Tag: sewing

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Earth Day 2023 – Sustainability Everyday

 

At Marent Crafts, we don’t just think about sustainability once a year. For us, we think about this every day!

Here at Marent Craft our absolute top priority is sustainability for the betterment of this beautiful planet that we share. We would go so far as to say that we value sustainability over profit. Way above.

Lets explain…

Whilst other companies in the industry may go to farther and stranger shores to find bargains for their ware, we stay as close to home as possible, and only buy directly from the source. We won’t just buy any old thing either. We only supply the best quality products, and only if that product is the most sustainable version.

The brands we carry Must share our ethos, otherwise we simply cannot promote that brand.

Thankfully, all our suppliers, manufacturers, and brand owners are most definitely in line with us.

Whether it be recycled fibres for the wadding and interfacing from Freudenberg, the elimination of cellophane from Coats and Gutermann, the 100% eco friendly detergent from Soak, the bamboo range from Prym, or all the other eco friendly products, we won’t sacrifice our message in the name of profit.

We hope that you share our passion for Planet Earth, and we hope that, like us, you’re willing to spend a little bit more on not only a superior product, but on a product that is designed with sustainability in mind.

Our Partners

Here’s what some of the brands we work with do for Earth!

The brands that we work with really do have sustainability at the core of what they do and we align ourselves with brands that have values as we do.

Freudenberg Performance Materials recycles around 7 million PET bottles per day and around 2.5 billion PET bottles per year in its European plants. The length of these bottles taken together would reach 15 times around the earth.

Soak’s bottles, caps and labels have always been recyclable and printed with water-based inks. And as of 2013, all our bottles have been made from post-consumer resin, which means they’ve already been recycled once.

From bamboo knitting needles to buttons, our growing range of Prym sustainable quality products are affordable and provide you peace of mind that you’re helping the environment. No matter the type of knitting, crocheting, or materials you’re working with, Prym 1530 is the choice for you.

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Learn more about sewing with an Easy Informative Guide To Sewing Products [2021 Edition]

An Informative Guide To Sewing Products

Sewing is a very popular pastime, but it is quite technical and can be a bit daunting for beginners. It’s a very therapeutic activity though and is well worth spending some time finding your way around all the different items you might need when completing a sewing project. We don’t have time to do a full A-Z here. But let’s demystify some of the sewing products that are commonly used.

What is wadding?

Wadding, also known as batting in the US, is often made from polyester fibres and is used as a layer of insulation between fabrics. Polyester wadding is often used in quilt making and helps you to produce a quilt that is soft, comfortable and warm. Quilt wadding may also be made from natural fibres such as bamboo, silk or cotton. These tend to flatten more than made-made fibres such as polyester. Natural fibres are more breathable whereas man-made tend to wash better. Bamboo wadding is becoming more popular as an eco-friendly alternative for quilting.

Wadding

Wadding is sold in different weights, commonly 2oz, 4oz and 6oz and can usually be purchased by the metre or half-metre. It may come scrim-coated which means there is a light net-like covering which holds the fibres together. As well as prevents the wadding from being pulled apart. Wadding without scrim-coating is softer, but not as durable. Marent crafts also offers a Fire-Retardant wadding in 5 different weights.

What is interfacing and interlining?

The terms interlining and interfacing are often used interchangeably in sewing. The primary function of interfacing is to provide strength, shape and stability around different parts of a garment such as collars, cuffs and buttonholes. Interlining comes in a variety of weights and may be sew-on or fusible (that is they stick to the outer fabric by heating). As these products are non-woven fabric, they will not fray so you can trim them after sewing. This includes bonding if necessary. The trade name in the UK is Vilene/Vliesilene. The weight you require depends on exactly where you are using the interlining in your garment. Bondaweb is another fusible interfacing which is suitable for fancy appliques and repairs.

9 Steps to Becoming a Sewing Master

We’ve even been kind enough to create a video which showcase 9 top sewing skills you need to be a master so be sure to check it out below!

What is bias binding tape?

Bias binding tape, or sometimes known as bias tape or simply bias binding, is used for binding seams, creating piping. For example on the edges of cushions or for finishing raw edges and detail on garments. Such as across pocket tops or around armholes or the neckline. It comes in a variety of colours and is may also be used to create button loops or drawstrings for bags. Bias binding is a highly versatile product and Marent Crafts offers a choice of 10 colours in a 12.5mm width. 

Bias Binding

What is Texacro?

You’ve most likely heard of Velcro which is an adhesive product that uses a repositionable hook and loop system to enable you to stick two pieces of fabric together. It’s also used to fasten and undo the Velcro many times over the lifetime of the product. Texacro is also made by Velcro, but is a lower quality, less expensive version which lasts for around 1,000 cycles of put together-pull apart. Compared to the premium Velcro product which lasts up to 10,000 cycles on average.

Velcro and Texacro are made from nylon and polyester. They come either black or white and in a range of widths to suit a variety of projects. Velcro is often used instead of zips, buttons or laces. It was made famous by NASA in the 1960s when it was used to fasten down pens and other items during Apollo missions. Here at Marent we offer both Velcro and its less expensive cousin Texacro.

So, there are you have it, a quick tour around some commonly used sewing products. We recommend Stitchless TV, a YouTube channel which takes you right from the basics of learning how to sew.

Next time, we’ll take a look at the wonderful world of sewing machines and how to create fancy stitches.

Make sure to follow us on Social Media for all our latest updates!

Here is one of our client reviews.

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How to use Elastic For Sewing Projects – Which One Should I Use?

Elastics For Sewing Projects

There are a few different common types of elastic for sewing projects, but do you know which one you should use when? If you are a beginner sewer, the range of products in a haberdashery can be quite overwhelming. It’s hard to know where to start.

So, in this blog, we’ll look at the 3 most common types of elastic for sewing use and give you some handy hints on when to use each one.

First, there is Flat Elastic or Flat Elastic Cord, which is also known as braided elastic. Flat or braided elastic has parallel ridges that run along the length of the elastic. The ridges provide extra grip. But one downside is that flat elastic has a tendency to become narrower as it is stretched.

Flat Elastic

You should also be aware that braided elastic also tends to roll more easily than woven or knitted elastics. If you sew through braided elastic, it can also lose its stretchiness. For these reasons braided elastic works best in sewing projects where the elastic is contained within a casing or hem rather than being sewn directly onto the fabric. Be careful of using braided elastic in waistbands though because of its tendency to roll up. It can work well on smaller areas such as cuffs where the rolling is less of an issue. You can purchase braided elastic in a variety of colours, although white or black elastic are most popular and naturally, it is available in a range of widths to suit your project. At Marent, we offer white and black flat elastic cord in 3 different widths.

Woven Elastic

If you are sewing a waistband for skirts or trousers, a woven elastic, also referred to as non-roll elastic is your best choice, especially if you are using heavy weight fabrics. This elastic does not lose width when stretched and is generally firmer, giving more structure to your garment. It can be sewn directly onto fabric or used in casings.

Woven elastic, like braided elastic, may fray if you cut it lengthwise, so it’s always best to buy the correct width of elastic for your sewing project. Our woven elastic is available in white and black and 6 widths between 19mm (3/4 in) to 75mm (3 in).

Knitted Elastic

Knitted elastic is a lighter, softer elastic than braided or woven elastic. It rolls more than woven elastic but less than braided and therefore does not work so well on heavy weight fabrics.  Like woven elastic, the knitted version does not lose its width when stretched. It works well for lingerie and pyjama sewing projects.

There are some other different types of elastic for sewing which you could use for different types of projects such as buttonhole elastic for adjustable waistbands, lace elastic for lingerie, round clear elastic for swimwear and stockings and you can even get plush backed elastic which is softer against the skin if you are making a garment for someone who has sensitive skin.

Whatever your project, whether large or small, a garment, a bag or perhaps a facemask, you can be certain that at Marent Crafts we will have an elastic to suit most needs.

We’d love to see example of projects you’ve made that use our elastic, so please do send us your pictures.

Checkout our video on Elastics for some more information:

Flat vs Woven Elastic

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