Sirdar Yarns

Located in the West Yorkshire city of Wakefield, an area steeped in a rich textiles heritage, Sirdar occupies a site of some 16 acres and employs over 300 people. The company is equipped with the latest machinery for the converting, spinning, dyeing and finishing of top quality yarns.

Research and development is an important facility. A team of yarn specialists works with the leading forecasting agencies and component suppliers to    ensure that the company's products anticipate the fashion trends in yarn    construction and colour.

The creation of fashion led hand knitting patterns is also a speciality. These are    produced within Sirdar's design department to meet the needs of every hand    knitter. A knitting advisory service is available to help customers with their knitting queries.

From modest origins to international pacesetters in hand knitting, the Sirdar story has been over a century in the making. Founded in the Yorkshire West Riding town of Ossett in 1880 as Harrap Brothers, the fledgling company moved to its present site in 1890.

The Sirdar name was adopted in the early years, being chosen to reflect the aura of Lord Kitchener's appointment as Sirdar or leader of the Egyptian army. It was in the 1930's that the name was used to brand the company's range of hand knit yarns which were sold exclusively through retailers.

Twilleys of Stamford

Manufacture a wide range of needlecraft and assorted craft kits. There are 500 designs available in various styles. All of Twilleys kits are produced, assembled and distributed from our factory in Stamford, Lincolnshire. From the initial ideas stage through to the finished product, a dedicated team utilise on site facilities which includes design, silk screen printing and final kit assembly.

Twilleys tapisserie wool is available in 490 shades and is used in all of our tapestry kits and long stitch cushion kits. Tapisserie wool is also available in 10 metre skeins as a stand alone product. Twilleys stranded embroidery wool is available in over 175 shades and is used in a vast majority of our longstitch kits. Stranded embroidery wool is also available in 76cm hanks as a stand alone product.

Twilleys sell a wide range of cottons and specialised yarns, from crochet and knitting cottons through to metallic mixes. All of our yarns are balled and packed on the premises by our fully trained staff. An ever expanding range of household and fashion pattern books are available to support these yarns.

Twilleys also distribute a comprehensive ranges of hobby and haberdashery products from their site in Stamford.

Alpaca Select

Alpacas live 3000 to 5000 metres above sea level, in the high mountain plateaux of the Andes. The natural living conditions are extreme, temperatures ranging from -25 degrees centigrade at night to 18 degrees centigrade with strong sunlight during the day. Alpacas are able to survive the extreme conditions by developing a fine soft coat. These hairs are hollow and have excellent insulation properties.

There are two different types of alpaca;the Suri, which has a smooth, soft and shiny coat and the Huarcaya with a bushy, wavy coat.There are more than 15 natural colours of hair from white to jet black. The finest hair comes from the first shearing of the young alpaca.

In comparison with other natural fibres, the production of alpaca is relatively small. Alpaca products will never be mass produced, as the animals can only be sheared once every 2 years. In this period each animal produces 2-3 kg of hair.

The textile industry is a long standing tradition in Peru, not only with Alpaca, but also with cotton and wool. All our products are handmade in Peru by the finest craftsmen.

Design Objectives

Creative Expressions

Supplying craft shops across the UK

The Creative Expressions brand is owned by our parent company, Express Services, which has a 40 year heritage as a rubber stamp manufacturer.

From our UK headquarters in Kettering, Northants, we supply the huge range of Creative Expressions products to a national network of nearly 800 craft shops.

Please use the Store Finder facility on this site to find a retailer near you...

Papercraft Shows and Events

Express Services is organiser of the hugely successful 'Big Stamp and Scrapbooking Show' and is introducing the 'Imagine' workshop event for 2007.

These spectacular papercraft events will take place alongside each other twice a year at Alexandra Palace in London.

For more information, and to find out how you can book tickets please look at the Shows and Events section of this website.

Unique Support Network

We pride ourselves in offering a unique support network for our retailers and their customers.

By providing superb customer service and a huge variety of educational tools and events, we aim to help you develop your skills and knowledge, and ultimately your business!

Stix2

UK Industrial Tapes have over 7 years experience in the Specialist Adhesive Tape Industry. We have supplied a huge range of products to a variety of industries, including many bespoke products.

Over the last 5 years we have been the UK's largest supplier to the Art & Framing Industry, of self adhesive tapes & packaging products. We have worked with this market area developing a range of Conservation / Archival - Acid Free products, including Gummed Paper Tape, Gummed Linen Tape & Self Adhesive Linen Tape.

With this knowledge and experience we are now launching our new range of Stix 2 products to the Hobby, Craft, Greeting Card & Scrap Booking Market. With over 80 products in this new & exciting range, there is something to meet everyone's needs.

UK Industrial Tapes Ltd
Unit A
Station Approach
Earls Way
Team Valley Trading Estate
Gateshead
Tyne and Wear
NE11 0ZF

Woodware

Woodware began trading in the craft industry over 15 years ago, starting as a distributor for just one American rubber stamp company. During the time since then our ranges have increased; we are now distributors many other companies.

Our ever increasing 'own brand' ranges of Wood mounted and Clear Polymer self cling Stamps, a huge range of Craft Punches, 'Sticky Stuff', Blank Cards, Envelopes and Papers, Embellishments, Ribbons, Wires, Display Solutions, various 'Tools of the trade' and an extensive list of educational aids including Books, DVDs and Videos etc.

Purple Cows

Dill Buttons

Button art of the finest quality is the time-honored concept that has inspired Dill World of Buttons since 1924.

Our corporate headquarters are located in Bärnau-Beierfeld (Bavaria), Germany.     

Here we manufacture our own packaging, blend and dye our own raw materials, as well as constructing molds and tooling for exclusive button designs. As a result of continuous updates to our state-of-the-art facility, we offer buttons of the highest quality, extremely competitively priced with exceptional service levels.

Dill Company History

Dill, a family owned business founded in a village in Bavaria, has grown from a small workshop to a state-of-the-art facility. The company has become one of Europe's most important manufacturers of fashion buttons, incorporating 25,000 styles into their product line.

The company has grown from a small workshop (working with mother-of-pearl) into a modern factory where design and production are computer-supported.

History of button making

Button Museum         The button was invented in Asia thousands of years ago. Each style period has discovered it anew. Fashion without buttons is unimaginable. Whether haute couture or uniforms buttons are the definitive accessory. Then and now. In years past buttons were only manufactured by hand and from natural materials. Nowadays Dill manufactures buttons for every type of fashion, from every imaginable material, in any desired shape, in any color (even gold or silver plated), in any quantity and always using the latest techniques.

Dill brand name buttons are the result of a complex production process.

 If you come to North Bavaria, make sure to visit the Button Museum in Bärnau, the city of Dill.

Ecological Impact

It is impossible not to have an ecologically sound attitude in a landscape as beautiful as the Upper Palatinate Forest, immediately adjacent to international health resorts and spas, in a region known for its love of nature and tradition. Button production at Dill complies with the most stringent provisions of German environmental regulations. The company has invested in state-of-the-art equipment to ensure ecologically sound production.

Wizard Toys