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We Now Stock OLFA!!!

Marent Crafts  are so proud and happy to launch product on our website

 

In the world of tools and cutting equipment, one name stands out as a symbol of precision, quality, and innovation: Olfa. With a rich history spanning over six decades, Olfa has established itself as a leader in the industry, consistently delivering cutting-edge products to meet the evolving needs of professionals and hobbyists alike.

 

 

 

Olfa offers precision cutting, safety features, durability, versatility, ergonomic designs, and innovative blade technology!!

What you can use an OLFA ART KNIFE for:

 

 

  • Craft
  • Tape
  • Sewing Threads
  • Upholstery
  • Carpet
  • Window Tint
  • Window Film
  • Packaging
  • Tape
  •  Wallpaper     
  •  Shrink Wrap 
  • PVC
  • Vinyl Leatherette
  • Vinyl Flooring
  • Fabrics
  • Cardboard
  • Karndean Flooring
  • Wood Veneer
  • Foam Board
  • Plaster Board or Drywall
  • Fiber glass Insulation
  • Trim wood Shims
  • Roofing Felt   
  • Roofing Shingles   
  • Cut Dried Caulk
  • Wood
  • Cable Insulation   

Designer’s Art and Model Making Knife

 

Pretty amazing!

OLFA offer a lifetime guarantee covering the majority of the tool handles.

The scheme can be obtained through the customer registration link, where the customer will need to register the tool within 28 days of purchase to be eligible.

The customer registration link is

https://www.olfauk.com/register

OLFA Lifetime Guarantee

 

Here are some helpful craft tips!!!

  1. Rotary Cutter Tips:
  • Always use a cutting mat underneath your fabric to protect your work surface and ensure smooth cutting.
  • Keep your rotary cutter blades sharp by regularly replacing them. Dull blades can lead to jagged cuts or fabric snagging.
  • Use a ruler or straight edge to guide your rotary cutter for straight lines and precise cuts.
  • When cutting curves or intricate shapes, consider using smaller rotary cutters or specialty blades for more control.
  • Apply gentle and even pressure while cutting to maintain control and avoid cutting through multiple layers unintentionally.

https://www.marentcrafts.com/product-category/cutters/

  1. Craft Knife Tips:
  • Choose the appropriate craft knife blade for your project. Olfa offers various blade types, such as standard, precision, or specialty blades, depending on the material and level of detail required.
  • Hold the craft knife firmly but avoid gripping it too tightly, as it may hinder your control and precision.
  • When cutting intricate designs or curves, make small, controlled cuts rather than attempting to cut the entire shape in one stroke.
  • Use a cutting mat or a protective surface to prevent damage to your work area and ensure a clean, uninterrupted cut.
  • Keep spare blades on hand and replace them when they become dull to maintain optimal cutting performance.

https://www.marentcrafts.com/product-category/mats-and-rules/

  1. Cutting Mat Tips:
  • Select a cutting mat appropriate for your crafting needs. Olfa offers different sizes and types of mats, including self-healing mats that help protect your blades and prolong their lifespan. https://www.marentcrafts.com/product/self-healing-rotating-30cm-square-cutting-mat/
    • Place your cutting mat on a stable surface to ensure it stays in place while cutting.
    • Rotate your mat periodically to distribute wear evenly and extend its longevity.
    • Clean your cutting mat regularly by wiping it with a damp cloth or using a soft brush to remove any debris or fabric fibers.
  • https://www.marentcrafts.com/product-category/blades/

    1. Specialty Blade Tips:
    • Experiment with Olfa’s specialty blades for specific crafting techniques. For example, a pinking blade can create decorative edges on fabric, while a wave blade adds texture to paper projects.
    • Before using specialty blades, practice on scrap materials to familiarize yourself with the effect and adjust your cutting technique if needed.
    • Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for changing and handling specialty blades to ensure safe and efficient use.

Remember, practice makes perfect! Take some time to become familiar with your Olfa tools and experiment with different techniques to discover what works best for your specific crafting projects. Happy crafting!

We hope you enjoy the Olfa high-quality cutting tools as much as we do at Marent Crafts!!

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The Stitch Festival

Marent Crafts were so excited to be part of The Stitch Festival this year at the Islington Design Center, we were on stand number H59! The show was very busy and we had the chance to meet many lovely customers. We really enjoyed listening and hearing about all of the impressive makes that were underway with buyers at the show.

We had lots of products that stood out from the crowds, buyers were pleased that they could get all their dressmaking and sewing products in one place.

Such a great experience to meet so many people in one place with lots of fun fuelled events taking place.

Marent Crafts were able to hold a daily prize give away on the stand exclusively from Vlieseline.

Two of our happy prize winners!

Here were some show highlights!

  • A trend for neons at the moment, our neon wool range sold out and our customers absoloutly loved our neon thread sets!!!
    Something to brighten up these rainy days!!
https://www.marentcrafts.com/product/neon-coats-moon-thread-sewing-machine-polyester/
  • Our Bias Bindings were also a hit as many customers said they find binding hard to come by and we have a huge selection of colours and great prices, so that was fantastic to hear!!

https://www.marentcrafts.com/product-category/haberdashery/bias-binding/

  • Having John Cole-Morgan on our Stand!!

We were joined on our Marent Crafts stand by John Cole-Morgan who did a fantastic job of demonstrating the Vlieseline range for quilting.                       

“He is polite, friendly, funny and knows what he was talking about!!! “

Quilters highlights from the Vlieseline craft range were the quilters grid, quick screen triangle and quick screen square. The products are all solutions to help quilters in their projects achieve the neat and speedy results they are after!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pylsz-R6XH8&t=10s&ab_channel=MarentGroup

Vlieseline Quilters Grid

Fusible nonwoven for watercolor quilts with printed-on 1-inch-grid lines; brown and fine printed lines, 90cm x 15m

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

Vlieseline Quick Screen Triangle

Interfacing with printed grid in an 60° angle, 90cm x 15m

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

Vlieseline Quick Screen Square

Interfacing with printed 1×1 cm grid in an 90° angle, 90cm x 30m

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

Quilt Wadding

Shop our volume fleece range for the best fleece, wadding, batting, and more

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

Dress Making Sponsors

Marent Crafts were also the proud Sponsors of the Dressmaking Competition that took place on Sunday!!!

The Dressmaking Competition was open to all contemporary dressmakers who wanted the opportunity to share their creations on The Stitch Festival stage.

The competition featured six categories this year, including a NEW for 2023 Menswear category.

This year’s incredible judging panel included, David Morrish of Kingfly Embroidery, Hand Knit Designer Jeanette Sloan, Josie Hawes – founder of Fabric Godmother and Elisalex de Castro Peake, co-found of By Hand London! 

Winners of each Category

Best in Competition (Upcycled/Repurposed category)   Regina Fox-Galassi

Knitwear / Crochet  Gail Jones

Eveningwear Ksenia Semirova

 

Childrenswear (Ages 2-14)  Tetiana Shelepun

 

 

 

Upcycled/Repurposed Davide Berardi,                      

Menswear      Michał  Wilamowski

Judging taking place Josie Hawes – founder of Fabric Godmother & Elisalex de Castro Peake, co-found of By Hand London

Congratulations to the winners of the Dressmaking Competition this year! We’ve loved sponsoring and promoting creativity and we can’t wait to see what they get up to next! 

Marent Crafts were thrilled to be part of all of these exciting creative events and look forward to the next Craft Show at the festival of quilts this year!!

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New Partnership – Bosal & Marent Crafts

New Partnership - Bosal & Marent Crafts

Announcement! We’ve partnered up with Bosal to become their new distributor across the UK and European markets.

Sharron Belcher, Bosal sales manager UK recently spoke about the partnership, their bestselling foam interlinings and the ups and downs of the COVID19 pandemic.

Tell us a little bit about the history
behind the company. Who started it
and when?

Located in Limerick, Maine, Bosal has been distributing American-made products for more than 60 years. Bosal Foam and Fibre offers the highest quality interfacings, stabilisers, foams and fibres to its customers. A family-owned business, Bosal strives to meet the needs of the consumer and stay up to date with the newest designs and exciting new projects. 

Bosal Foam and Fibre sells all the products directly to distributors, allowing the opportunity to find the product that works best for you. Bosal products are available at numerous retail stores and online sites throughout the US, Canada, Australia, Costa Rico, Spain, Portugal, Germany, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Panama, the United Kingdom and places in between.

How has the company evolved?

Bosal Foam and Fibre came about from the Owner Robert Harrisburg who wanted to find a hyper allergenic foam for a mattress for his wife Sarah Lee. Initially dealing in foams Bosal expanded into the polyester and fibres. Bosal then expanded the polyester and fibre products by bringing into the business Rolando Berdion a specialist in foams, fibres, and interfacings. Rolando developed a range of retail products for the sewing and the craft market. 

The company has evolved now into not only providing the best highest quality American Quilting Battings, interfacings and bag making foams and stabilisers, to providing handy pre-cut packs of all shapes and designs. Bosal work closely with a host of popular crafting designers and design bespoke packs to go along with the designer’s patterns. Two years ago, Bosal Foam and Fibre enlisted Sharron Belcher working in the UK to grow the business in the UK and Europe. Sharron has a wealth of experience in interfacings and the craft market in the UK. The company hopes to grow brand awareness and availability in the UK and Europe.

What do you specialise in and what’s your bestselling product?

Bosal Foam and Fibre specialises in quilting, dressmaking and crafting battings, interfacings, and stabilisers. Bosal’s bestselling lines are In-R-Form® a foam interlining used for bag making, table runners, storage, and quilting. In the quilting world Bosal’s 100 per cent Organic, Cotton Pre-Shrunk is a go-to product for quilters, as it offers beautiful handle, no pre-washing and sustainability. Bosal’s bestselling interfacing I Fashion

Fuse which is a 100 per cent Woven Fusible Cotton Interfacing. Which can be used for dressmaking, patchwork, bag making, face coverings and memory quilting.

What sets you apart from your competitors?

Bosal Foam and Fibre can collaborate quickly and creatively with designers to make new products. Bosal can adapt the current product range to support new ideas in the crafting market. The company also have many different products to what UK competitors offer making it exciting for the UK consumer.

How would you advise a retailer who is interested in stocking
your products?

Retailers can find products in the UK through our UK distributors. We’re pleased to announce our new distributor Marent Crafts. Who will have a wider variety of Bosal products in stock from December. Bosal Foam and Fibre in the UK can support any retailer with product knowledge, education, images, sourcing, social media content, sampling, and brand awareness. Bosal also helps support retailers at consumer craft shows.

What can we expect from you in the future?

Since March 2020, none of the trade shows or consumer shows have been able to go ahead. However, Bosal during this challenging time has continued to ship globally. Going forward watch out for our collaborations with Beyond Knit and Stitch and Facebook Live demonstrations. 

Bosal is also extremely excited to be working with Marent Crafts as a new wholesaler and we look forward to having many more of the amazing projects and fabrics available in the UK.

For all the latest announcements keep up to date on our social media.

Check out some of our other blogs for top tips and things to know here.

See below for one of our reviews.