Quilting: A Passionate & Colorful Obsession...

Quilting is a passionate obsession. We love to see you in the store in pairs, busloads or just by yourself. We also like to hear your stories from Facebook and maryjos.com. We thank-you for being so talented, sharing your projects and for buying your quilting fabric here. We have always worked very hard to keep our prices low and our quality high. We stock the most current collection of quilting fabrics, featuring a historical reproduction collection, the latest patterns and colors, and the special beauties that come our way, as well as all of the old standbys that you have come to love.

Fabric Trends for Quilters is a delightful publication. It is always fun to cruise through an issue online, just to be inspired. The trends for this year are alot of bright colors and of course interesting patterns. A top pick is called "Summer Postcard From Home". There is a quilt that was designed by a gal named Pearl Louise Krush and it looks like she had some fun designing and creating this little beauty. It would not be that difficult for you to find a photo from a recent vacation or a favorite outdoor spot and design your own "Postcard" style quilt. If you need a pattern you can log onto Fabric Trends Summer Edition's website, scroll down a bit and you will see this picture perfect postcard! While you are scrolling down take a few moments and check out some of the other quilts they have featured we know you will be inspired. They sell a "Quilt Kit" for this project, however if you click on the Free Projects you can find quilt instructions which are free and download the PDF to your desk top. Easy.

Inspiration for a new quilt and just the right color palette are all around us. A bright blue sky and the vivid yellow of a sunflower can lead to many applications. Blue and yellow are a French Country staple. The crazy colors of a brilliant sunset or a grove of trees turning Autumn Gold, Red and Orange. Sometimes inspiration can be found in the produce section of your local market or better yet at this time of year at a Farmers Market it is a joyous riot of color. Heirloom Tomatoes, Flowers by the bucketful and piles of Apples. Color inspiration is everywhere.

When you cruise through Mary Jo's Cloth Store we stock much of our quilting fabric by color. If you log onto the maryjos.com you will see that we have many new choices posted with Autumn colors and patterned fabric. So get creative and look around you, the inspiration for your next quilt could be quietly waiting, well almost anywhere.
Now a favor, all of our faithful readers. We are looking for some projects to share. Can you email a photo and brief description? Do you own a business that uses Mary Jo's Cloth? We really want to hear from you. Thanks in advance.

Dog Day Afternoon, Grab Some Fabric & Make a Bed...

It has happened, the Dog Days of Summer are upon us. What better time then now, to cruise the sale page of the website and find some really beautiful fabric and stitch up a Dog Bed or two!
A gal from Massachusetts recently sent us an email, she is in love with the selection and prices of Mary Jo’s Cloth Store, she only shops on our website at maryjos.com.
Michelle Lessing is quite a talented seamstress/designer and she decided to stitch up a bed for each of her two beloved Labradors, Lilly and Abbie. They were a hit and she was hooked, she then decided to create a company that makes Dog Beds from fabric she buys at Mary Jo’s. (Our prices are so great on fabric that she can sell a well-made and very beautiful Dog Bed for only $125.00.) Check out her fine work on her website, www.lillyandabbiedogbeds.com you won’t be disappointed. It is so wonderful to see such creative businesses popping up using the fabric purchased from Maryjos.com

This what Michelle has to say about Maryjos.com:
I love, love, love your website and all the fabrics you offer. There is such a wide variety and the prices are incredible. I'm starting a custom dog bed business and I would love to use some of your fabrics! I appreciate that I don't have to buy a whole yard like most other sites. It ends up being a lot of money especially when you don't end up liking the fabric or it fades.
my website: www.lillyandabbiedogbeds.com
I look forward to hearing from you!
-Michelle
Miss Michelle, we have amazing picks on our sale page and in the Drapery/Upholstery sections of the website. These choices will delight you, good luck with your new endeavor, we are sure you will be a howling success.


By the way, we thought we would post this comment from one of our readers/customers, Ellen. She is a frequent Commenter on this blog. Remember we love to hear feedback, it helps us to bring you the kinds of articles that will inspire you to create the finest projects possible.
Ellen’s feedback:
Thank you! You are very sweet to mention me.....
I comment because I also write 2 blogs...not daily, but often enough to really appreciate how much work goes into every post.
I think you have many folks that read you regularly, but might be hesitant to comment....DON'T BE!
It is easy...just click on the word "comment" and it will take you to a screen that allows you to write about how much you enjoy this blog.....believe me bloggers LOVE comments.
Don't be afraid you will say something wrong, even complaints can be handled in a polite way.....that's all that is required, common courtesy. I encourage anyone who follows this blog to comment with me (that means you too mom!)
Smiles, Ellen.

Mary Jo's Cloth with a French Twist...

At Mary Jo’s Cloth we receive letters, notes and photos from our customers almost everyday. A few weeks ago we sent out a call for projects. The response is wonderful and wow you all have been very busy. Over the course of the next few months we will be featuring many of these beautiful, creative and well done projects. It so exciting to see all that you do with the fabric you purchase at our Mary Jo’s.

One of the notes we received was from a gal in France. Her name is Isabelle Martin Agnan and she has a true talent for “Art Quilting”. She uses a variety of fabrics to create tones and shades in her work. After visiting her blog we were particularly impressed with the breadth of her quilted projects. She makes and sells dear little handbags, coin purses and larger totes. She also creates huge, and we are talking huge, quilts that become Art as wall hangings. Her colors are vivid and bright and so much fun to look at. We think you will enjoy looking around on her blog and we know you will definitely be inspired.

Did you know we have all kinds of College and University Team Icon and colored fabrics. Now is the time to stock up. Think of all of the projects you can create with this fun and team oriented fabric. Tailgating, Shirts, Quilts, Throws, Tablecloths, Curtains, well the list is endless and you are only limited by your imagination. Sew something up and send us some photos we would love to feature your story here on our blog.
Thanks for reading our blog, enjoy the rest of the summer, it is almost gone.

Limited Edition+What's Hot= SALE...

Limited Edition and What's Hot, what do these two sections represent on our website? SALE. Yes both are Sale sections of our website!
"What's Hot", features items that are a special purchase and won't be around for long. In the past we have featured Polar Fleece Blankets, T-Shirts and special Fabric purchases.
"Limited Edition", is filled with remnants and sale fabric from all of the different departments at our 32,000 sq. ft. store. Let' talk about Limited Edition for a moment. First and foremost it is always fun to click around and see what has been recently posted in this section. You need to click all the way to the very back page because that is where you will find the newest choices. Today, posted in this section we have some fantastic upholstery fabric in a wide range of styles, colors, patterns and weight. We are also featuring many sweet choices of Mary Jo's Cloth for back to school dresses, skirts, shorts and even a few choices of fun fabric for a tote bag.
Here is the deal, fabric that originally retailed for $18-25 can now be found for a fraction of the original price, which by the way is far less than competing fabric retailers. In both sections you will find a wide selection of fabric for Quilts, Curtains, Table Cloths, Upholstery needs. We even have some beautiful lace that could become part of a beautiful Wedding Dress, Table Cloth or Romantic Curtains. The best part is the price, in a word affordable. Log on to maryjos.com often and remember to click ALL the way through to the last page for the most current and very best selection.
When you have stitched up a masterpiece can you do us a favor and snap a photo, jot down a few words and fire off an email to us? We would love to know what you are up to and possibly feature you in an upcoming blog article. Happy sewing and enjoy your summer.