Buy Satin, Haberdashery, Zips, Diamante & Felt Fabrics

Satin Fabric – Every Wedding Must Have - January 26, 2010

Are you planning your wedding? Helping a friend find the perfect wedding dress? Or are you simply following the current wedding season trends. Satin fabric is every wedding must have! Satin is a luxurious soft fabric, rich in colour and style, elegant in style. Satin fabric is naturally soft and sleek feeling fabulous against your skin, releasing a feeling of lustrous and beauty. Weddings are happy celebration events you want radiance and style to shine through, satin fabric will give you the confidence to relax and enjoy the day knowing that you look and feel fabulous.

Whether you are a dress maker searching for your latest wedding fabric inspiration, or a fashion student preparing for your project – Here at Calico Laine we stock everything you need to create the perfect satin fabric wedding dress. Satin fabric is this seasons wedding must have, this blog highlights the various types of satin fabrics and their properties available at incredibly low prices at Calico Laine.

Duchess Satin

Duchess Satin fabric is the Queen of all satins, its soft and sleek properties, shiny on the outside and matt on the inside fabric makes Duchess Satin a fantastic fabric to work with as it hangs well and can be cut easily. Duchess Satin was originally woven from silk, although with today’s advanced manufacturing methods Duchess Satin can be made from nylon or polyester. It is the Floats within the Duchess Satin fabrics which determine their sleek. Loose floats produce a very soft and sleek feel leaving you radiant beauty and style.

At Calico Laine we stock Duchess Satin in a wide range of colour and style. Choose from Aubergine Duchess Satin to Lustrous Apricot Duchess Satin and much more. Our Duchess Satin fabric is available at incredibly low prices; feel free to browse the Calico Laine website to discover our range of satin fabrics.

Economy Satin

Calico Laine stock a wide range of economy satin fabric, an alternative to the Duchess Satin range. Economy Satin is available in a wide range of colours and style from banana satin to black satin and much more. Economy satin is a soft and sleek fabric perfect for wedding dresses and gowns. A good material to work with, economy satin is the fabric for dress makers.

Satin fabric is such a versatile fabric, there is no need to stop at the wedding dress – Satin can be used to create elegant and soft lingerie, why should your lustrous feeling end after the wedding celebration, allow it to continue throughout the night with satin night wear and bed linen.

Feel free to browse through the Calico Laine website to learn more about our range of satin fabrics. Our Haberdashery department is fully stocked with various zips, scissors, sequins, diamantes and much more! Allow Calico Laine to be your one stop shop for all your wedding fabric and haberdashery needs.

Comments (0)

An Introduction To Bias Binding - December 1, 2009

Bias Binding is an extremely popular and useful item to have in for any form of craft work, a wide range of Bias Binding tape colour and styles can be found in the Haberdashery department at Calico Laine. Within this blog we aim to provide readers with an introduction to Bias Binding, what Bias is made from, its uses and purposes.

What is Bias Binding
Bias Binding tape is designed to bind over the edge of a seam to create a neat decorative finish, which encases the edge of a seam. Bias is a popular haberdashery item, as it removes any raw edges on items of clothing or upholstery. Bound edges look fantastic on the arms of sleeveless cardigans or jackets, they provide clear and crisp finish. The same can be said for cushions and items of upholstery. Bias Binding has been described by many dress makers as an essential item to have available, as Bias Binding creates the perfect finish every time.

What Is Bias Binding Made From
Calico Laine stock a wide range of Bias Binding tape of all colours and styles, our bias is made from 100% cotton bias through to satin bias binding. All our bias is of varying width and length to suit all requirements. Feel free to browse the range of 20mm Rainbow Bias Binding, 20mm Satin Bias Binding, Polycotton Bias and much more only at Calico Laine.

How Bias Binding Works
Here at Calico Laine we stock Prym Bias Binding Makers, Bias Binding Makers aid process of binding a seam they are a lifesaving tool which makes Bias Binding much easier. To create a bias binding follow the rough guide below:

1. Work out the fold required
2. For most dress making 12.5mm is perfect for the fold
3. Double the fold and add 12mm for seam allowances on the longer edges
4. Open out one long edge of the Bias Binding and pin to the garment edge, stitching in place.

Summary
To summarise Bias Binding is a tape that is cut on the diagonal and gives tape movement; Bias Binding is beneficial when sewing awkward shapes that need binding or neatening. Speaking to our valued dressmaker customers it is clear that Bias Binding is an essential item required within dressmaking. Bias Binding tapes create the perfect finish to any outfit. Bias Binding is also available in satin, polycotton and cotton.

To learn more about how Bias Binding Tape works feel free to contact the friendly Calico Laine team, we are happy to discuss Bias Binding with you further

Comments (0)

How To Make A Tutu - November 17, 2009

Traditionally tutus were used by ballet dancers to emphasize the elegance and flow in their dancing and posture. More recently tutuskirts have exploded onto the fashion scene bringing a burst of colour and attitude with them. Scater Girl Averil Lavigne inspired the tutu craze with her black, Gothic tutuskirt in her alternative fashion style. Tutus have truly made a come back onto the fashion scene for all, tutus are commonly worn for party wear for both children and adults, ballet dress, students fashion or indeed hen/stag nights, tutus have certainly made their comeback to the fashion industry.

Due to their heightened craze and demand their has been an increase in the number of people making their own tutuskirts, for their daughters party wear, grandchildren, or even to sell on for profit. It is really easy to make a tutu, tutuskirts require minimal material usage and efforts; depending on how glitzy/plain you want your tutu to look. The great thing is that Calico Laine stock everything you need to create the perfect tutuskirt! Here at Calico Laine we stock a wide range of dress net materials in a variety of colours and patterns. In our haberdashery and diamante departments we also stock an abundance of elastics, trim, ribbons, diamante gems and much more. When it comes to creating your fashion tutu look no further than Calico Laine, your one stop online fabric/craft store.

Creating your tutu – Step by step

Step One – Start by gathering together the material/accessories needed: Dress Net (Tule), elastic, tailoring pins, sewing needle/threads and tailoring scissors. More optional materials include: diamante gems, feathers, ribbon, sequins and glue. Feel free to browse through the Calico Laine website, we have a wide range of inspiring craft ideas to create the perfect tutu masterpiece for you.

Step Two – Measure around the waist, hip and length of your subject. You will need twice the width of the waist in dress net (Tule) material. This is because it is best to double up the net material to create the fluffy look. You will then need to sew/tie the elastic together at the correct width, and sew the dress net to the underside of the elastic, creating a seam free finish.

Step Three – Some ideas to make your tutu stand out from the rest, you could use multiple colours of dress nets to create the layered look – Perhaps purple and black, or black or white. Pink fluff feathers are great for fluffing up your tutu, little girls love pink. Pick up some craft glue from Calcio Laine to attach your glitzy pieces. Sequins are another tutu must have, we have a wide range of sequin embellishments all colours and styles. The haberdashery department at Calico Laine also stock beading, fringing, lace, trim and much more.

I hope you enjoy making your tutu as much as I have enjoyed writing this blog, tutus are very versatile, you can put your all into making them stand out and look beautiful. Whether your making your daughters first tutu for a party or your a design student exploring your fashion skills – Making your own tutu is the way to go!

Comments (0)

Dress Making - October 15, 2009

Dress making is both creative and rewarding; it is enjoyed by many people. Whether you indulge in dress making as a hobby, as part of your studies, or you are a fashion dress maker by profession – Dress Making is enjoyed at all levels. Dress making gives you the opportunity to explore new ideas and inspirations, allowing you to be in control of your own designs. Start a new craze, become an idle in the fashion world, the possibilities of dress making are endless.

Calico Laine stock everything you will ever need to create your very own dress making masterpiece. We have a wide selection of beautiful fabrics, from soft and silk duchess satin fabric, silks, tartan fabrics and much more. All our fabrics are available in a beautiful, array of rich colours and styles. Calico Laine are here for all your dress making needs from fabrics, to zips, tailoring scissors, hemming tape and much more. Let Calico Laine be your one stop shop for all your dress making needs and appliances. Below I have highlighted some of the main areas of dress making where Calico Laine can meet your needs.

Fabrics:

Your choice of fabric is important; essentially it depends on what you are making. For instance bi-stretch fabric is ideal for trousers due to their non crease nature. Silk is a beautiful and soft fabric perfect for blouses/shirts. Chiffon is the perfect dress maker’s material, it is easy to work with and cut to suit all designs. Calico Laine stock a wide choice of fabrics to suit all your dress making needs, feel free to browse through our fabric range on the Calico Laine website.

Zips:

Dress making often involves attaching a zip in order to close an item, for instance if you’re making trousers, dresses or blouses zips are often used. Here at Calico Laine we stock a wide range of zips to suit all dress making needs. Our zips range from: YKK dress zips, these are discrete and subtle to suit a blouse or skirt. We also stock a range of YKK Basque zips to suit Basque tops, heavy duty YKK zips and many more. In order to create the overall look, it is important to ensure you get every detail right. The wide choice of zips at Calico Laine makes it easy and affordable for everything to be perfect in your dress making.

Threads:

Threads are an essential requirement in dress making. At Calico Laine we stock the complete range of Gutermann and moon threads. These threads give dressmakers an excellent choice to help them achieve their creation.

Diamante Accessories:

Add a bit of sparkle to your creation with diamante accessories available from Calico Laine. Our diamante accessories range from glitzy belt buckles, shoulder straps, diamante buttons and much more. No dress maker should be without diamante accessories, Calico Laine have a refreshing array of beautiful diamantes to suit all needs, feel free to browse through the diamante accessory range on the Calico Laine website.
As you can see Calico Laine is your one stop shop when it comes to meeting all your dress making needs. We stock everything you will ever need to create the fashion creation. To learn more about our fantastic range, browse through the various sections on the Calico Laine website. In particular our haberdashery range is fully equipped with tailoring scissors, elastic, cord, self cover buttons and much more. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact the friendly team here at Calico Laine, we are always happy to help.

Comments (0)