Talking Textiles Today
News, opinions and facts.
Sherpa and Fleece are the perfect duo for keeping snug and warm this winter. Thick Sherpa fleece make an ideal lining for jackets and coats. Fleece feels soft to the touch. These two are used so often together for top layer and lining it made sense to merge them as one fabric, so we did! Fabric UK present to you, Double Sided Bonded Sherpa Fleece….
Continue reading “Fleece and Sherpa : Double Sided For Double the Comfort”
Waterproof curtains, we all need them at some point. Decorative and functional, you can set the key look of a room with the right style. Or if you are not fussed to much about decor, simply use them to keep a draft at bay or to keep light out. But what if you need to keep water out? Well, waterproof curtains are the answer. Of course we are familiar with shower curtains, but there are many other situations where you may need a bit of splash proofing and our 4oz waterproof fabric is just the job…..
Continue reading “Waterproof Curtains : Splash Proof With a Splash of Colour!”
It’s that time of year when the little red flowers start to pop up on winter coat lapels all over the country. Poppies can be found on shop counters and British Legion charity helpers on the streets. You can still get the traditional paper made poppies or the newer enamelled broaches to show your support for remembrance day. Why not make your own though?
The classic red and black poppy is such a traditional symbol of that you could make your own and it would still be clear that you are giving support to the Appeal. You can still donate in charity boxes or even online, whilst wearing your own poppy with a bit more visual appeal.
Red is the most well known commemorative poppy colour, chosen because of the millions of red poppies which covered Flanders Fields where so many bodies lay. There are also white poppies available and purple poppies too, with different meanings. There is no reason at all why you cant wear all three poppies together. Some people like me, may have had family members fight in wars but also support the idea of peace, no guns no bombs at all. Here’s one I made earlier using red and white fabric. You could add a purple layer too for the animals.
You can create your poppy in various shapes from the simplistic shape of the classic paper poppies to a multi petal layered kind. I followed a few different templates online that I printed out . But feel free to get creative with your poppies. Go big or even huge if you want. Make poppies to go on cars, front doors, walls and even trees like in Birmingham centre. For little touches, you can turn your poppies into hair clips, earrings , facinators, even rings.
The best kind of fabric to go for is something a bit stiffer and more heavyweight. This will ensure thew petals will stay upright and in shape. Here are some examples I created to give you an idea what fabrics you could use.
Fine Glitter Fabric Poppy
Felt Fabric Poppy
Glitter Gloss Poppy
Large Glitter Poppy
Once you have cut out all the parts of your poppy you can glue these together using fabric glue, PVA glue or a little stronger. Do not use super glue! it will make the fabric brittle, plus it’s just too unpredictable. Have you ever stuck you fingers together, it’s not pleasant.
You can buy blank hair clips, key-rings, and hairbands to transform your poppies into wearable accessories. Stick on Velcro will be useful too. Stick your larger poppies to walls, bags and even jumpers!
Yes, that’s exactly what I mean,fabric as a tube. This type of fabric comes in handy for all sorts of practical tasks as well as fashion and sports clothing. There is a fabric out there for every kind of task, but more often than not, we simply don’t know whats really available. It has been used in certain industries for a very long time, yet unless you work or study fabrics and textiles you may not be aware of it. It may be perfect for your next project. Read on to see if our tubular fabric is just what you didn’t realise you needed!
Continue reading “Tubular Fabric! – What is it?”
We have a samples department run by a dedicated member of staff who’s sole job it is to pick and post the samples to you. We have a strategic method to ensure each of the fabrics gets a place in the samples department. New fabric has a strip sliced off then cut into smaller portions with a pinking guillotine. These are popped into clear wallets with its own spec sheet, to keep them clean and separate from other samples. The wallet is filed into its correct box -file. So when you call us, email or order online, the pre-cut samples are ready and waiting to be picked and posted straight to you with its own spec sheet attached.
Continue reading “Samples Department”
When looking at the list of the most flammable fabrics, there is a clear reason why these fabrics are responsible for so many fires. The common denominator is a basic compound used to produce the fabric called cellulose.
Even though these fabrics may vary in look and feel, they are all manufactured using cellulose fibre so on a base level, their structure and formation are very similar. Find out more about which popular fabrics have the highest level of flammability and what you can do to drastically reduce the danger.
Continue reading “Flammable Fabrics”
To design and make clothing, you will evidently need to consider the appearance of each garment. When it comes to designing a collection or trying to establish a capsule wardrobe, every element will need to be carefully deliberated.
This includes the silhouette, shape, fabric, embellishments and design features such as pleats, gathers, pockets and collars. They all make an impact and can instantly change the overall look. In these blog posts we are going to review a variety of clothing elements to help you make informed decisions in your design process. Continue reading “The Elements of Design: Choosing the Right Collar”
The invention of Lycra completely changed clothing by reforming the comfort and fit of garments, making way for new concepts and designs. The development of Lycra in trousers and jeans made the skinny style possible and helped clothing to become more comfortable and easier to move in. Just by using a small percentage of elastane, jeans can fit more people better. Without any stretch jeans are very stiff, harder to get on and off and will need to be fitted more precisely for your body shape.
Lycra brought exceptional qualities to fabrics, creating new properties which were not possible before. Ever since it was first introduced, new Lycra innovations have continued to be developed under INVISTA. There are now so many different Lycra types it’s hard to keep up! Continue reading “A Revolutionary Fibre: Lycra”
To sum up this sustainability topic, which never really ends so long as we keep thinking about our planet and ethics, here are some key actions needed to make a difference.
But firstly, did you know that 30% of the carbon footprint associated with fashion actually lies with the consumer? One way specifically is through washing and even more so through tumble drying. Where cutting down on washes and using a drying rack will help our impact on the environment, here is what we can do to change the impact of the supply chain. Continue reading “7 Ways to be More Sustainable With Clothing”
Following on from the previous Tartan fabric which questioned the special identity that tartan fabrics possess, here are snippets behind the background of a range of tartans. Some of these tartans are famously recognised and others are blessed with a meaningful context. The semiotics and connotations of especially the colours within a tartan is what really defines the design and makes each one distinct amongst the sea of stripes and squares. Continue reading “Tartan fabric: What’s in a design?”
