Textile Repair Powder and Wonder Tape

Recently we have been checking out and investigating two of our more unusal haberdahery items to bring you the low down on how to use these gizmos!

First up is the Prym Textile Repair Powder (Price £3.60), which we have always been a bit puzzled by how it works.

After some investigating, this is what we found......

Put simply it is for repairing fabrics when they have been ripped or worn out.

It comes in a small tube with a sort of shaker dispenser at the top for shaking out the loose fine powder.

There are some instructions included with the powder, but here is a link to a handy video that is really clear at showing the steps.

First you have to create a little template (I just used normal paper) for applying the power to a specific area around the tear. I also used the same template to cut out my patch from some of the same fabric, lining up the pattern so it would match. If you didn't have the any of the same fabric to hand you could just use another one and make it a bit more of a feature, or apply it to the back of the fabric. It would mean the tear would still be visible but at least it wouldn't get any bigger.

Then place your patch on top and iron on, use a piece of grease proof paper to protect your iron.

And voila! The patch will then be stuck to the fabric and will cover up the tear. On the back the tear will be held together too. If you had access to the back of the fabric you could always repeat the process to the back of the tear for extra strength.

I think this stuff would be particularly good if you wanted to repair a tear in a lining of a coat for example, or when you couldn't really sew the patch on with a sewing machine as the stitching would show up somewhere you didn't want it to. And, it's going to be more robust than your average hand sewing I'd say. Pretty nifty!

Next up is the Prym Wonder Tape (£5.40 for 9m).

It is a double sided adhesive transparent tape that can be stitched through, and it disappears after washing.
It's perfect for loads of things including…..

• Basting in zips (my fav!)
• Basting on pockets or appliques or waistbands
• Stabilizing and basting hems or seams across the stretch of a knit fabric.
• Holding trim in place for stitching
• Basting slippery fabric
• Matching plaids or prints
• Holding a button in place while you sew it
• Keeping appliques in place while they're sewn (hand or machine)
• to keep bulky fabrics together when pins won't get through all the layers.
• Hold shoulder pads in place until they can be tacked in
• Hemming napkins, dishtowels, placemats - it will give an exact 1/4 inch doubled hem
• Can be used for paper crafty also.
• Or for use where you cannot or do not want to use pins – such as slippery fine fabrics or fine jerseys when the edges tend to curl as you pin and sew seams.

The tape doesn't come with any instructions as such but it's really eaasy to use when you have a use for it.

Just simply stick it on your fabric (or zip like in the picture) (it's really easy to reposition and it doesn't loose it's stickyness that quickly).

Peel back the white tape to leave the double sided sticky bit on the fabric, then place your zip or other bit of fabric on top and then stitch away pin free!

It's really easy to stitch through and generally helps to stablise the fabric to give you neater stitching, especially on fine or stretchy fabrics.

Overall we think its great for beginners and pros alike as it helps to keep things in place and stable when your starting out but can also make jobs a lot quicker if your more experienced.

Have you ever used these things before and have any extra tips for us?