DIY Cocktail Canopy from J&O Fabrics

J&O DIY Cocktail Canopy: Floral Deco

For the J&O/ Summerdale Mills family, summer just isn’t summer without backyard BBQ’s, picnics, taking in seemingly endless sunsets in an outdoor living space of our very own, or simply sitting pretty by the seashore.  But beyond the idea and aesthetics of it all, there is the nitty-gritty of uninvited guests to contend with that certainly can have a way of spoiling the fun. You know those party-crashers I’m speaking of. The eight-legged, winged and just plain annoying creepy crawlies seduced by the sights, sounds and scents of it all. We can’t blame them for wanting to get a taste of the good life I know, but we can make our presence in their domain more comfortable.

J&O Top 20 MLB Cotton Craft Ideas

jandofabricsOne thing we’ve learned through our over 50 years in the fabric business is that all the textile goods that come through our doors, are looking to be made into something special. From silky satins aspiring to be prom dresses and clear vinyl yearning to protect beautiful mahogany table tops, to polyester fleece desiring to warm an old mans’ cold night or novelty cottons hoping to quell a child going through chemo with themed images from their favorite movie…like Elmo maybe. MLB cotton is no different. With so many baseball fans eager to show their FANatic love through some crafty means, our new major league baseball cottons arrive with just one goal in mind…to create that wonderful opportunity!

The Wait Is Over! MLB Cotton Fabric Is Finally BACK!

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You asked. We listened.  The long awaited MLB cotton fabrics are finally back in print and come May 2015, over twenty-five of the Major League Baseball teams will be available for purchase. Hip Hip Hooray!

No more searching for hours on Google or digging for hidden treasures on Ebay. No more avoiding demands from clients or adding on to wish lists  from family and friends. From the Yankee’s, Tigers, Giants and Rockies, to the Dodgers, Royals, Cardinals, and Mariners… East Coast New Yorker or West Coast Californian, your favorite teams are ready and waiting, and we are more than willing to start rolling out the yardage as you are to purchase.

J&O’s 10 Top Most Popular NFL Fabrics!

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With an exciting 2014 NFL football season already well underway (Go Eagles!!) quilters, crafters and die hard fans are buying up NFL fabric stock to make everything from quick-n-easy no-sew-fleece-throws to customized gifts rep’n the teams they (and others) love with visions of Superbowl 2015 wins dancing in their heads or if nothing less, some great games and stories along the way.

So what does all this mean for manufacturers and distributors like J&O Fabrics alike?

Demand! Demand! Demand! :O

Connecticut Huskies Win NCAA 60-54 Over Kentucky Wildcats

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When the final buzzer rang at the end of the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium last night, it was the Connecticut Huskies 60-Kentucky Wildcats 54, a win that would earn UCONN’s fourth NCAA title and Connecticut’s  Shabazz Napier, his second All-American title. In a game featuring the highest combined seeds in the history of the national championship game, the Wildcats were looking for their ninth NCAA title, instead they lost for the fourth time. UConn is now 4-0 in championship games.

March Madness Billion Dollar Bracket College Fabric

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Some call it a gimmick, some a gamblers dream, but whatever name you give it, if you can call a perfect NCAA men’s basketball tournament bracket during the March Madness run…you might be the first Billion Dollar Bracket Challenge Winner by the luck of the draw!

If you haven’t heard already, Quicken Loans and Warren Buffett are offering up to 15 million people a very small chance to win a very, big prize to the tune of ….you guessed it— a billion dollars. With many entering and only one in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 standing a chance at actually winning, according to some, the free entrance fee and a little Lady Luck may be just enough to pull it off and walk away with the big bucks.

J&O Crafty Customer: Pearl Hinz’s Nebraska Huskers Quilt

 

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Every now and again one of our crafty customers shoots us an email sharing a pic or two of projects they’ve completed with the help of our wide range of fabrics. One such lady is Pearl Hinz.

Mrs. Hinz sent us a Nebraska Corn Huskers themed quilt she created for her nephew using our collegiate cotton material featuring the popular team logo and mascot in a red, black and white color theme.  Using several square cuts, she overlaid black framed Husky prints quilted in a similar fashion creating a beautiful heirloom for her sister’s son to have for many years to come. Workmanship like this is truly a labor of love.

Celebrate Contributions and Achievements of African-Americans with J&O Fabrics

With Black History Month officially kicking off this week, we thought it would be the perfect time to celebrate the multitude of contributions and achievements African-Americans have made toward the advancement of not only our country, but the human race as a whole in the fields of science, math, athletics, literature, medicine, technology, agriculture, art, music and more. From our farmer’s bible…aka…the Almanac created by Benjamin Banneker (appx 1791) , and clothes dryer by G.T. Sampson (1862),  to the ever popular cell phone invented by Henry Sampson (1971) and house keeping friend …the dust pan, by Lawrence P Ray (1897), the list of ‘firsts’ invented by African Americans goes on and on. Each year since it’s inception,  Black History month has been drawing more recognition to the achievements of the past, encouraging more creative ideas and first’s to come in the future, and offering exposure to the faces and stories our books have often left out in its attempt at rewriting American HIS-story.

Ask Netfah: Cornhole Toss Fabrics

 

Dear Netfah,

With the Super Bowl right around the corner and my team in the running, I was interested in making those cornhole toss games for our party. I have the boards and the beans, now I just need the bags. What fabrics would you recommend ? I heard duck cloth was good.

– Bagless in Seattle

 

 

Dear Bagless in Seattle,

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

 

Take me out to the ballgame! Baseball has always been an All-American sport. We just can’t get enough home runs for the home team and strikes against the visitors.

I must admit I’m a bit clueless when it comes to some sports, but I love baseball. I guess it’s because my Dad and I enjoyed playing catch until the lightning bugs came out. When our favorite team was playing we’d pop our own popcorn or pick up a few boxes of Cracker Jacks to munch and crunch our way through the game.