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Sewing supplies made from recycled & sustainable materials

Sewing supplies made from recycled & sustainable materials

There’s never been a more important time to reduce, recycle and reuse and using recycled products is a great way to support that ethos. In this guide, we are going to highlight some sewing supplies made from recycled & sustainable materials.

Did you know we sell threads, ribbons, interfacings & fabrics that are made from recycled bottles? Or bio-degradable wadding?! Did you know five plastic fizzy drink bottles can supply enough raw materials to make a new T-shirt? Read on for all the info on how you can up the eco-credentials of your stash and choose sewing supplies made from recycled & sustainable materials

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Ribbons made from recycled materials

 

We are delighted to see that Berisfords are not only now making some of their most popular ranges from recycled plastic bottles, but also the ribbon reels too!

Boring Legal Bit: If you follow any tutorial or guidance found in this post, or on this blog, you agree to be bound by our disclaimer which can be viewed here

Recycled polyester is just as good as virgin polyester but takes 59% less energy to make, plus it keeps plastic out of the oceans or landfill. Using recycled polyester also contributes to the reduction of crude oil and natural gas from the earth.

Berisford now manufacture their Grosgrain ribbon & double satin ribbon from recycled plastic bottles!

Sustainable & Recycled Interfacings & Interlinings

 

Do you use Vlieseline products? Then you’re already doing your bit for the planet! Did you know many Vlieseline interlinings are made from recycled plastic bottles?

The bottles are checked with all caps, labels and rubber removed. Then the bottles are washed and crushed into granules before being melted and made into fibres, which is made into the polyester interlining and wadding we all love.

Interfacing and interlinings made from recycled plastic bottles

Vlieseline already offer products made of 100% recycled polyester and/or mixtures thereof. By using already existing materials Vlieseline are reducing the consumption of new raw materials – in particular those that come from non-renewable sources.

Products which are made with recycled plastic bottles are

100 % R-PES         F220 | H310 | R 80 | R 200
80% R-PES          P120 P140 | P250
65% R-PES         M12 | S13
55 % R-PES         249
35 % R-PES         G405 | L11
15 % R-PES         H180

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Biodegradable quilt wadding

 

The Vlieseline Eco-150 wadding is 100% biodegradable!

The ECO 150 wadding biodegrades when in the ground after 57 days. But there’s no need to panic! It doesn’t start to biodegrade unless it is in the ground as it’s the soil enzymes which trigger the degrading process.

Have a read of The Sewing Directory’s review of this wadding here. Fiona did actually bury it in the ground, and it really does return to the earth

Sewing Threads made from recycled plastic bottles

Gutermann Threads have a fantastic collection of polyester threads that are made from recycled plastic bottles and there are over 160 colours to choose from so you’re bound to find a colour perfectly suited to your project.

They are the same price as regular Sew All threads too – it’s a no-brainer easy switch 🙂

These threads are known as ‘sew-all threads’ and are great for both machine and hand sewing, closing and backstitch seams, fine ornamental stitches and decorative seams.

The threads can be used for light and heavy to medium-weight fabrics and even clothing fabrics and knitwear. They are made in Germany with their Micro Core Technology, so the same premium quality you’d expect from Gutermann, but super eco-friendly! You can shop for these on our website.

Premium Haberdashery with Plastic Free Packaging

 

Looking for some premium quality haberdashery? Hemline have introduced a premium rangle of haberdashery called Hemline Gold perfect for any eco-consious Seam Star who doesn’t want to compromise on style! ♻️

Hemline are known for their sleek, modern tools, inspired by the rich heritage of the sewing industry. We are now stocking their Hemline Gold range, which has been manufactured eliminating waste plastic packaging!

You can take a closer look at the range in this video:

There’s also some gorgeous storage such as premium quality needles & safety pins in glass jars with beautiful brushed gold lids, which can be used for years to come and potentially become an heirloom in the family.

We hope you found this post useful. Feel free to ask us any questions and we’ll always try to help!

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What is Ponte Di Roma? A Fabric Guide

What is Ponte Di Roma? A Fabric Guide

It seems that the knit fabric ponte di roma (also known as punto-di-roma, but I’m going to call it ponte roma for short) is all the rage at the moment and much credit must lie with Tilly Walnes and her wonderful Coco Pattern. And what’s not to love? It’s an easy knit to sew, it doesn’t crease, it doesn’t cling to your lumps and bumps like some knit fabrics, it’s an all round good egg. The fabric was developed in Italy (the clue is in the name) and I’m very glad they did (to think they gave us this AND pizza – praise be for Italy!)

We’ve just had a lovely delivery of this scrummy knit so I thought I’d get tapping in case you were wondering what it was. I love these houndstooth prints… I’m reliably informed that houndstooth is the new chevron, don’t you know.

Construction of Ponte Roma

The fabric is a double knit , which means it’s a double layer of fabric knitted with a 2 sets of needles on 2 needle beds most probably on a machine that looks like this which I think it looks like the Tardis controls… I’m glad we just sell fabric and don’t have to operate scary looking machinery like this.

The fabric can be knitted from all sorts of different types and weights of yarns and elastane is often included to increase the stretch. It’s a firm, stable knit which holds it’s shape well in a garment, great news for the longevity of your lovingly made creations helping them to look great for longer.  Being a double knit means that it’s a two faced fabric so it can often (but not always) be used for unlined or reversible items.

Sewing with Ponte Di Roma Fabric

As far as knits go, ponte is a good fabric to start experimenting with. It’s nice and stable, doesn’t have a huge amount of stretch and won’t curl too much either when cut. Try sewing ponte roma with ball point needle in a 70/10-90/12 size. Stay tape might be useful for ensuring your seams don’t run away with you under the needle. Stitch length works well at 2-2.5mm It requires nap layout when cutting out your pattern so bear that in mind when calculating fabric requirements,

I hope you found that helpful. What have you ben making with ponte recently?