Welcome Fabric Fans!

Instructions & Rules WHO: This contest is for all Jaftex customers that buy directly from us i.e. not from a distributor or otherwise. To explain this statement a little further, since the prizes will be credits, we can only provide credits to Jaftex customers. WHAT:  Create a video tour of your shop that you post on your business Facebook page and I will share it on my work Facebook page too:  @JaftexPresident. The video needs to remain up for the entire month of August starting from when you first post it. WHY: Hopefully, this will be your ‘super bowl commercial’ that you can use to get more Facebook, Instagram, YouTube…

Happy Monday and happy July 4th to my favorite blog readers, my family, my customers, my employees and my valued suppliers. I hope you all had a fabulous weekend and now have the opportunity to enjoy this special day with family and friends. We should all relish this day as it commemorates our national independence dating back to 1776. We live in such a great country and should all be very thankful to have gained this independence. With that, please make sure to eat a lot of nitrate-filled foods, red meat, carbs and sweets….bearing red, white and blue colors of course. If you are so inclined, kick back and have…

Did I ever tell you that the Jaftex Companies can be a little complicated at times? When I say, “Complicated,” I am talking about how the companies differ and how that makes the processes amongst them more fragmented and less streamlined. Aside from the fact that things are complicated due to the various permutations of ownership among my family members across each of the companies, they are also made complicated because a lot of the things we do are based on how things were done at that company before we purchased them. In other words, when we purchased companies over the years (FYI, all the Jaftex companies were purchased i.e.…

Did we not all fall in love with Brettie 5G (Scott’s younger son) being all GQ in his quilted coat?  If that did not stimulate your creative genes, we are certain the winners of the #FreeSpiritCoatStory Challenge will inspire you to jump on the quilted fashion bandwagon which is still prevalent in many major fashion houses today. As you may recall, FreeSpirit launched the #FreeSpiritCoat Story Challenge in October 2021, culminating May 27, 2022.  The challenge asked makers to use FreeSpirit Fabrics, Quiltsmart printed interfacing and the Tamarack Jacket pattern from Grainline Studios, in an effort to encourage the exploration of all avenues of fabric, needle and thread while also…

Many of you probably don’t know this, but over the last nearly 30 years, Larry Reichenberg ran Henry Glass Fabrics. He made so many great contributions over that time to get Henry Glass to where it is today. Last Monday, Larry announced that he would be retiring. We of course will miss Larry, but wish him a well-deserved retirement with his lovely wife and family. We can’t thank him enough for his contributions over the years of which there were many. Many of his greatest contributions included being a critical part of acquiring some of the amazingly talented designers that have helped to raise the Henry Glass profile. That would…

As the face of the Jaftex Companies and the one that deals with the fans and followers. I am the one who sends the fabric donations, gives sewing machines away, awards prizes, sponsors events and so much more for the good of society and those in need. As I have said before, I feel lucky and I want to share with others. It is a great feeling to be able to help others. With that being said, I never really know what impact my gift will have on others. Of course, there are many that stay in touch with me on social media and send me photos of what they…

This Memorial Day, we should all reflect on the amazing sacrifices made by so many brave soldiers. Many died while protecting our great country and the freedoms that we so value. Today, we mourn all of you who perished. We send messages of condolences and thank yous to your families, comrades in arms and friends. We cannot thank you enough for making the ultimate sacrifice. We will honor you today especially, but we will never forget you. God bless America!

A little time has passed since my trip down to North & South Carolina. I have been debating about whether I should share this story or not and I figured, why not? I am all good with making fun of myself in general, so why should this time be any different? Also, you can’t forget that one of our Jaftex monikers is, “We make fabric fun and funny too!” The main purpose of my visit down south was to award my customer We’re Sew Creative for winning the previous year’s Jaftex Facebook Live Shop Tour Video Challenge. Thursday was the day that I planned to spend at We’re Sew Creative.…

The world is becoming more and more aware that quilting is not a thing of the past or your grandmother’s hobby of choice.  Case in point, the Met Gala.  With the 2022 Gilded Age theme resonating glamour, white tie, opulence, excess and fame, how did quilting fit in? Quite simply, whether a hand-pieced quilt or avant-garde fashion, each tells a story about a personal connection or a point of view.   For instance, Oscar-winning filmmaker, musician, producer and composer Questlove donned, beneath his oversized black coat, a hand-crafted jacket made with the love and skilled craftsmanship from the women of Gee’s Bend.  Questlove noted in an interview with Vogue magazine, “The…