How do you start making your own clothes?
What a great idea to start making your own clothes. In this article I will give you some tips that I hope will help you. Step by step You need a few things if you want to make your own clothes. These don't have to be expensive or much. Just starting out is best, and...
What is the best fabric for making a dress?
Sustainable fabrics come in all shapes and sizes. But did you know that all our fabrics are made in our weaving mill in Enschede? This gives you a good and sustainable product from the Netherlands. We often get the question what is the best fabric for a dress. This of...
What is the best fabric for making a sustainable pair of jeans?
One pair of jeans requires seven to eight thousand litres of water, pesticides are used to grow the cotton and harmful chemicals are used in the dying process. This is contrary to Enschede Textielstad's values and vision of the textile industry. We would like to...
Dyeing durable clothing with a natural dye
Revisiting the colour of your white T-shirt or looking for a personalised canvas bag? Give your old garment a new life by using a vegetable dye bath! The textile industry is one of the world's biggest polluters, partly due to the environmentally damaging dyeing...
The best tips for summer and sustainable fabrics
The beautiful weather is approaching and that means we are all in need of new additions to our summer wardrobes. To reduce your impact on the environment this season, but still look fashionable, we give you some summery and sustainable fabric tips in this article....
What are the advantages of linen fabrics?
As the Enschede Textile City, the impact on the environment is paramount. A fabric we can therefore not get enough of is linen. In this article we will tell you exactly what linen is, what makes it so sustainable and especially what the advantages of linen fabrics...
How can I clean my clothes in a sustainable way?
Here at Enschede Textile City we are thrilled that there is so much interest in sustainable fabrics. But reducing our impact on the environment does not stop with us. As a consumer you can already contribute a lot at home, for example by the way you keep your clothes...
How do I iron a crease in a pair of trousers?
The crease in trousers, many people find it difficult to get it right. Fortunately, it is not that difficult. In this article I will give you tips and a step-by-step plan. The most important thing about ironing a crease in a pair of trousers is that you take your...
What different types of curtains are there?
Today, there are so many curtains and other window coverings that it is almost impossible to choose. Luckily, there are lots of living magazines and living programmes that always give good tips on window coverings. In this blog, I will be focusing on the different...
What fabric do you use for making a sustainable jacket?
The jacket is one of the most beautiful garments to make and wear. Everyone has one hanging in their closet, whether they wear it often or not. What material is a jacket made of? And are there also sustainable variants? That you can read in this article. History The...
Tips for making your own clothes in a sustainable way
A good alternative to buying fast-fashion items is to make your own clothes. Having a unique piece of clothing that you have designed and made yourself, how much fun is that? You can also customise your clothes, making them fit perfectly. Making your own clothes is...
The history of sustainable wool
My grandmother used to knit me these woollen socks. I used to call them 'goat socks'. But most of the wool comes from sheep, right? Or does it? I thought so too before I started my textile training. Now I know a lot more about wool and I would like to share this...
How is herringbone made?
Herringbone is a weave with a characteristic V-shaped pattern. The pattern gets its name from its resemblance to the skeleton of a fish, specifically a herring. The herringbone weave is a broken twill. This means that the slanting line that runs through the fabric...
How do I cut a striped fabric?
Many fabric shops are full of them: striped fabrics. You can find them in all sorts of colours and sizes. But what do you need to think about when making a garment from a striped fabric? The very first thing to think about is in which direction you want to use the...
Are there vegan sustainable fabrics?
Veganism is becoming a trending topic and is on its way to reaching a wider audience regarding food and other products. To keep the topic a little closer to home, we'd like to educate you on veganism in relation to clothing. What exactly is veganism? And what are the...
How can I upcycle my old clothes?
Throwing away old or broken clothes is something I sometimes don't think about at all. But did you know that you can easily give these garments new life by upcycling them? This is not only super creative but also very environmentally friendly! Upcycling is becoming a...
What is jacquard?
A jacquard loom is a loom that can be used to make the most complex patterns. In the past, complex patterns such as brocade or damask were made by hand. It is not possible to make complex patterns on a dobby loom. The arrival of the Jacquard loom brought many new...
How do you recognize different fabric compositions in your textile product?
Each fabric has certain properties and characteristics. Similarly, different materials may have been incorporated into one product to enhance each other or for economic reasons. But how do you recognize these different fabrics that have been incorporated into your...
What is a dobby weave?
If you are not really familiar with looms but are very busy with textiles, you will probably have heard this one by now. Dobby, also known as Harry Potter's house-elf, but not the one that this article is about. Loom A dobby is a loom, just like the eccentric and the...
The history of the curtain
I recently came to a special discovery, namely that curtains were not used as we now use them. Curtains were not on the windows but around the bed. Curtains were mainly used to separate rooms. In the old days, these were just simple pieces of cloth attached to the...
8 Simple tips for a sustainable and clean wardrobe
8 Simple tips for a sustainable and clean wardrobe You want to contribute to a greener world? Then start with your own wardrobe! The fashion industry is very polluting and its impact on the earth can be greatly improved with a few small changes to your own lifestyle....
What is a panama weave?
The white panama hat, who doesn't know it. The weaving of these hats is pure handicraft and is considered a true art of weaving. The weave used in weaving these hats is called the panama weave. The panama weave, also called "mat weave", "natté" or "basket weave"a...
History of the Breton stripe
The Breton stripe is a real friend to everyone. Due to its common character and simplicity, it is loved in almost every wardrobe. In this article I will tell you more about the history of this stripe. How did the Breton stripe become a classic? Historical context...
How can I recycle my own clothes?
To be fair, recycling clothes can be even better! But how? The clothes you wear show who you are and what you like. With the many trends that come and go every summer and winter, we buy it all. We only wear many items a few times and then end up somewhere in the back...
Sustainable washing, how do you do that?
Big washes, small washes… how should we maintain and wash our clothes? And how to do that as sustainable as possible? An important way to keep clothes beautiful for longer is often forgotten. We wash more and more at lower temperatures, but is that enough? We think...
Is there Dutch wool?
We are often asked whether there is Dutch wool. The answer is yes, there is indeed Dutch wool, but whether this wool is also good enough for clothing is the real question. Wool is a collective name for animal fur. When we think of wool we often think of a sheepskin,...
Enschede Textielstad: then and now
When you walk through the city of Enschede you can still see factory chimneys sticking out here and there. These are remnants of the textile city of Enschede. In two centuries, from 1728, Enschede became one of the largest textile cities in Western Europe. In the...
Shirt Making: How Much Fabric Do I Need?
It's great fun to make a shirt for yourself (or someone else). A shirt is easy to combine and can be worn both casual and dressed. There are endless possibilities in the choice of fabric. Beautiful cotton in solid colours, or stripes and other patterns. Nowadays there...
The history of linen and cotton
Properties of linen and cotton Cotton is considered by many to be the most comfortable natural fabric in the world, linen is also seen as a very refined and luxurious fabric. Both fabrics are made from natural raw fibers. Linen is made from the bark of the flax plant...
What does the black tie dresscode mean?
Crevate Noire, or black tie, is a dress code that you often see at awards ceremonies, weddings and other parties. But what does it actually mean? Currently, due to the COVID-19 pandemic a lot of parties are canceled, but you better be well prepared for when all of...
How is recycled cotton made?
Cotton is the most commonly used fabric in the world. We wear cotton, we sleep in cotton bedsheets and decorate our house with cotton articles such as cushions, curtains or carpets. Cotton is a natural product that has unique properties. It is an ideal fabric for both...
Scrunchie DIY: How to pimp your hair tie with fabric waste
Follow our step-by-step guide to make a scrunchie from sustainable fabrics.
How much fabric do I need to make trousers?
Always difficult when you start a new project; how much fabric do I need exactly? If you want to make your own clothes in a sustainable way, it is important not to waste any fabric. That is why you can order most fabrics per 10 cm in our webshop. Today Anton, who...
Buying fabrics: how much do I need?
It is always difficult: how much fabric do you need to make a particular garment? You do not want to buy too much fabric - to stay sustainable - and at the same time it is a pity if you have just too little. Fortunately, there are handy tricks for this. Useful tips...
Sustainable curtain fabrics
Prior to writing this blog, I completely immersed myself in the world of curtains. Did you know that there are many different types of pleats? I only knew the standard pleat and apparently it is called pencilpleat. Pretty pleats Pleats are created by the width of the...
How are sustainable fabrics made?
By starting this article, we want to let you know right away, that this is not an easy question to answer. A perfectly sustainable fabric does unfortunately not exist. However, the focus of the EU waste management policy is placed on the disposal of waste, the...
How is linen fabric made?
Most people are familiar with the word “linen”. But how is it made? What most people don’t know, is that linen fabrics are made from flax The flax plant comes in two variations. One flowers blue and the other one white. You might have driven past fields full of blue...
Add colour to your interior
Since ancient times, colour has had a symbolic meaning. Painters and artists have always used colour to evoke or influence emotions. The interpretations and also the quality of colours have become richer over the centuries. Colour often determines if you find...
How do you iron a sustainable shirt?
As a tailor, I iron every day. The ironing board is in the middle of my studio and is possible switch on and use at the touch of a button. In the tailoring process it is good to iron a lot, both in between and at the end of a project. People often ask me how they can...