Matt

I have always been of the thought that if you are going to take the time to make your own clothes then you should use the best fabrics that you can afford. Here at Calico Laine we try to cover a range of different dressmaking fabrics suitable for all budgets. In my blog entry today I am going to cover...

Easter is becoming bigger and bigger as each year goes by. We now sell Easter Ribbons which are made by Berties Bows, a very popular company for ribbons. The ribbons have a Grosgrain effect and are extremely good quality. Some of these ribbons include multicoloured rabbits, multicoloured chicks, multicoloured eggs, green chicks and eggs and more. The ribbons are 100% Polyester...

At Calico Laine we pride ourselves on stocking one of the best range of high quality zips available. In my entry today I am going to talk a little about the different types of zips that we offer. These include: Open End Zips: This is a zip that opens at the bottom (and sometimes the top) and they are ideal...

Shoulder Pads can make a huge impact on your top or dress and it is quick and easy to do. Adding them into a blouse or a plain top can make all the difference in the world. They make your shoulders look broader so if you are quite petite in the upper part of your body then these will help massively...

Feathers can be used for a huge variety of projects, whether your embellishing a hat or a masquerade mask, we'll have the feathers for you. Depending on what you are useing the feathers for you can either glue them on or sew in them on. If you're glueing the Feathers then I would suggest using our High Performance Fabric Glue...

Calico is a natural cotton fabric which is un-dyed and un-treated. Calico may shrink a little in the wash so you may want to think about washing it before sewing with it if the garment will be washed in the future. There are many types of Calico available including; Light weight Calico- 123gsm weight Medium Weight Calico- 165gsm weight Good quality Calico...

Here at Calico Laine we sell different types of Gingham such as Polycotton gingham, gingham prints, seekersucker gingham and cotton rich gingham. Ginghams are stunning fabrics and can be made to look either traditional or modern and this is why Gingham is such a big seller. Ginghams are woven fabrics and not printed. There are many ways in which you...

Knitting is becoming increasingly popular, so if you're a beginner then here are some items that may come be handy for you! Knitting Row Counter These come in either small which fit onto 2-5mmm needles or large which fit onto 5.5-5.7mm needles. They slip onto the end of your needles and you click a button for each row that you...

Items made up of natural fabric may fade with time or you may have made a stain on the product and want to remove it. Well, with Dylon this can be done very easily. Dylon Dyes are not suitable for polyster materials, e.g poly/cotton, poly/viscose mixes and waterproof fabrics. These dyes work extremely well on fabrics such as cotton, linen...

Summer is on its way and Jersey is the perfect fabric to make summer dresses from. Remember, when sewing with Jersey the best stitch to use is the zig zag stictch as it allows the fabric to stretch without snapping the thread. A good tip for sewing with stretchy fabrics is to add the pins in side ways instead of...