My Santa Wish List…From J&O Fabrics Facebook Fans!

With so many new fabrics delivered to our J&O Fabric Store each day, seems just when I’ve found the perfect ones to add to my Santa wish list, another print or design comes in and distracts me even more. Guess that is the blessing and curse of working at a place that feeds your creative needs so consistantly. Like a drug dealer and his dope fiend, instead of one more hit, hit me with one more yard and I am flying high!

Now with Christmas Eve less than a few hours away and craft ideas for the upcoming year already formulating in the crevises of my mind, curiousity had wondering…

10 DIY Crafts in 10 Hours.

One of the main excuses we have for not making our own clothing or home fashions is the lack of knowledge of how to sew. The second excuse is the time it would take to even do so. Luckily with access to the world wide web and the availabilty of almost every how to video, downloadable tutorial, and quick reference/resource guides, learning how to sew just got 100x easier. The best part is that once you learn how to sew, there are several quick and easy projects that take hardly any time to complete, some in less than an hour! That’s right! In less time than it takes you to pick out an outfit for that hot date or catch up on the latest episode of your favorite sitcom, you can complete any of a number of cool felt crafts, novelty cotton fashion accesories or home accent pieces made from upholstery fabric or decorative fabric ,and still have time to exhale. From satin pillows and vintage novelty aprons, to funky nylon bags and denim pants, sewing it all together is quicker than you think once you know how.

J&O Fabrics Final Days to Enter ‘2nd Annual Most Amazing Handcrafted Halloween Costume Contest !”

Over the last three weeks we have seen everything from the ghost of Elvis and a talking hamburger, to sightings of Mr & Mrs Snowman and a sleeping tropical parrot . Now with less than one week left to submit your own one-of-a-kind-sure-to-win costumes into our ” 2nd Annual ‘Most Amazing Handcrafted Halloween Costume” contest, time is of the essence! With a chance at winning a $50 American Express Gift card to spend wherever and however you like, plus the added bragging rights on our Facebook  page, what have you got to loose? Need a little motivation? If you recieve our J&O Fabrics newsletter then you know today is the last day to take advantage of our 10% off coupon good on our full inventory of fabric, so take advantage! Good on everything from our selection of novelty cotton prints and poly fleece, to dress fabric and craft felt material, bringing your unique costume ideas into fruition just got a little easier. At J&O Fabrics, watching artists transform pieces of material into fabulous works of art especially during the holidays is what we live for!

 

Every REAL Seamstresses Right of Passage!

Just recently we posted a query on our J&O Fabric Store Facebook page asking our fans to share some of their worst sewing mishaps to date. While we expected the standard wrong sides put together and collars attached to sleeves issues, what we didn’t gander on were the amount of near amputations and close calls our stoic seamstresses were faced with as rotary blades skimmed finger tips and needles pierced thru flesh and nail. Makes one wonder just how safe is this historic hobby of many? So we took a little poll to see and this is what we found. All squeemish and faint of heart, vacate now….this could get kinda ugly!!

J&O Fabric of the Week: Crabby Maxine

Have you ever had one of those days where you wake up in a crabby mood? Sometimes the things that we usually enjoy are often even annoying to us in a time like that. For Maxine, that is how she insists on living everyday.

Created by illustrator John Wagner in 1986, his no holds barrred character was designed specifically for the Hallmark Shoebox Greetings card line complete with a head of curly gray hair, the body of an aged but still spunky individual, and the abrasive personality of woman who has found comfort in speaking her truths without compromise. Meet Crabby Maxine, a reflection for some, of the mothers, grandmothers, and elders of their communities, and the serum for almost any case of the blues one might be experiencing at a given moment.

Ask Netfah: Durable Jacket Lining.

Dear Netfah,

I am making a jacket to wear on  an overseas trip I am planning to take with my family next month and I want to have a place to store my important personals like cell phone, wallet, passports, money etc. Instead of carrying a bag or purse, I want to secure my stuff in pockets in the jacket…all eight of them. The thing is, I don’t necessarily want all the pockets to be accessed from the shell of the jacket, but rather from an inner lining so I will need a material that is not only durable, but breathable as well as the climate where we are going is more tropical than not. Any suggestions?

J&O Celebrates Children’s Day Worldwide!

They say children are the closest things to God, and I believe it. Some even say that it is in fact, the children that choose their parents to fulfill a divine purpose or part in this big play called ‘Life’. Hard to conceive for some, easier for others, but one thing most can agree on is that children sure have a way of both challenging us and bringing us a joy that is without comparison.

All across the globe, there is a shared appreciation for our little ‘mini-me’s’ that can be seen through the various celebrations and festivals centered around them. From Australia to Vietnam and almost everywhere in between, communities and governments worldwide pay homage to the age of innocence and tomorrow’s future with games, events, performances, family outings, etc. To play our part, J&O Fabrics offers a wide selection of assorted children themed novelty print, flannel, and fleece fabrics for your crafting pleasure. Make great quilts, bedding, garments, nightwear, pillows…the list goes on and on! Best part, we don’t have to limit ourselves to celebrating our children just during the specified days. We can love them, teach them, nurture them, learn from them, and raise them into happy, confident individuals 247/365 and somewhere along that journey, connect with the inner child in all of us as well!Have fun checking out some of our top selling child themed fabrics below.   

Celebrate the Month of May and All Her Special Days!


May is not only recognized as the month we celebrate mothers, soldiers, Malcom and Mexico;  but also National BBQ, hamburger, egg, salad, salsa, and sweet vidalia month too. In celebration of the fabulous foods that make any picnic, backyard grilling, or summer menu just a little more tempting and tasty, we are rolling out yards of food on fabric for your shopping pleasure. Select from a pound worth of vegetables or assorted palate pleasing treats to cover your table tops, line your food baskets, and blanket the soft grass for a day under a blue summer sky. Whatever way you choose to celebrate the month of May, have more fun crafting with some of the  really cool novelty fabric picks hand selected just for you!

J&O Celebrates: El Dia De Los Muertos!

While many of us can be found dressed up in the scariest costumes and loading our nap sacks with treats to the brim come Halloween night, less than a few days later, our Latino brothers and sisters here and home and especially in Mexico, Latin America, and Spain, can be found celebrating the return of the dead in a similar fashion during their festive El Dia De Los Muertos, otherwise known as All Souls Day.

J&O Fabrics presents: Blast from the Past Hippie Batiks

Feelin Groovy Batiks

When I see a beautiful batik fabric it takes me back to my days of Art Shows on clothesline, patched jeans and the pungent scent of Patchouli Oil. I remember trying to batik some fabric with the wax and dye, and the mess. It was clearly not something I was cut out for, better to leave it to the experts. Today it is all just a few steps away from my grasp; all I need to do is choose the colors I like best.