Thanksgiving, and a Gift for the Holidays...

Today we would like you to say thank-you and send the happiest of wishes for this Thanksgiving week. We know you have alot to do, hosting family members who have traveled a fair distance, dinners to cook and little ones who need some extra hugs. Thanksgiving is a mixed bag of happy, delighted, stressed, overtired and over joyed. Sometimes it can be hard to pick! That is the soup of family relationships. We all try to do the best job we can and hug each other at the end of the day.

At Mary Jo's we consider you a part of our Cloth Store Family. We have known many of you from the day we opened our doors in Dallas, North Carolina. We all kind of grew up together. We have seen so many changes in the world of business since we opened our doors. Who could have dreamed of the power of the internet and computers, oh so many years ago? maryjos.com, indeed!
These past 62 years have flown by, filled with children, family, friends and working and keeping up with the Cloth Store. We have worked hard all these years to make sure that you do indeed feel like family. It's easy, we love what we do, everyday! So a special heartfelt thanks to ALL of you, our customers who truly do make a difference. You send us such nice notes and emails, detailing the most recent project you have finished. Ah, joy!
We also want to give a heartfelt thanks to our staff, on the floor and in the office. Without them we would just be a 32,000 building filled with fabric. Yes, they make all of the difference. Happy Thanksgiving.
We give thanks every day!

This Holiday Season we would like you to consider some home sewn items. Family and friends will be delighted by your creativity. Think about maybe stitching up a quilt or a doll for a child who is cold or lonely? You could make stockings for children in a shelter or take some time and look around to see what fabric scraps you have laying around and whip up a warm quilted blanket for an elderly person who has no family. It is easy to be generous. Take a moment and go online to see about a local shelter that could really use your help.

Our gift to you this year is FREE shipping for the entire month of December. Do you know someone who is a Quilter, a Dollmaker or Home Decor specialist? We have many departments and you can find most anything you may be looking to buy. If you cannot decide, you may want to consider a gift certificate. The gift of fabric is never a bad idea! It is so easy to log onto Maryjos.com, click and order.

But know this, you will save money. This we promise. One of our quirky but good habits is making sure our prices are the best, always. We have many new choices and we are always updating the SALE and Seasonal Specials. We also have a Mary Jo's Cloth Store Canvas Tote Bag. At $1.99 you can load up and use them for Gift Bags or Grocery Shopping!

Happy Thanksgiving. Check out or Facebook page and our Pinterest Boards, to see the latest news, ideas and specials.
Do you have an ETSY Page? Are you selling holiday items? The second week in December we will be featuring your ETSY stores that are filled with items made with Mary Jo's Cloth.
Send your ETSY Store link today to kdb@maryjos.com. We look forward to seeing your beautiful work and are happy to promote your Etsy store in this special article.

Thank-You & FREE Shipping...

We have been so busy at the store. We are gearing up for the holidays and 2013! This has been a wonderful year. Thanks to ALL of YOU! We so appreciate your letters, emails, comments and patronage. We are looking forward to celebrating our 62nd year! Yes, this is a wonderful thing.

We understand that there has been some talk of our Store Closing. Nothing could be further from the truth. Pop into the store any day of the week, we are busy. Everyday UPS is bringing in Fabric and Notions and whatnot, then picking up orders that are being shipped to your doorstep!
We plan on being here a good long time.

Starting December 1st, you will enjoy FREE SHIPPING on all orders. Simple and easy, this is our annual gift to all of you.  We are still working on our website re-design. We also continue to bring in fabrics that are fresh and you will always pay less than other fabric stores. But if you have shopped with us for anytime at all, you know this!

Lastly we have Blankets on the way. Obama Blankets, a special order that should be here by mid-December. These blankets are only 16.99! We are taking early orders so don't get left out in the cold, order one or more today. A perfect holiday gift. www.maryjos.com.

Again, thanks. Keep those emails coming, we always are interested in sharing your stories, projects, etsy stores and experiences of shopping here at the fabled, fabric mecca, Mary Jo's Cloth Store.

And The Winner Is...

We cannot tell you how happy we are to have received such beautiful and inspired costumes. We mentioned many of you in yesterday's article. Thanks again. The 2012 winner is Matthew James. His work is beyond inspired. If you would like to see more of his costumes, click to his Facebook page. We promise that you will agree this is one talented fellow!

My name is Matthew James. The first costume that I have attached is probably my favorite costume that I have made from Mary Jos' fabric for myself. The vest and pants are made of red and black silk dupioni. I used a women's Vogue pants pattern and a men's vest pattern. The blouse was from a women's blouse pattern with silk/rayon. The white flounce in the back is made with a textured cotton near the drapery section, and the black cage was made out of aluminum from Lowe's that I painted.

Costume Contest, Honorable Mentions...

What a talented bunch of folks you are, to send in such magical entries!  We wish we could have a dozen First prize winners, it was very hard to choose. We received costumes that were intricate and worthy of a stage play, others that were playful, fun and interpretive. All are quite wonderful. Truly.
Runners Up...
We were especially touched when we received a last minute entry, "The Grinch". The Mom who sewed up this costume included a little story and we would like to share it with you.
My son LOVES Dr. Seuss. His favorite character is the Grinch. He begged and begged to be the Grinch, but not just any Grinch, he wanted to be the "Santa Grinch". Much like in the book, I took a piece of fleece, and put it against him and cut it out. I hand dyed a pair of microfiber leggings, and strips of acrylic fur. I added snaps to the fur so they were cuffs and could come off easily. I took and made his shoes, but just cutting, and sewing... adding a little puff of fur. I hand stitched the white fur to the costume, and, that's all for the Grinch. Cindy Lou Who I made by putting fleece against her and cutting. I cut out a hole for her neck, added scalloped trim, took some barrettes and added ribbon and then attached the wire to that and added more ribbon to disguise the wire bottom that was held up with hot glue. Both costumes only took two days, and it wasn't too hard. They should win because in my son's version, the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who "get married because they love each other."
She sent another note this morning,
HEEEEE!!!! Yay!!! He has dressed up four times... even going to the grocery store or the doctors office he wants to wear it, and he wants the full makeup... Last night he got a few of his t-shirts and stuffed his toys in them, and "sneaked" around our house, "taking Christmas", and I don't know how we are going to break it to him that, Halloween doesn't last forever. He is 3, almost 4. :) Loo just turned 2. Jonathan has further explained to me that he is to get Grinch fabric if his costume wins. :) He saw it there the last time we were there. 
-Evelyn Griffin
So sweet. Miss Evelyn, you won the prize for the most compelling story and wonderfully spirited son. You should buy that little man of yours some Grinch Fabric! She also sent the following email to us, I am sharing with you in case you would like to vote for her Grinch son and Cindy Lou Who daughter. We hope that you win, Evelyn. But we already think of you and your children as winners, what a wonderful Mom you are to your wee ones.
She writes:
 It will literally take three seconds... Please go to this link and vote for my babies. They are in a homemade costume contest. I am trying to get everyone to vote. Just go to the link, click the number of stars. You can also click "Like" or Share. Please o please o please. Halloween Costume Works Contest. They should win because my Little Man says in his ending of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, that the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who "get married because they love each other."

Now for a few other winners...

 1st Place - Dee Gosnell, if you remember she was close last year with her Joker Costume, and came in First again this year.  Phantom of the Opera, is a wonderful tribute to the musical, wonderful, well executed and very well done. She and her son continue to collaborate and create stunning costumes. Great work.

2nd Place - Kathy Dykstra, she has stitched up a very intricate Satin Costume. Her lovely Princess has a matching head piece and a scepter, beautiful attention to detail and a lovely presentation.

3rd Place - Joan Richardson is a doting Grandmother. She sews up costumes for her Grandbabies. We are so happy to see her wonderful creations. Joan you are an inspiration to Grandmothers everywhere.



Honorable Mentions.

 Sarah Tomason- Merida from Brave

Mary Call - My daughter Lydia as Cruella Devil

John Chapman - King Trtiton

Attached are pictures of my entry into the Halloween costume contest! Last year after my friend decided to be Ursula from The Little Mermaid (she's the girl in the second picture), I decided it would be best if I were King Triton! When we first went out for the Halloween festivities I was really surprised that people recognized my character. It was freezing, but I kept my shirt off the entire time to stay true to the character, Ariel’s dad from Disney’s The Little Mermaid. I started making the costume by creating the tail. Not satisfied with the multitude of premade mermaid costume patterns, I decided to make the pattern myself. First I measured my waist and created a tapered tail that looked natural in proportion to my body. Next I made the organza fins that were inserted into the tail. Finally, I sewed the pieces together and added the ruffle to the top. The next part involved making the tutu, that was simple as I just looped tulle over a piece of elastic. I made this part to resemble water and hide my feet that stuck out of the back of the tail. The final pieces, the trident and crown, were made with hot glue, spray paint, and craft foam. As I glued the craft foam together, I stuffed it with stuffed animal stuffing in order give it the three dimensional shape that I wanted. After the glue cooled, I covered the craft foam with Mod Podge to seal the foam and spray painted them both with gold spray paint. The bracers were also spray painted to match. I also styled the wig and beard to better resemble my idea of the character.

Thanks to all who entered this contest. You are amazing. The First Prize winner will be announced tomorrow on Halloween. To all of you who sew, Quilt, create Costumes, Home Decor and Clothing. Please send us your favorite projects, you could be the next Blog Article. One last item, we always have sale items on our website. Log onto Maryjos.com and click on the SALE icon.
Happy Halloween.

Autumn, Time to Cozy up your Home Living Space...

Autumn is a time for making sure all points are a go for the upcoming Holiday Season. I know, it seems to come earlier each year. This year will be no exception, kids!
The newest issue of House Beautiful features warm and cozy colors. They also love layers of fabric, color and texture. Sometimes too much can be just that, but some of the pages of this issue are truly wonderful. We photographed page 48, which is their featured "Paisley" inspiration page. Another fabric that is all the rage this season is Ikat. The history is interesting, they say it is similar to Tie Dye, yet done on a loom. Some of the threads are dye resistant and that helps to create the rough organic style of this now very popular pattern.
These featured fabrics are great for simple accents, Pillows, and Drapes or Curtains, however because of their histories, they are also a classic choice for recovering and interesting small chair, footstools, bedding or even a colorful shower curtain. Go ahead, tool around on Maryjos.com and see if you can resist being inspired by our ample selection. While your at it, send us some pics of your finished products, or rooms. We would love nothing more than to feature your beautiful vision and handiwork. By the way, you may also be inspired to stitch up a Scarf, Dress, Handbag or Jacket. Get creative, we love how you think!

We have also pinned some of the fine examples of our Ikat & Paisley choices on our Mary Jo's Cloth Blog Pinterest board. Check it out.

 Halloween Costumes are pouring in. We featured four fab top picks, on our Mary Jo's Cloth Facebook page. Send in your costumes today. The winner will receive 100.00$ of Mary Jo's Cloth dollars.send in your possible winner TODAY!Costume entries must be in our inbox by Monday, October 29th. The Grand prize winner and runners up will be featured on our blog, in the Halloween Day Article! kdb@maryjos.com

Autumn, Special Prices & Prize Winning Contest...

Autumn. There is a nip in the air, the leaves are turning and the color of the landscape is backlit by the sunshine and is sparkling like jewels. Brilliant Yellows, Oranges, Ruby Reds & Rusts is the perfect counterpoint to the evergreens which never change color!At Mary Jo's Cloth we have Autumn colors filling the aisles of our store and pages of our website. Quilters, we have new and darling patterns from some of your favorite manufacturers. Home Decor Specialist's and folks that are re-decorating their homes, we are carrying some lovely Paisley's, Tapestries and some fantastic heavier weight Linens, just right for that "French Chic" look.
We also have are main floor selections that you all have some to count on and at prices that are the best in town! For all of you with your sweet ETSY stores, check the sale page for some great choices at reduced prices, it gives you a chance to have a bit more cash in your pocket.

UPDATE: WOW, You are all so talented. We have been receiving some truly fantastic photos of your Costumes. Keep them coming, we are having a great time seeing what you do with our cloth! Halloween Costume Contest. DO you want to be the winner of our 100$ Gift Certificate? Now is the time & here's the deal. Send us a few photos of costumes that have been made with Mary Jo's Cloth. That is easy. Make sure you send in your email by Monday, October 29th. The winner will be announced in our October 31st (Halloween) Blog article.

You're Invited! Halloween Costume Contest.

Halloween is only a short 4 weeks away and we are having our 2nd Annual Halloween Costume Contest! (We mentioned this contest in our email blast last week.) So here is the deal, send us photos of your Costumes made primarily from Mary Jo's Cloth. We have always admired how clever and creative you all can be with a bolt of cloth, some buttons and some trim.
We know we are going to be WOWED! The prize is a 100$ gift certificate from Mary Jo's Cloth Store! You can spend your Mary Jo's dollars at the store or on our website!
Remember, shipping is only 7.99, for any size order!!! So go wild.
Last year our Grand prize winner was Matthew James, he created "The March Hare". But we do have to say it was very difficult choosing the BEST Costume. Matthew had some stiff competition.
We appreciate your submissions and we will feature more than just the Grand prize winner. Click here to read all about last years featured winners. We look forward to hearing from you. Pop us an email today, the last day for entries is Monday October, 29th. The winner will be announced in the email blast on Wednesday, October 31st, Halloween.

You need fabric, we have lots, on SALE! Lets talk about our SALE Page. Now is the time to save some of your hard earned cash. We have Prints, Trims, Tassels, Cording, Tapestry Borders, Sequined Beauties and some other treasures. 210 items to choose from. Click to view this selection of bargain fabric and notions.
Our website also features "Seasonal Specials" . Right now we have major amounts of printed fruits and vegetables. Kind of cool, could be an interesting choice for tablecloths, napkins, fun kitchen curtains or even a fruit and vegetable quilt. As always the possibilities are entirely up to you!

Thanks to all of you who have already submitted some very interesting and as expected, well done costumes. You are all contenders!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!