Summertime, Sewing Circles and Quilting Guilds...

Summertime is our yearly gift from the heavens. We have more time to enjoy the day, our children, friends and relatives. We can garden, travel and stay up late watching the stars. It is also time to think about things we really want to do in the upcoming, Autumn and Winter seasons.
Have you thought about joining a sewing circle or a Quilting Guild? There are plenty in your area, but more about that in a minute. So let's back up.
About Sewing Circles, Wiki says,
"A sewing circle is group of people, usually women, who meet regularly for the purpose of sewing, often for charitable causes.
Examples of sewing circles include the Fragment Society, and the Mennonite Sewing Circle.
Apart from charitable purposes, contemporary sewing circles may be formed into organizations on a national level, such as the Guilds in Australia and America "for people who regard sewing as a creative and rewarding activity".

It has been speculated that the phrase "chew the rag", is related to gossiping while working in a sewing circle."

Sounds right. In the past these circles gathered in homes and Church meeting rooms. The modern Sewing Circle is usually called a"Guild" and these folks create quilts and give them to people who need to be warm in the winter or the very ill or they raffle them then give the money to charity. Guilds are a good giving  organization. If you are interested in being a part of a giving organization, in or near your community log onto, quiltguilds.com.
 Super simple. Just click on your state and they have all of the guilds for each state listed. Quilters are a generous and spirited lot. They are passionate about Fabric, Patterns and being Charitable.
 At Maryjos.com  we always have yards and yards of Sale Fabric, we also have a large selection of beautiful patterned fabric at tremendously low prices. Just right for some of these charitable projects, our website is open 24-7 and we ship promptly. If you have a question, just "Ask Mary Jo" someone will get back to you right quick. We are working on the new Website, to make it an even easier shopping experience. Remember, Maryjos.com is run by all of us folks here at Mary Jo's Cloth Store. We care about you and your sewing needs. If you need something, have a thought or would like to order something special, do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.

In the Store, we are blessed to be surrounded by a community of amazing sewing fanatics. We have noticed, since opening our Sewing Lounge that many folks are popping in just to chat and hang around. You can log onto our Maryjos.com to view and sign up for all of our upcoming Sewing Classes. The next time you are in Gastonia, do stop in. You can see demonstrations of our BabyLock line of sewing machines and browse the 32,000 square feet of Fabric. (The possibilities are mind blowing). Yep, we are looking forward to seeing you!

Superheros And A Saturday to Remember...

A very large and special THANKS, to all of the thousands of you who came to Mary Jo's first ever Girls Day Out and Sales Event.

Sheesh, you could have knocked us over with a feather when we saw people in line on Friday for Saturdays Event! When the doors opened at 9 am, folks were in line, clear down the street.

We gave away Sewing machines, Sewing kits, fabric bundles and a 250.00$ Shopping spree. Wonderful day, amazing event. We had as much fun as anyone! All shoppers received  5% off of their purchase.

It felt so great to see all of you and hear about your Mary Jo Cloth Store experiences over the years. Many of you brought your Grandmothers, Mothers and Daughters.

So heartwarming to see generations of MJ Customers. We appreciate you and could not do what we do without you. Thanks for making our job truly delightful!
If you cannot make it into the store, our website, maryjos.com is open 24-7 and filled with great selections and great prices.

Tidbits: We have Superhero fabric. Are you looking for Spiderman, Batman, and Superman?  We have bolts and bolts of different styles, repeats and patterns. We also have a large collection of Dr. Seuss, Hello Kitty and Sesame Street characters. Great selection with the best pricing. So fun, right here at Mary Jo's Cloth Store online and in the store.

Mary Jo's Sewing Lounge News!!!Sewing Classes are filling up fast. If you want to view the upcoming classes, click HERE. When you are in the store, check out the Sewing lounge. It is fun and you may be inspired by a project or two!
Don't miss out, you will learn some wonderful new sweet skills and meet some wonderful fellow Sewing fanatics.
Online and in the store we have a new selection of Wools, just right for those darling kicky Wool skirts and jackets for Autumn and Winterwear! Click here to view the selection on Pinterest!

>>>Flash>>>>>>>>>
More about WOOL! FYI, pulled from our Facebook posting!
Wools have been hard to come by lately and we just got a shipment in! Take advantage of the great variety we have available now! Cool weather will be here before you know it! Go to Maryjos.com then MAIN FLOOR, browse by STYLE, and then Wools and Wool Blends. So sorry we can’t provide a direct link however a hot new, easy to use website is being built as we type!

Sewing Enthusiasts and Quilters...

Do you need to brush up on your Quilting skills? Machine Embroidery to be specific. Could it be that you have dreams of being an uber quilter? There is no time like the present. Sign up for your special class or workshop today!


This Friday, July 12th Mary Jo's Sewing Center is hosting a very special class:
 "Lady Liberty Quilt"
Date and time: Friday, July 12th 10:00AM – 4:00PM 
and Friday, July 26th 10:00AM – 4:00PM    
Skill Level: Advanced Beginner/Intermediate
Class Length: 2 sessions            
Instructor: Pam Carter
Class Description: Machine Embroidery class
Fee: $45
Space is limited, send us an email today to confirm your space!

Lady Liberty Machine Embroidered Quilt!

 
Check this out, we have a great line up of classes for the Summer season, we have the JULY schedule posted below! If you want to see the whole line up of classes,
click to view the Sewing Center Class Schedule at maryjos.com.

 JULY CLASSES...

Beginning Sewing Quilting: Class Code #8A

Instructor: Kaye Carr

            Date: Tuesdays, July 9^th, 16th, 23rd,and 30^th   

             (4 sessions)

            Time:  1:30pm to 4:30pm

            Fee: $25 plus supplies

Neck roll Decorative Pillow Class Code #9

Instructor: Sindy Burgess

            Date: Thursday, July 11^th

            Time: 5pm to 8pm

            Fee: $30 plus supplies

Lady Liberty: Class Code #10

Instructor: Pam Carter

            Date: Friday, July 12^th and 26^th (2 session class)

            Time: 10am to 4pm

            Fee: $45 plus supplies

Machine Quilting Basics:  Class Code #11

Instructor:  Karen Ponischil

            Date:  Monday, July 15^th

            Time: 10am to 2pm

            Fee: $45

Beginning Sewing: Class Code #12 A

Instructor:  Kay Miller

            Date: Tuesday, July 16^th, 23rd, 30th,and August 6^th (4 session class)

            Time: 5pm to 8pm

            Fee: $25 plus supplies

Crazy Patch:  Class Code #13

Instructor: Jean Funderburk

            Date: Wednesday, July 17^th

            Time: 10am to 1pm

            Fee: $25

Faux Roman Shades:  Class Code #14

Instructor: Susan Woodcock

            Date: Thursday, July 18^th

            Time: 1pm to 4pm

            Fee: $TBD

Church Banners:  Class Code #15

Instructor: Ann McGarity

            Date: Friday, July 19^th

            Time: 2pm to 5pm

            Fee: $35

Round table Decorator Skirt Class Code #16

Instructor: Susan Woodcock

            Date: Monday, July 22^nd

            Time: 1pm to 4pm

            Fee: TBD

My First Apron:  Class Code #17

Instructor: Vickie Clontz

            Date: Wednesday, July 24^th

            Time: 1pm to 4pm

            Fee: $25

Friendship Braid:  Class Code #18

Instructor: Cindy Jahnke

            Date: Thursday, July 25^th August 1^st (2 session class)

            Time: 6pm to 9pm

            Fee: $45

Decorative Pillows: Class Code #19

Instructor: Sindy Burgess

            Date:  Saturday, July 27^th

            Time: 9:30am to 1:30pm

            Fee: TBD

Strip Nine Patch:  Class Code #20

Instructor: Kaye Carr

            Date: Monday, July 29^th

            Time: 1:30pm to 4:30pm

            Fee: $25

Smocked Bonnet Class

Introduction to Thread Painting: Class Code #21

Instructor:  Karen Ponischil

            Date: Wednesday, July 31^st

            Time: 10am to 2pm

            Fee: $55

These are a few of the photos from recent of the classes at The Mary Jo's Sewing Center!

Doll Clothes Class

  TIDBITS>>>>>>>>

Girls Day OUT. Special Event. This Saturday, July 13th.

9am -6 pm. Lots of Giveaways and Store Specials. For more info, click here.

Did you know we have hit 6000 likes on Facebook? We announce specials, classes and store news, everyday. Log on to LIKE us on Facebook.

Do you have a project to share? Send us an email today. Include a photo, your Blog, Web or Etsy site address and you may be the next featured article. What are you waiting for? We look forward to hearing from you!

Celebrating, Quilting and Patriotic Colors...

Here at Mary Jo's Cloth Store we have been celebrating our independence since 1951! We work hard to bring you Fabrics, Notions, Sewing Machines, Irons, Classes and the most caring Staff you will ever meet. Why, a few of our ladies have been here for 40+ years! We are always asked when we are going to have more Mary Jo's Stores? Our response remains the same, we are the best and we offer an online website for any of our customers who do not live nearby. We serve customers all over the world! Did you know we have become a "Destination" Store for Quilters, Costumers and Fabric Hounds! It is true, we are happy being a chain of ONE.

Today we are going to talk about our Red, White and Blue Fabric Collection. Yep, We are Patriotic to a fault.First Check out this link to our  Pinterest collection and this link to go straight to Maryjos.com and get to shopping. This colorful collection is the Old West, New England with a slice of Southern slipped in! These fabrics were carefully chosen by our Fabric Buyers, you will appreciate their eye to detail! Now is the time, go wild! No matter how much you buy online you will only pay 7.99 for shipping. Anywhere in the continental US!

Our Big Event is just over a week away! Saturday July 13th. 9am-6pm. Click here for all of the details! Check out our Facebook Page for updates and specials. 

QUILTERS! We need your help! Do you have a Red White and Blue Quilt you would like to share? We are looking for the some beauties to feature in a future Blog Article! Email a short paragraph and a few photos, today. Thanks in advance.