Irons and the New Sewing Center...

Irons. Remember we asked you to weigh in the brand of Iron we should be carrying? 9 out of 10 of our customers who responded said the would like us to carry Rowenta Irons. But only if they were manufactured in Germany. You liked the big Steam and turn off feature and the fact that a Rowenta Iron that is made in Germany is the premiere Iron for that company. So we thought you would want to know that your opinion matters. Thanks for weighing in. We are also thinking of carrying Baby Lock Irons as well.
The fabric featured in this article can be purchased on our website. You can view and click to buy on our  Mary Jo's Pinterest Page.

We have been working very hard to pull our new "Sewing Center" together. We will be featuring state of the ART, Baby Lock Sewing Machines. Once you have tried a Baby Lock, be careful, you may just never own another brand again! We will be featuring these machines in our New Sewing Room, where we will be teaching all kinds of Classes. From beginner to advanced. The list of classes will be released in the next few weeks, so you will have plenty of time to sign up. We will keep you posted. If you are a maryjos.com customer and have never been to our store this will be a fun incentive for you. Think of it as a "Sewing Getaway" to Mary Jo's Cloth Store where you will see our 32,000 feet of Fabric in person! You will have one heck of a good time, that we can promise.

Does your Sewing/Quilting Guild hire a bus and take field trips? Consider talking to your group and signing up for special technique classes in the "New Sewing Center" Your Group or Guild could sure have some fun! Most everyone loves coming to Mary Jo's Sewing Mecca.

Have you been thinking of a new spring project? Now is the time. We have truckloads of amazing fabric at truly unbeatable prices. Log onto www.maryjos.com today or stop into the store. We are looking forward to helping you in anyway we can! Remember to check out our  Special SALE Page. Today we have over 187 items listed.Log on and start saving now.

We are still offering a 5% discount on all orders and 7.99 shipping.

We Need Your FEEDBACK...

A few important things. We need to know about Irons, which brand is your favorite and why?
We will be carrying them along side our Sewing Machines. We know how important a great iron can be. So do not hesitate, send us an email, with your opinion today! We cannot wait to see what Iron is rated the best, by you, our Mary Jo's Cloth family. We thank you in advance.

Also remember that for the next short while we are offering 5% off All ONLINE Orders and $7.99 shipping. WOW. You could save some money, shop early and often, as we are always adding new stock to our website. Do not forget to check the SALE Page and the Seasonal Specials. You will be happy that you did. www.maryjos.com

In just a few weeks we will be carrying Sewing Machines in the Store! We also will be hosting a wide range of Sewing Classes. From begining to very advanced.
The Sewing Machine brand we will be stocking is Baby Lock. They have a wide range of options and are easy to use.Here is what the company has to say about Baby Lock.
"At Baby Lock we understand that every sewing enthusiast is different. That's why we have a wide selection of innovative sewing machines to choose from. Whether you prefer to sew garments or home decor items, you'll find a Baby Lock machine to help your creativity shine. Plus, Baby Lock sewing machines are so versatile, that many also have built-in embroidery designs and specialty stitches perfect for quilting, too!"
We are so excited to be a Retailer for these oh so sweet, Baby Lock Sewing Machines!

Do you have a project to share? Send it in today! You could be our next article. Home Decor?  Quilting, Costuming, Party Dresses, Upholstery? Send us  your Photos and links to your websites.

New Pinterest Postings. More of the new HGTV line of Fabric by Waverly. Very cool, Great colors and patterns, you are going to love it!

Shop ONLINE & Save Some Cash...

Save 5% on ALL Online orders + 7.99 Shipping!

So this is today's big news! You can save some cash if you shop online at Maryjos.com. We have been posting many new lines of Fabric.

Our Home Decor has some wonderful heavyweight Ikat and Paisley patterns, just right for some big pillows or recovering a chair. You can freshen up the look of a room in just a few hours.

All the while, saving big money. Now is the time to stock up. 5% and 7.99 shipping, any size order. Go ahead, fill your cupboards with your favorite fabrics, at a savings that just cannot be beat.

Quilters, are you busy with projects and need just the right Batiks to fill out your patterns. We are always on the look out for new colors and designs in the Batik fabric line. We have a super selection, click onto Pinterest to check out a few new top picks.
Also we are now carrying a collection of the new HGTV Line of fabric by Waverly. If you would like to see the entire collection, log onto maryjos.com and type HGTV into the search box in the  upper right corner of the webpage. Easy, you will be inspired.

The last bit of news... We will be opening our Sewing Machine Department and Classroom soon. Stay tuned for a list of classes. We are very excited for this big change. We will have classes for all skill levels. This is going to be fun. We will keep you posted on new developments.

Have you "Liked" us on Facebook? Please do, then you can be in the Mary Jo's Cloth Store loop!
Also do you have a recent Home Decor Project you would like to share? We will be doing a few articles this Spring about Curtains/Drapes, Pillows, Tablecloths and Re-upholstering Chairs. You could be the featured Project!  Email some photos of  your Project, made with Mary Jo's Cloth today.

Ombre Hand Dyed Quilts...

Today we are sharing a "Preview" of Fabric line that will soon be in the store and at maryjos.com . (We will keep you posted) "Ombre Hand Dyes". You are going to be delighted with the possibilities of this new line. Marcus Fabric Company has always been on the cutting edge of design trends. The variations of color in this fabric are beautiful and painterly. They have always been on the cutting edge of design trends. The variations of color in this fabric are beautiful and painterly.

Ombre effects continue in popularity across all style categories, either used as they are, or creatively cut and re-pieced. These gorgeous hand-dyed batiks are mirror-imaged across the width, with deeper shades at both selvages, gradually tapering toward the lightest tint at the center.

PLEASE NOTE: The variations in color and occasional dye spots are inherent in the fabric. These should not be considered as flaws; instead, they give the fabric its unique quality. In addition, the Ombre Hand-Dye Strip-It bundles are hand-cut and may vary slightly in width. Our three easy projects are designed for creativity, and very accommodating for any slight variations. Log onto Maryjos.com to see our newest line of Ombre, Hand Dyes. Fantastic and beautiful.
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A STITCH OF A DEAL!

WE ARE OFFERING A 5% DISCOUNT
ON FABRIC AND NOTIONS ORDERS!

$7.99 SHIPPING FOR GROUND ORDERS SENT
WITHIN THE CONTINENTAL US
PLACED ON OUR WEBSITE

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For a PDF version of this project with photos, click on this LINK.
Ombre Hand Dyes Quilt
Fabric Requirements
Finished quilt size: 45” x 55½”
One Ombre Strip Roll #ST02
½ yard binding fabric (quilt shown uses Centennial Solid, Blue Coal #2214)
3 yards backing fabric (quilt shown uses Centennial Solid, Orchid #0042)
Supplies
Neutral thread in tan or grey
Spray Starch or Sizing
Ruler with 30 and/or 60 degree marking
Sewing
1. Randomly sew together four of the 2 ½” strips. Press seams in one direction.
Starch and repress. This will help to stabilize your strip sets and minimize stretching
of the bias edges. Repeat for a total of 10.

2. On your ruler, locate the 30/60 degree line. On some rulers it is marked as 30
degrees, on others it is marked as 60 degrees. It is the same angle, so as long as
your ruler has one or the other, you will be able to cut the triangles needed to make
this quilt. Align the 30/60 degree line on your ruler with the left edge of a strip set. Cut.
3. Shift the ruler so that the 30/60 degree line is aligned with the right edge of the strip
set and the ruler intersects the cut angle on the left. Cut.
4. Pivot the ruler so that the 30/60 degree line is aligned with the left edge or the strip
set and the ruler intersects the cut angle on the right. Cut. Continue cutting triangles
in this manner until you have a total of 78 triangles.

5. Layout the triangles in six vertical columns of 13 each. Don't over think placement.

6. Sew together triangles in vertical columns; then sew together the columns, matching intersections.
7. Press well, re-starching if desired.
8. Trim top and bottom of quilt.
9. Stay stitch around edge of quilt to minimize stretching.
Finishing
1. Cut backing into two equal lengths. Sew a 1”seam along the selvedge edge.
Trim off selvedges and press seam open.
2. Layer top, batting, and backing. Quilt in an all-over pattern. Note: quilt shown
was quilted with a variegated thread.
3. Cut fabric for binding into six 2 ¼”-wide strips. Sew together end-to-end and
press in half. Bind quilt. Note: in the quilt shown, extra
bits of leftover strip sets were cut into 2 ¼”-wide strips and randomly sewn into the binding strips.
Who can bear wasting any of the gorgeous fabric!

Do you have a Quilt or other Sewing Project made with Mary Jo's Cloth you would like to share with us? There is no time like the present, send us an email today, we always love to see what you are up too!

Sewing Department and Springtime Trends...

Several weeks ago we asked you about Sewing Machines. Should we carry them, what brand should we sell and should we have Sewing Classes? You were great, we received so many emails with fine ideas, opinions and advice. We thank you for helping to create Mary Jo's Sewing Machine Department and Classroom. We are excited to announce that in the early Spring we are going to open a Sewing Classroom and we are going to sell Sewing Machines. We will also be offering Sewing Classes. We will offer classes for Beginners and will also have special classes in Quilting and advanced sewing techniques. Mary Jo's Cloth Store just got better! We will keep you informed step by step as this becomes a reality.

Paisley from our Upholstery Department

Springtime Trends: Beautiful restful colors of Turquoise, Citron, Taupe, Golden Greens and a dash of Toasty Brown. This is the time of year to redo a Room, cover a Sofa or make a Pillow. There is nothing that helps say good bye to those dark days of winter like freshening up a room. We have posted a lovely collection on Pinterest, from Mary Jo's Upholstery Collection. Our prices beat the other stores and the quality is top notch. You can also shop our website to find other fabrics to spruce up your home. Take a cruise around Maryjos.com to see the latest, what is on SALE and to be inspired by the pages of possibilities.

Have you been using Mary Jo's Cloth in your home projects? If so, send us an email wiht your photos, you may be an upcoming article.
Thansk for shopping at Mary Jo's, we do appreciate your business.
Happy Spring.

Scrapbooking with Fabric...

At Mary Jo's Cloth we are always so interested in how you are using our vast collection of Cloth. 32,000 sq feet of Cloth! Indeed. Having said that, we were thinking about those of you that are Scrapbookers who are using Fabric instead and with Paper! Such amazing talent out there. A Gal named Donna Downey is a wonder. She teaches workshops and classes all around the country.
You will be inspired if you click onto her Blog, grab some great ideas and fill in with some of our great fabric.
Another Crafty Lady is Tania Willis. She wrote a really cool book called "Scrapbooking with Fabric"
This book has a real WOW fabric factor.  You will be delighted. Tania is a great presenter of her craft, this is a sample from her blog.

What is it exactly?
"Scrapbooking with Fabric" is a jam-packed 100+ page e-book wherein you'll learn how to add the warmth & texture of various textiles to your scrapbooking projects. You will learn a diverse range of techniques for adding fabric in big and small ways. Not only will you have increased confidence in yourself in using various store-bought fabrics, but you’ll also learn how to incorporate meaningful fabrics as the focus of your layout. As always I will having you pushing the boundaries of your creativity, while encouraging you to reduce.reuse.recycle castoff fabrics to make them useful again.Even if you think you “know” fabric, you will find new ideas for using it on your pages and projects in this e-book. In “Scrapbooking with Fabric” you’ll be taking more than needle and thread to the page–you’ll be working with stiffeners, inks, stabilizers, adhesives . . . and even crayons!  Throughout the book you'll be inspired in ways you never imagined while learning tips and techniques to reduce your out-of-pocket cost you're forking over for ready-mades as your knowledge for making custom embellishments increases! Sound intriguing? Then, get your copy today, sweet friends! 
 Thanks for being such a crafty inspiration, Tania and Donna.
What a world we have with the Web. Many things we need and want to know are just a Google Click away.


Did you know that at Mary Jo's Cloth Store are we are stocking all kinds of new spring fabrics? Many of them are featured on the website. You can also Log onto the Mary Jo's  Pinterest to see some new hot fabric picks. When you click on the photo you can go directly to the page on our MJ website where that wonderful and inspiring piece of fabric is sold. Easy-breezy.
Now get to clicking, then some stitching. Have fun and send some of your projects our way. We always love to see what you are up to. Email today!

QUILTS, The Rest of the Story...

Several weeks ago we sent out a "Call for Quilts". Boy are we one lucky Cloth Store. We received such beautiful work from our customers. Today we are featuring a few more of the submissions.

This first featured quilt was sent to us by Kelly Wood. She is in a Quilting group and said this quilt is a result of a block swap at her Quilting Guild.
Kelly, WOW. Great job. We love your color choices and interesting, inspired design. Thanks for sharing.

Our Next Quilt was submitted by Melissa Normington. " I made this in 2011 with fabric from Mary Jo's.  I used minky material and flannel on the back to make a rag quilt.  This quilt is so soft and has a little weight to it to help her sleep. " Melissa, your quilt is a beauty and we love your color combo. Bright and fresh!

Thanks you ladies for these wonderful examples of your fine work and whta you can do with Mary Jo's Cloth!
We just posted many new fabrics on the Mary Jo's Cloth Pinterest page.You will be very excited to see this collection. Pinterest is so simple. Click on the photo, it becomes larger, when you click on the large photo, it goes directly to the page on Maryjos.com where you can then buy it. No more searching. YAY.
So take a moment and click around on Pinterest to see what you can see. We think you will find it irresistible and a super easy way to shop online. We do!

Lastly, Who out there in Mary Jo Cloth Blogland is making Bali Pop Quilts? We would like to feature your beautiful work. We are selling Bali Pops (40 pieces, 2 1/2 inch stripes) $35.00. 
Click here to see them on Pinterest. Really Cool. Send in your Bali POP Quilt photos today! kdb@maryjos.com. Thanks.