Welcome Fabric Fans!

As Jim Morrisson of the Doors said, “This is the end, beautiful friend.” The end that I am referring to is the end of my Tales Of A Fourth Generation Textile Executive weekly blogs. By the way, in hindsight, that was the worst name ever. Although it was a descriptive title, it was a mouthful to say and a challenge to spit out the whole title on command from memory. Nonetheless, it worked out just fine for 12-plus years. I remember my first 2012 blog like it was yesterday. It was the longest blog I ever wrote. It took me the longest of any blog I ever wrote. It was…

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope 2024 was a great year for you, but I hope that 2025 will be even better. I am excited about 2025 because Jaftex will be celebrating its 95th anniversary which dates back to the time when my great-grandfather Jacob A. Fortunoff (JAF in Jaftex) started selling/jobbing fabrics from a cart through the streets of New York. Speaking of New York and what’s in store for Jaftex in 2025, we are moving our New York offices to a new location with an open floor plan and lots of natural light. After over 20 years in the same location, it is time for a refresh. As…

As we kick off a new year called 2025, (Jaftex is turning 95 fyi) like many of you, I am thinking about New Year’s resolutions. However, right now, I am struggling to wrap my arms around new resolutions. I have enough on my plate just worrying about inflation, war, tariffs, uncertainty, poor consumer sentiment, industry drama, life, work, my employees, my family, my health and my next blog post. In years past, I vowed to stop drinking soda, exercise more and not eat red meat among other forgettable resolutions. With the exception of a few of those resolutions, most resolutions have gone by the waist-side and have become nothing more…

The years keep flying by way too quickly and all of a sudden, I am 52 years old. Another end of the year is upon us, and with that, today I want to wish everyone in my fabric universe a Merry Christmas, Happy Channukah and Happy New Year! Next year, Jaftex will be celebrating its 95th year in business which is no small feat. We have certainly come a long way and are still going very strong, but could not have made it here without the help of our employees, customers and the ultimate consumers. As I expressed thanks to many factions of people in my work universe in a…

It’s been another great inspiration-filled year over at SIY-Sew It Yourself! Check out this year’s top fan-favorite projects and tips/tricks from the SIY blog. Comment to tell us what you are saving to your “to make list”! Fan Favorites of 2024: 1. Quilted Laptop Sleeve with Front Pocket: A confident-to-advanced beginner with some sewing experience will enjoy sewing this project. If you have not done any quilting before, this project will be a great introduction for you. Sally will take you through the process, step-by-step, and share a few handy hints and tips along the way. 2. A Beginner’s Guide to Quilting: 7 Easy Quilt Projects to Get Started: If…

We just put another year in the books for the #ScottSentMe challenge. Now, I want to chat briefly about this year’s contest, tell you who the winners were and what prizes they will win. Alright, alright, I know you are anxiously awaiting the details about the winners. Here goes! Then we picked 5 random winners. The idea behind this was that not everyone has the ability to get to so many shops for various personal reasons. As such, we got requests to spread the love by selecting random winners too. The bottom line is that we are happy to have as many participants as possible. This helps us get those…

With Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s Eve all just around the corner I wanted to share my favorite holiday groups we released this year from each brand. They are all shipping out next year so be sure to be on the lookout for these groups in your local quilt shop then. My favorite Christmas/Winter group is Comfort & Joy. The snow-filled patterns in this group will bring a whimsical touch to any holiday project you create. I love the rich turquoise and pastel color palette as you can leave the decor up after Christmas to stick with a snowful aesthetic. The panel is a fun piece to use as a…

It is crazy to believe that it is already December. It is time to finish up gift shopping and any projects you are making to start the new year off with a fresh start. Now, let me get into my favorite collections shipping out this month. Party like a Flock Star when you create a fun flamingo-inspired project with this group. This is the perfect way to make you feel warmer on a cold winter day. Use the stripe to create a tote bag to carry everything to the beach. Coordinate with a matching bucket hat using the hibiscus print for a floral touch. The bright palette will infuse the…

Would you believe that we are nearing the end of the 3-month journey that I like to call #ScottSentMe2024? (This is my challenge to consumers to see how many quilt shops they can visit during September, October & November). Well, I hate to break it to you, but if you include today, there are only 6 days left to play. I know…..you feel like I feel…..very sad! But seriously, you all know that you can still cover a nice bunch of shops in 6 days. So keep the party….I mean the car rolling. You never know, your visits these last days could be the difference between you winning or not.…

In October, I attended the Quilt Market in Houston. Seeing all my fabric peeps at the Quilt Market got me thinking about how thankful I am for all the people in my life as I couldn’t do what I do without them. Let me start off by saying, “Thank you” to everyone in my work and personal life. A person just can’t say thank you enough as my mom instilled upon me at an early age. Now, I would like to call out some specific groups of people for which I am so thankful: Customers: I must start at the beginning and say thanks to all of our fabulous Jaftex customers.…