasions
The old school saying, “pressure makes diamonds” vibrates as a hopeful reminder that in these crazy economic times, the threat of financial hardship crushing us can serve as a motivation to use our God given imagination to create lemonade out of lemons. And not just any old lemonade either. I’m talking about the kind of lemonade that gets discovered, packaged and sold as an exotic beverage because of its unique texture and taste. You know, the kind that only you can make because there’s only one you in this whole wide world. The kind that creates a demand so great that instead of baking under the unrelenting sun as you earn just enough to get by, you instead find yourself basking under a warm and generous sun as you await your next check from the shares in your now successful beverage line. And to think, this time last year, you were fearing foreclosures and bankruptcy. Now this scenario may seem a little unrealistic when we look at the ridiculous prices on fruits and vegetables, let alone lemons right now. But if you can at least take this concept and apply it to such a degree that you are able to turn your obstacles into opportunities, then you are able to take a look around your environment and see just where you can increase your wealth with minimum expense to your pockets.
Take fabric scraps for instance. Since we are one of the largest fabric stores in the Tri-State area, we carry totes and totes of these colorful, funky and fancy ¼ yard pieces that literally collect over the years. They sit here taking up space and not paying towards the rent. They want to be put to use, but have been made to feel like they are only good for one thing…..nostalgic memories of craft projects done long ago and clippings from love momentos for family and friends.
I am sure we are not the only ones holding onto colorful pieces of satin, denim and bark cloth. With the holidays quickly approaching, maybe it might be worth the minute or two it would take to pull the scraps out of your own closets and see what creative projects you can revamp or create. Just by adding a fabricated trim to drapes, clothing or home accent pieces, you can change a plain kitchen or living room décor into a holiday oasis.
No money for gifts and Christmas is right around the corner? Turn off the part of your brain that says you aren’t a good parent if you don’t buy your children all the latest toys, and instead let that pressure make beautiful one-of-a-kind gifts that little Suzy will cherish long after Polly Pocket has lost her touch. A crafty sweatshirt with autographed inscriptions in glittery fabric pens from all her neighborhood friends or a handmade ‘no-sew’ Angelina Ballerina fleece throw for those cold winter nights can make your 8 year old feel like the princess that she is, and she would owe it all to you and your crafty ways.
Whatever you do with your time, energy, and resources is up to you. But if you want to make lemonades out of your lemons and save yourself a buck or two, consider the creative power of the imagination…then watch the resourceful artist come to life!
For some really cool novelty cotton fabrics click here!
Until next time, this is Consumer Savvy Carol signing off!
Posts by J&O
Fabrics StoreLabels: childrens crafts, consumer savvy carol, frugal, holiday fabric, novelty cottons
As one of the largest fabric stores in South Jersey, J&O Fabrics constantly strives to meet our customers’ fabric needs, textile inquiries and crafting solutions with the first hand knowledge and general concern that over 45 years of being in the fabric business provides. Even as we move deeper into the age of technology, and new material from all around the world is being placed at our fingertips with just the click of a button, we at J&O continually strive to maintain that personal rapport with our customers that our growing family owned operation was built upon. From the teen aged novice at our local high school purchasing a few yards of the latest designer dress fabrics for the fashionable masterpiece that will ensure her a chance at fame as the next top designer in ‘Project Runway’, to the experienced interior design group from Italy that orders no less than 50 yards at a time of our top shelf tapestry and upholstery to create dream rooms for their celebrity clientele; no request is too big or too small. To help assist us in serving our customers better, J&O has brought in some additional helping hands to offer suggestions, provide assistance, juggle the brain cells, and inform our customers on the latest changes and advancements in an ever changing industry. From Consumer Savvy Carol, who will guide us through the changing economic climate with great money saving tips and useful resources, to Go Green Gina who will help us to preserve this wonderful planet we live on while also offering an alternative to a synthetic way of life, J&O hopes to create a one-stop-shopping experience that will not only leave our customers with a cart full of wonderful fabrics, but a pocket full of FREE info and ideas to take with them along their journey.
So look for us on the world wide web, listen for us on the lips of loyal J&O customers and visit us at our brick and mortar right outside the city of Brotherly Love. We’ll be waiting to serve you!
Netfah: Ask me a question, I will tell you no lie. With so many trade terms and technological advances, it can get tricky figuring out what fabrics would work best for what projects, or even what materials you may require to complete a creative task. For the answers to these questions and so much more, simply send me an email. Each week we will select a request from our pool and post a response for our viewing audience to see. We can't guarantee we'll get to yours first, but we will do our best to get to each and every one. Just Ask Netfah....
Gina: With so much talk about going green, global warming and recycled vs reconstructed, people around the world and across America are looking to do their part in saving our planet so that she can save us. And while some fall under the misconception that we have to find a solution to world pollution on our own with just one invention, more people are realizing the answer lies in the little things we do. From recycling textiles and clothing from our shelves, to purchasing fabric made from hemp or bamboo, the power of one is very powerful indeed. Check out Go Green Gina once a week as she offers up options and suggestions for a healthier and more holistic way of living ...in the
GREEN!
Carol: If you haven't been affected by the economic crisis currently plaguing the American people, then you are one of the few. But like most of us, to one degree or another, we are feeling the side affects of a dis-eased ridden empire built off the backs of many and the continual pilferage of a few.... more. To help assist us with making the most of what materials we have, or for that matter, what crafts we create, Consumer Savvy Carol is here to offer her frugal minded suggestions and creative penny pinching tips. Check her out each week and let her save you a little money.
Sewing Tip of the Week: This weekly blog is dedicated to not only our novices, but our group of expert seamstresses and upholsterers as well. With so many new fabrics and techniques popping up every day, there's always something new to learn. In this sections we will cover everything from alterations to zippers. We are not beneath the occasional short cut as well. Hand made pattern alternatives and no-sew supplies are researched and discussed. At J&O we believe our customers are some of the best crafters around. Feedback and suggestions are always welcomed!
Fabric Award of the Week: Every week J&O gets in new and fabulous fabrics that we in turn, place in our brick and mortar and on our online store for your shopping pleasure. From silky dress materials and beautiful decorative designs, to fashionable tapestries and fun novelty cotton prints, if you want it, most likely we got it. With over a thousand different fabrics to choose from, you can imagine the pressure to choose a number one pick to feature each week. But we like to keep it exciting around here, so if you are looking for what's new and hot, make sure to check out this series and always visit our
New Fabric section on our website for the list of runner ups. You never know the treasures you will find!
Check out our novelty cottons here!
Check out our fleece here!
Check out our phillies fabric here!Posts by J&O
Fabrics StoreLabels: ask netfah, college fleece fabric, consumer savvy carol, economics, frugal, go green gail, jandofabrics, money, phillies, recession, sewing tips, top fabric store