Everything You Wanted To Know About Lutradur
(but were afraid to ask!)
What Is Lutradur?
Lutradur is a non woven polyester material. At first glance, it looks like dressmakers interfacing, but its unique spun woven structure makes it see through in nature. It comes in a variety of different weights; the lighter the material, the easier it is to see through it.
What weights does it come in?
We currently supply white material in weights of 30 gm, 70 gm, 100 gm and 130 gm and black material at a weight of 70 gm.
Why would I want to use it?
It’s a truly versatile material. It doesn’t fray, has a slight sheen, is see through (see above), can be combined with all other types of material, can be painted, dyed, distressed with a soldering iron or heat gun, glued, stitched, embroidered…there are no limits to what you can do with Lutradur! It is also suitable for paper arts, such as making books, altered books, card making, Artist’s Trading Cards (ATCs) and postcards.
Can I run it through the printer?
The heavier weights of Lutradur can be run through the printer without backing paper; however, because of the structure of the material, some of the ink is inevitably lost. The lighter weights can be run through attached to freezer paper; again, the lighter the paper, the greater the ink loss. However experimentation with your printer settings is worthwhile.
What kind of dyes can I use with Lutradur?
Disperse dyes are suitable for dyeing lutradur. These dyes are painted onto paper and then transferred by ironing the dye onto the material. They are also available in crayon form.
What about paints?
If it works on cloth, it’ll work on Lutradur! However, if you use thick paint, you will lose the see through nature of the cloth. Better to work with washes of paint.
And inks?
Absolutely. Pens and pencils, too.
Can I use heat to distress Lutradur?
Yes you can. It is possible to use both a heat gun and soldering iron for distressed effects; it tolerates the heat of a hot iron in the transfer dyeing process, but if you leave the iron on the material too long, you can also produce a distressed effect, sometimes when you didn’t intend it!
How does Lutradur withstand intense machine stitching?
Depends on the weight of Lutradur you are using, and how you are using it. As with any other material, the lighter the weight, the more distortion is likely when you stitch intensively into an area. The heavier weights will take a lot of stitching; the lighter weights, if fused onto a supporting material (which would be visible through the lutradur), can also be stitched like this.
Can you stitch Lutradur by hand?
Of course. Hand stitching can look particularly effective.
What colours does it come in?
White and black are the basic colours of lutradur.
Can I print on it?
Yes. The transfer dyeing process lends itself to printing as well as painting, with a suitable thickener (contact your dye retailer for more information).
Can I use my embellisher on it?
Lutradur makes a great base cloth for the embellisher, but it can’t be felted onto other cloth.
Did we miss your question?
Email us on sales@spunart.co.uk with your questions, and we’ll do our best to answer them.
Who are Spunart
Spunart (which is a subsidiary of Spunweb UK Ltd) concentrates solely for the service and supply of Lutradur nonwoven materials marketed into specialist non industrial applications such as quilting, and the crafts sectors.
Who are Spunweb UK Ltd
Spunweb UK Ltd are the official agent and distributor of Lutradur covering the UK and Ireland, and have been involved in the marketing of Lutradur for a wide range of industrial applications. We have built our business based on a high level of service, which we are now extending to the Spunart operation.
Why haven’t we heard of Spunart before.
Although we have been working with the producer of Lutradur for nearly twenty years, marketing a range of nonwoven materials into the industrial sector, only recently have we started to adapt Lutradur for selling into the quilting and design segment
Who and where is Lutradur produced.
Lutradur is manufactured by the Freudenberg Nonwovens Group, who are the largest manufacturer of nonwoven materials in the World. Material is supplied directly to Spunart from their European facility situated in Germany.
What have Spunart to offer quilters/designers
As the official distributor of Lutradur, Spunart are able to offer a wide range of weights, together with extensive stock levels, some at different widths.
Furthermore, due our close association with the manufacturer we are therefore able to quickly introduce any new developments, and/or innovations into this market sector as they arise.
What different Lutradur products are available.
Currently at Spunart we hold extensive stocks of Lutradur including Lutradur, 30, 70, 100 and 130 all in white, as well as the recently introduced Lutradur 70 in black.
We are able to supply anything from a one meter length up to 50 and 100 linear meter rolls, at any one time, generally within 3 days from receipt of your order, from our warehouse situated in the East Midlands.
Are there any new Lutradur developments likely
At the moment we are investigating the possibility of introducing an even heavier weight Lutradur into this sector, if following our research we believe that a market exists for such a weight.
How can I buy Lutradur
You can either purchase your Lutradur directly and safely on line using your credit card, or if you prefer by calling 01332 554610 and we will accept your payment by cheque.