Image Courtesy: Simply Netfah Designs
Know Your Worth…A Pricing Guide For the Professional Seamstress.
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Category Archives: How-To
D.I.Y. Fleece Hat and Scarf set
If you’re children are like mine, half of the school year is spent searching for their missing homework while the other is spent searching for their winter fleece hats, missing gloves, and countless hand-knitted scarves from Grandma. And if you’re a mother like me, you eventually discover the benefits of saving time and money through the creation of D.I.Y. fleece hat and scarf sets rather than the purchasing of new winter wear yet again.
Fabulous Home Deco Samples Turned Funky D.I.Y. Crafts
After years of providing custom upholstering, elegant window treatments and beautiful home interior makeovers for customers, it’s easy for in-house fabric and design centers to accumulated their share of fabulous deco samples. From long-standing yet timeless home textile mills like Duralee, Robert Kaufman and Covington, to newer yet popular home deco designers like Vern Yip, Regal and Michael Miller, the array of fibers, colors, prints and designs that remain on hand long after the work orders are completed seem endless. And while these samples still serve as on-hand textiles to assist home project shoppers in bringing their vision into a more tangible reality, often times the patterns selected are discontinued by the mills and therefore remain on our shelves as appealing yet useless eye candy… seemingly. But to the creative seamstress, artisan or DIY craft connoisseur, these sample pieces ranging in size from 15″-20″ squares offer the perfect inspiration behind some seriously stylish and often funky D.I.Y craft creations.
Expert Measuring Advise For Your Next D.I.Y Drapery Makeover
Determining how much fabric you need when embarking on a do-it-yourself drapery makeover project can be daunting when you start to consider the amount of fabric needed to cover all the pleats, gathers, folds and swags your dressing may require. But bringing your vision to life doesn’t have to cause a pause in your plans or errors in your fabric yardage purchase when you know the steps to taking accurate measurements beforehand.
If it’s your first time adorning your window frames, using solid or textured mid-weight and/or decorative fabrics is a good place to start as prints and sheers require extra consideration and handling to match the design and manage the slippage that often occurs with lightweight fabric.
DIY Shower Curtain With Outdoor Fabric
When we think about Sunbrella or outdoor fabric, we tend to visualize its purposeful and stylish use on patio furniture, awnings, and umbrellas. But what about its use as a custom-made shower curtain? Afterall, like the acrylic based fibers found in Sunbrella, most outdoor fabrics consist of an equally water and mildew resistant polyester blend that is both durable and easy to clean. While one can use almost any fabric to create unique visual bathing experiences, the use of an outdoor fabric negates the necessity of an additional shower liner for protection and makes available to us some really beautiful designs that we might otherwise not consider.
Ask Netfah: Types of Fabric Grain
DearNetfah,
Though I know that certain fabrics are more suitable for projects than other ones and have identified the general difference between natural fabrics and man-made ones, I admit I still have alot left to learn about how to properly care for them, various construction techniques, and how to determine how a fabric will drape or hang. On this note, I’m wondering what you can tell me about a fabrics ‘grain‘?
~Curious George, Mobile-Alabama
Dear Curious George,
Ask Netfah: How To Properly Measure For A Bed Skirt
Dear Netfah,
I am giving my bed a DIY makeover this spring and am uncertain as how best to measure my box spring for a bed skirt I am making. I was told that I would need to take the mattress off to get an accurate measurement. Is this true?
~ June, W.Phila-PA
Dear June,
How To Spring Into Your Outdoor Living Space With J&O Fabrics
March 20th marks the first day of spring, and whether it feels like it outside or not, this is the time to start assessing the condition of your outdoor living space and furniture. Is your wood patio in good condition? Are their dead trees and shrubs that need to be removed? Are the cushions, padding or frames of your furnishing in need of replacement? Check off your list now so that when the warmer days come, you are ahead of the game.
J&O Fabrics Colorful Craft Ideas for the 2018 Spring Season
As we slowly transition into a spring season that seems to finally be here stay for a few, we find ourselves mimicking nature’s shedding of muted winter colors in exchange of an array of vibrant shades reflective of those found in Mother Nature’s vibrant prism. In celebration of the spectrum of light vibrations that brings us an amazing palate of blue, red, orange, yellow, and green for our imagination to play with, J&O Fabrics offers a few colorful craft ideas along with a selection of choice fabrics from our shelves to fulfill your creative mood.
J&O Best Practices for Textile Waste Reduction
Looking to play your part in becoming an environmental steward by assisting in textile waste reduction? Here are some simple things you can start doing today to reduce your sewing waste and environmental impact into our tomorrows.
- When shopping for pattern fabric, BUY ONLY WHAT YOU NEED
- MAXIMIZE PATTERN POSITIONING ON YOUR FABRIC LAYOUT BEFORE CUTTING. Make full use of every inch of the fabric without jeopardizing the integrity of the garment once construction begins.
- MEASURE TWICE. CUT ONCE. Avoid material waste because of careless cuts.
