Many of you who visit us and purchase our fabulous fabrics, are seamstresses and crafters yourself. Whether you are male or female, young or old, an expert or a novice, most likely after your project is complete, you are left with pieces of material too large to throw away, and too small to make anything with…… until now.
The J&O Family has put together a small list of neat craft ideas for your cotton novelty, dress, upholstery, decorative or tapestry fabrics that will awaken the artist in all of you. Birthdays, holidays and home / garment décor will never be the same once these crafty ideas are manifested by your own unique hands.
Book covers
Photo albums, scrap books, baby books, even grandma’s secret recipe book could all use a facelift over time. Customize it for that special someone or even just for yourself. A half a yard is all you need for a nice sized cover. Select from our multiple novelty fabric categories, even mix and match for that perfect reflection of you.
One of the easiest and most popular craft ideas for scrap fabrics is a quilt. With a little needle and thread, you can customize a truly unique quilt for family, friends or loved ones. If you have a child who loves spider man, pokey man, baseball, horses and the color blue, search your scrap pile a little deeper to see what you can find. Or maybe you have a companion who you met in the winter in Paris and you went on a date and had a wonderful pasta plate that both of you enjoyed and later he gave you red roses and a kiss… and maybe you have fabrics lying around that could symbolize each of these moments in time. Imagine what a thoughtful and sentimental gift that would make. Just from scraps of fabric.
Simple or intricate, small or large, quilts can be a great way to say “you’re special” and free up some of that closet space for more important things in the meantime. Cut your fabric scraps into the standard 4” squares, or create your own unique look.
Sachets are small bags usually made of fabric or mesh material with a draw-string closure. They are traditionally used for holding potpourri, but you can create one to hold your jewelry, precious stones or coins, incense or even gift items. With those small fabric scraps, you can create several and personalize them for family and friends. Even use them to hold spices or teas in your pantry. Our cotton knits, sheers and food themed novelty prints are great fabrics for such a project. And the looser materials would allow for the scents to come through. A sheer chiffon or netted fabric will allow you to see what’s inside as well.
For those of you who have children, fashionable custom made attire for that Barbie, Dora or GI Joe doll can be made from those camo’s and silks. Create great fatigues or beautiful evening gowns for your little one’s fantasy play. Even let them design the outfits themselves. Make play time an opportunity to learn and share with one another. Even something as simple as a skirt or vest is enough to spark the creative juices in their little minds and give them a taste of what they can fashion with a little imagination and their two little hands.
If you want to make a little money with your creative talents, create to sell. For instance, Barbie is a fashion icon and she has been around for a long time, her miniture wardrobe is stylish and hip and just keeps growing season after season. Her fan base consists of young and old collectors and admirers alike, who love to dress her. In fact, there are shows throughout the nation that are dedicated to dolls in general. Creating unique ensembles out of your fashionable fabric scraps for them to model could prove quite lucrative & fun.
The last fabric scrap craft gem the J&O Family has to share with you is the Applejack Hat. This hat is constructed out of anywhere from 6 -8 triangular shaped fabric pieces and a fabric band with elastic running through it. Create unique hats for your family and friends both young and old. Personalize by using fabrics, prints and colors that hold some meaning or sentiment for the receiver. You can use fleeces, denims and wools with a light lining in it during the cooler months, or colorful cotton solids, novelty prints and lightweight denims for fun wear in the warmer months.
So don’t be so quick to throw those year old red satins, embroidered tapestry or $25/yard designer prints in the garbage. And please don’t let your pile grow taller than you before you put that good scrap fabric to use. With a little help from the J&O Family, we can help make your wonderful fabric selections work magic for you, ‘til the very last thread.
Military blankets are a great gift for your loved ones at home & abroad this season. And hand-crafted blankets carrying the stars, stripes and emblems of the military branch they represent are especially nice not only during the holidays, but year round.
You don't need to have any sewing skills to create one either. With J&O's wide selection of 100% poly-winterfleece and a pair of scissors, you can make a warm & lightweight blanket for that special someone, or even yourself. Just follow the easy step instructions below and watch your fabric turn into an armor of pride that they can keep warm under when they need it most.
Step One: Come to J&O Fabrics and pick from a selection of Military fleece fabrics representing the teams you or your loved ones follow. Have a store employee cut the fabric into a 2-4yard length depending on the size of the individual who will be wrapped inside (or 1 yard for a little one).
Step Two: Wash the fabric with cold water on gentle cycle, or hand wash. Any detergent will do. Lay fabric flat to dry.
Step Three: Lay fabric out on a large flat surface. Turn one of the shorter ends towards you and smooth out any wrinkles.
Step Four: Cut a fringe along one short side by making 3-inch deep straight cuts about a 1/2-1 inch apart.
Step Five: Tie a single knot at the base of each cut strip to complete the fringe along one side of the blanket.
Step Six: Turn the fleece to the other short side and smooth out the wrinkles. Make the same size cuts a 1/2-inch apart and then tie knots to match the other side.
Step Seven: Step back and pat yourself on the back. Your completed military no-sew fleece blanket is done! Give as a gift or keep for yourself.
Now wasn't that easy.
Click here to see our: military fleece If you love to window shop and would like to see all of the Polar fleece fabrics we have available click here: Polar Fleece Fabric
J & O Fabrics is a leader in online fabric stores with hundreds of discount fabrics including: upholstery, quilt, quilting, drapery fabric, fleece, decorator, felt, retro, upholstery fabrics and more!