For the Love of Green.

For big corporations and small businesses alike, ‘green’ has become the new ‘black’ in consumer product marketing. And luckily for them, this eco-friendly revolution has brought many a follower to their doors. Seems every few years, the marketing industry decides what the ‘in’ fabric, service, idea, trend or fashion is going to be, and we buy it. Literally. Whether we know better or not, we give into the hype and join the wave of folks just like us who were born originals yet live our lives as copies of whatever the mass media dictates. I mean, who wants to be different anyway right? An idea is cultivated, a desire is imbedded, and a demand is made for more. The demand raises the value, the value raises the price, next thing you know we are spending $50 for a pair of  eco-friendly reconstructed jeans that look just like the patched up jeans our mothers sewed together from some old denim in her fabric bin the year before for free.

J&O List of Top 10 Recession Inspired Money Saving Tips

If you were to ask anyone in any of the 50 states that make up the United States of America, how they are fairing in the midst of our less publicized yet still ongoing recession, they would mostly speak of the woes our economic collapse has caused them, or the added pressure their spouses and families are encountering trying to make ends meet. But there is an old saying that speaks to the notion of a silver lining under each and every apparently dismal or challenging event. In fact, there are several that address the issues of turning our stumbling blocks into stepping stones, and our obstacles into opportunities. At the end of the day, it really is only a matter of perspective anyway.
With the holiday season unfolding and pressure from the commercial industry pushing us to work harder so we can make more useless money to buy more meaningless things to put on our overstuffed Thanksgiving tables and under our mass produced yet under consumed Christmas trees, more and more people are opting out of the life draining rat race and finding peace and financial preservation by nurturing more creative and rudimentary ways to maneuver through Americas recession and the holiday season. Frugal, conservative, utilitarian, resourceful, practical
With this notion in mind, J&O Fabrics would like to take a moment to not only thank ex president Bush for creating the opportunity for us to nurture our imagination just a little bit more, but for the inspiring and liberating seed that sparked our list of Top 10 Recession Inspired Money Saving Tips.
Frugal, practical, conservative, resourceful, even utilitarian… yeah, these are some of the words being used to describe the new mindset of many, and the revisited mindset of a few from the old school who have seen depressions and recessions before as we move forward through the holiday and the seasons ahead. In many ways, we’re all in this together and all the better for it, so feel free to add on, pass on, and be the peace in the midst of adversity you are looking for!
J&O List of Top 10 Recession Inspired Money Saving Tips
1. Instead of buying gifts for family and friends from the store, be the manufacturer and save! By making your own gifts, you cut out the middle men and the extra money you spend on packaging, distribution, and retail markups. We have customers from every walk of life calling in for fabric to make no-sew fleece throws and pillows, curtains for their kitchen, even for reupholstering basic chairs in their homes. With free instructional books, instore workshops, and how-to classes right on line, you can be a jack of all trades in no time!

How to Make Your Own Blanket Wrap with Arms by J&O Fabric Store

With the winter winds slowly starting to blow in, the threat of high heating costs down the line, and a continuing recession still affecting more than half the nation, keeping warm during the cold winter nights while saving money in the process is the order of the day.

J&O “1st Annual Handcrafted Halloween Costume Contest”…5 Days Left

Day 5:

Well, we’ve seen it all!

First a Royal family from Medieval times, then a mini dinosaur, and now a pooch on the moon. With less than 5 days left to go, what will our crazy and crafty customers come up with next?

It’s not too late to submit your entries and take a chance

on winning a $50 American Express Gift Card.
What are you waiting for?
We dare you!

J&O Celebrates Parent’s Day !

Sunday July 26, 2009 marked this years 15th Annual Parents Day. Recognized since 1994 and celebrated throughout the United States with award ceremonies, dinners, conferences and communal gatherings, Parents Day was originally created to acknowledge, honor, uplift and support moms and dads in their often overlooked roles in the lives of their children.

Targeting, but not excluding the roles of the elders and surrogate parents that exist in many communities, Parents Day is an opportunity to acknowledge the investment, commitment and energy given to the children in the attempt to equip and prepare them for tomorrows world.

J&O Fabric of the Week: Polyester Microfiber

Microfiber is a fiber with less than 1 denier per filament and is used to make non-woven and knitted textiles. Commonly used for apparel, upholstery, and in cleaning solutions, microfiber has become a very popular alternative to cotton activewear and undergarment apparel because the microfiber material wicks moisture away from the body instead of against it, thus keeping the wearer cool and dry.

Top 10 Reasons to Learn How to Sew!

Whether you thought about it before, are in the process of doing it now, or wrote it off as something only women and homemakers did because it is still considered taboo in most cultures, learning to sew for yourself has more benefits than just mending a hole or putting a button back on a shirt.

Ask Netfah: Nikki’s Raincoat Material


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 MD



It’s Raining Cats and Dogs at J&O Fabrics!

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.

Sewing Tip of the Week #1: Thrift Store Patterns


Sewing Tip of the Week #1

I have been in love with clothing since I was a little girl. How colors looked on a model, how the fabric draped, and most especially, how their full ensemble looked once all the pieces were in place all appealed to my visual and creative senses. I would spend hours a day designing new looks and rumminging through JC Penny, Sears and Speigal catalogs imagining the day I would make manifest the ideas on the sketch pad in front of me