The Christmas Sparkle Fabric Guide!

Know Your Sparkles

As connoisseurs of all things shiny know, there is a big difference between something that shines and something that sparkles. If you are choosing Christmas sparkle fabric for your visual merchandising, displays or fashion design you have to ensure the vision is understood by everyone you are working with from the people sourcing the fabric to the people selling the fabric themselves! If you have aver been ever so slightly annoyed if someone says” oh I love your sparkly top” when you know full well its a more of a liquid flat shine then you may well appreciate this blog. Send it to anyone who needs to learn their twinkle from their shine.

samples of coloured glitter fabric

OK, that may have sounded a bit pedantic but knowing the difference is important when describing a fabric to someone and when ordering online. Visual merchandisers, interior designers, set designers, artists and clothing designers should all know the differences, however subtle. When creating anything from scene or a garment you often need to describe your design to someone who wont quite see the difference in their mind, until they see the real thing. Maybe this blog will help.

samples of various holographic lycra fabric
purple glitter gloss leatherette fabric

Terms like sparkle or twinkle refer to materials that catch the light in a multitude of places. The size of the pieces and the direction they face determines the way light reacts with them. The smaller the pieces, the finer the sparkle, so it becomes more of a twinkle. When thousands of tiny facets that all face the same direction, they work together so the fabric can become more of a fluid shine. Whereas when light hits Glitter fabric the multitude of facets face different random directions, creating more of a sparkle to the fabric rather than a pure shine.

Keeping Score

Instead of my in depth descriptions that wander on for miles, I have devised a bullet point guide and a points out of 10 guide to help out anyone choosing their sparkle fabric! This is applied to fabric we sell, but will also help with any shiny fabric you come across in life!

fine silver mesh netting fabric display and Christmas sparkle
pale gold metallic fabric for Christmas displays fashion and merchandising

I have used terms such as ;

  • Metallic
  • Shimmer
  • Sparkle
  • Shine
  • Wow Factor

….to help with understanding the fabric. For a good example I would say Large Display Glitter Fabric has a 10/10 sparkle and the Fine Display Glitter has a 10/10 twinkle. So scroll scroll through and like a top trumps for fabric, compare the scores….

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For help and advice please call us on Tel: 0121 359 2349

Famous Witches For Easy Cosplay Costume Fun

Famous Witches

Need inspo for cosplay? If you want to follow in the footsteps of a famous witch (follow her look that is) then there is plenty of choice out there. Some looks are easier to achieve than others. Here are some of my favorite witches and their looks that can easily be replicated and easily recognised…..

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For help and advice please call us on Tel: 0121 359 2349

Tu Tu Tutorials For Pretty Witches Costume

Whilst looking for no sew tu tu skirts I discovered a huge array of wonderful witches. All bespoke and easy to make on your own. This style of witches outfit is a magical mix up of Gothic Halloween witch meets fairy tale princess. Full skirts are created by multi layers of sheer fabric like organza, cotton rubia and tulle in classic colours.There are so many You Tube videos online to help you, I picked three to guide you , click on to see more…

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For help and advice please call us on Tel: 0121 359 2349

Bargain Upholstery Fabric!

New Upholstery Fabric Stock!

Fabric UK we have just received a massive delivery of top quality fire retardant upholstery fabric in loads of different styles at £9.99 PER METRE or less.

Most of these rolls would have originally been priced between £20 to £40 per metre but they all HAVE to go so we are pricing the fabric at £9.99 PER METRE! or less. If you have an upholstery or interior design business this is a great opportunity to pick up excellent quality upholstery fabric for curtains, cushions, sofas and armchairs. There are so many styles to see, you should come to our Birmingham warehouse and check it out for yourself!

Jacquard, chenille, velour, tapestry style, Aztec, look, traditional, plain and patterned, there are loads of styles to choose from.

Have a scroll down at some of the fabric ready and waiting in the warehouse.

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For help and advice please call us on Tel: 0121 359 2349

Glitter Display Fabric – The Large Glitter Collection

If your into glitter in a big way, you probably know about glitter fabric already. If you haven’t, then here’s what it’s all about. Imagine the glitter you get in pots in a fabric form, now imagine that high sparkle glitter as a thick sheet of fabric you can create with. Amazing right? Solid yet flexible sheets of glitter you can use on all sorts of projects. Read on and be dazzled….

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For help and advice please call us on Tel: 0121 359 2349

Canvas : 12 oz Waterproof Collection

Champion of Canvas

12 oz waterproof canvas is a brilliant all rounder with uses from crafts to industrial building.

Take a step up from that to make canvas waterproof, and there you have a champion of fabrics. Read on to find out why traditional canvas is so trusted…

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For help and advice please call us on Tel: 0121 359 2349

Fire Retardant Fabric – Soft Pure White

Fire retardant fabric just in! pure white with a soft finish. The texture of this pure white fabric is not easy to explain. That’s why we have FREE SAMPLES ready to send to you at a moments notice. Its really best you get a feel of this tactile fabric for yourself! Read on for more info…

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For help and advice please call us on Tel: 0121 359 2349

Tactile Fabric For Loose Parts Play.

Tactile fabric for loose parts play is not a familiar fabric ask, but when it was kindly explained, it all became clear. And very familiar.

Tactile Fabriv – In Touch With Reality

Loose parts play is a contemporary movement for children’s play that incorporates an age old truth. Children have incredible imaginations. They can and will incorporate anything that fascinates them into playtime.

The teacher in question needed many different samples of fabric with all sorts of different textures to cut up. Including small loose parts play and some larger weatherproof pieces for outside play.

With the lure of the screen taking over from such a young age, this teaching methodology is essential for stepping into the “real world”. The teaching of loose parts play has proven to ignite a creative spark in children.Especially those who were reluctant to get involved, at first.

Garden Mesh
Quilted Waterproof
Faux Fur
Laminated Hessian

Tactile Fabric Teaching

The teacher explained that in addition to the multitude of items used for loose parts play she needed “interesting fabric”. “So you mean unusual and tactile fabric” I said and began to describe the wealth of verities we have here at at Fabric UK. This was exactly what she needed. The fabric that initially triggered her interest for including it in loose parts play was Laminated Hessian, which she came across for another purpose. She quickly realised that a mixture of pieces of fabric with vastly varied textures would be a valuable addition to Loose Parts Play.

Learning Through Touch

Using fabric and materials to aid the integration of small children is a great way to ease the way into a world that probably seems quite scary at times. Imaging the constant shock and surprise of everything you touch around you! Teaching babies and toddlers the vast differences of the physical world helps them grow into their surrounding comfortably. It links the physical feeling to the questioning and creative part of the brain as they work out answers for themselves.

Glossy Kiss Laminate
Rough Sparkly Glitter

This need to work out what something is, how it works, and why it feels that way keeps going through through early toddler years, infant school to primary and on and on….

Keep Feeling Fascination

Fascination in unusual textures isn’t just a childhood throwback. For the average human, It is true that as we get older, the more that we learn, less is new to us. We absorb everything around us at a phenomenal rate and quickly become used to new textures and experiences. This is because we become used to the rate of change around us. For the creative mind though, the curiosity we have of the physical world around us keeps running full steam.

Dior 2020 Pleats. Both visually stunning and pleasingly tactile.

The inquisitive minds use the imagination they honed since childhood to to create new fabric through technology or ancient technique. The creative minds then use the fabric in incredible and imaginative ways for fashion, artwork, interior design and visual merchandising. Proving how integral it is to keep the spark of fascination alive throughout our whole life.

Its the desire to research, experiment, create and produce that keeps new things happening!

Check out our website to find the perfect fabric


For help and advice please call us on Tel: 0121 359 2349

Festival Fire Retardant Fabric

Fabric Safety Standards

Most public events need to use fire retardant fabric by law. We stock a huge range of fabric which meets British fire safety standards. From standard necessities like marquee lining and synthetic fire retardant fabric and to decorative fabric like our fire retardant display lining in 26 colours! We have 47 different collections of fire retardant fabric. On top of that we hold a large range of leatherette vinyls which are also fire retardant. Here’s a list of the most popular fabrics for festivals and events, just click on the pics to take you to our website….

Create stunning designs with fire retardant display fabric
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For help and advice please call us on Tel: 0121 359 2349

Charles Rose Linen Look Upholstery Collection.

If you are looking for a plain upholstery fabric with a natural woven style then Charles Rose Linen Look is a very popular choice. Bases on the raised texture of woven linen, Charles Rose uses 100% refined polyester to create a soft, yet hard – wearing fabric for upholstery use. Here we take a look at the traditional look shades available.

Continue reading “Charles Rose Linen Look Upholstery Collection.”

For help and advice please call us on Tel: 0121 359 2349