MANUFACTURING OF THE PRODUCTS

Where are Nuppu’s products made in?

All Nuppu’s products are made as locally as possible, meaning as close to Finland as possible. We want to minimize the emissions and costs of the transporting the goods. We also want to support Finnish and European work, and all our products are manufactured in EU. All our products in the web shop have information of the manufacturing country.

Do you ever think about the environmental and sustainable aspects?

Yes we do, quite a lot actually. Read more about Nuppu's values.

Do you sell ready-made garments?

People are often asking us to sell ready-made garments, but we want to focus on the patterns on fabrics. Garment production is a totally different kind of business from fabric production.

But we are cooperating with other companies! The first collaborative clothing collection with Finnish Lumoan was launched in February 2020.  Learn more here.

Why are there defects in fabrics?

Unfortunately, there are sometimes defects in every product. In fabrics, the defects can be for example small holes, color defects or stains. Even ready-made garments might have defects, though they go through the hands of several quality controllers.

The fabrics are inspected at the manufacturing unit and we check them one more time, while cutting the ordered pieces. But sometimes we miss the smallest defects. So please check your fabric before the pre-wash. If you find anything wrong, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

BUYING AND ORDERING THE FABRICS

Where can I buy Nuppu fabrics?

Basically you can buy Nuppu fabrics from our web store or at fairs and other events. Almost all Nuppu fabrics are also available in Salapakka, the fabulous fabric store in the heart of Helsinki, which is our close partner. If you are in Helsinki, we recommend you visit it! You can even sew there!

As the global pandemic continues, we have decided to give Nuppu’s single jersey for retail in selected places. That allows our customers to go and feel the fabrics and see their colors. Nuppu single jersey is now available at Kimmi in Finland, Den är min and Tant brun på kullen in Sweden and Juels.dk in Denmark.

Outside the EU Nuppu has fabric retailers in USA, Singapore and Norway. Our stationary products have several retailers, find the closest to you here!

Can I come to your studio for shopping?

We don’t have a shop at our studio, so mainly we can’t take visitors in our studio. You may pick up your web order from the studio, but please make an appointment with us beforehand, so we are there for sure and your order is ready. Every once in a while, we arrange open studio sales and then you are warmly welcome to visit us there!

Why is the minimum order quantity of fabric 50 cm?

There are many steps in processing a fabric order. The bolt must be searched and the piece measured, cut and packed. These steps take time and they are the same, no matter the size of the piece. The cutting compensation is also relatively bigger in smaller pieces. So it’s simply not profitable to cut smaller pieces than 50 cm. You may order the material samples, if you would like to see and feel the fabrics.

Why haven’t you measured the fabric precisely the length that I ordered?

When you cut the piece of fabric from a roll or bolt, it starts to pull back to its natural measurements. This applies especially to single jersey and stretch college. In the finishing part of the production the fabric is stretched, because it needs to be smooth and wrinkle-free when put on a roll. That’s why the fabric on a roll or bolt is little bit stretched. We do our best in estimating how much the fabric will pull back after cutting and cut little bit extra fabric. Otherwise the 1 meter that we cut, could have shrunk into 98 cm by the time it reaches the customer. We cut the fabrics by hand and sometimes the cutting might get slightly crooked. We compensate also for these human errors by cutting little bit extra when cutting your fabrics.

What is Nuput Buds -card?

We wanted to thank our loyal customers and give you something nice. That's how we came up with an idea of a loyalty sticker card. With each order you will receive a sticker that is meant to attach to Nuput Buds card. Once you have collected 6 stickers, send us a photo of your card by email and you will receive a surprise with your next order! We will add a sticker to every order, but if you would like to get the card, please write Buds-card in the additional information field in your order. Max. 2 cards/ customer during one year. Card and stickers are personal. 

USING THE FABRICS

How do I use the different fabric qualities?

You may order the material samples, if you would like to see and feel the fabrics.

• Single jersey and french terry are well suited for clothing purposes since they are stretchy fabrics. Both of them are firm and smooth. Let your imagination fly and make the clothing of your dreams!
• Sports jersey, as the name of the quality tells, is made for sports clothes. Nuppu has two different types of sports jersey: sleek and soft sport jersey. Sleek sport jersey is quite stiff. It’s especially suitable for swimwear and leggings. It is chlorine-resistant and gives nice support. It even has UV-protection UPF 50+. The soft sports jersey is better for indoor sports clothing, like tops. Also the soft sports jersey has UV-protection. Both qualities are made from recycled polyester.
• Softshell is a very versatile fabric for outdoor clothing. The backside of the fabric is brushed, so clothes made of softshell, like jackets or overalls, don’t necessarily require lining. Softshell is a great material also for backbags and gloves. It is water resistant and protects from wind. 
• Tracksuit fabric is extremely high-quality polyester fabric, and a great material for sports or light outdoor clothing. Nuppu's tracksuit fabric is very comfortable to wear, since it's bi-elastic and the backside of the fabric is brushed soft.  It is anti-pilling and includes UV protection (UPF 50+). The material is naturally moisture wicking and helps keeping the body temperature steady.
• Thin cotton is a good material for small interior projects or curtains, but it is also perfect for clothing purposes. Both men’s shirts and ladies’ dresses have been made from this material. It doesn’t wrinkle a lot.
• Thin cotton sateen is at its best in clothing, like dresses and shirts, because it drapes beautifully and feels super soft on your skin. It’s not recommended to use for products that require durability, like cushion covers.
• Thick cotton sateen shines in an elegant way and has been woven tightly. That’s why it is also durable and a great material for purses, cushion covers and festive clothing. It also looks gorgeous as tablecloths!

Do I need to pre-wash the fabric before sewing?

It depends on the purpose of the product you are making. If you are going to wash the product, you should pre-wash the fabric before cutting. Then the fabric shrinks as much as it will and the final product won’t shrink significantly anymore. This applies especially to single jersey and french tery. But if you are not going to wash the product you are making, like a bag or armchair, you don’t need to pre-wash the fabric. And in small product, like purses, the pieces of the fabric are so small that you wouldn’t even be able to notice the shrinkage.

Pre-wash of synthetic fabrics, like sports jersey, isn’t necessary, since they don’t stretch in production in a similar way as natural fibers. 

We don’t recommend pre-washing the fabrics from various companies together. Even if they all could be prewashed in 40 degrees , the fabrics printed in separate places can transfer dye to each during pre-wash. 

Why should the fabric be pre-washed?

After printing the fabrics are washed and pulled straight on a certain machine where it dries. After that the fabric is rolled and folded on bolts. During these operations the fabric is slightly stretched and it can’t release completely when it’s on a roll or bolt. When the fabric has been cut, it starts to pull back to its natural measurements. After the first wash it has shrunk as much as it will. 

There’s no dye or chemical residues on fabrics, that would cause a need to pre-wash the fabrics. 

How do I wash the clothes I have made of Nuppu fabrics?

It depends on the fabric. Please check the washing instructions for each fabric in the washing instruction card, that you got with the fabric. To minimize the fading of the print, wash the clothes inside out. A rule of thumb for washing multi-colored clothes is, that wash them with similar colors sorted by the lightest part of the multi-color. Wash using a delicate program and set the spin cycle to 800 rpm. Unfortunately many ecological washing programs that use less water and take a long time, subject the fabric to more wear than regular washing.

May I tumble-dry Nuppu fabrics?

In the washing instructions that we have gotten from fabric printing mills, the tumble dry isn’t recommended. The heat perishes elastane. If you are going to tumble-dry the clothes, you should also tumble-dry the fabric after pre-wash, since tumble-dry makes the fabric shrink more. 

Couldn’t you just print the designs with coloured background on coloured fabric? 

Due to the multicoloured prints with tiny details, Nuppu’s fabrics need to be printed digitally. Digital printing could be compared to an ordinary inkjet printer. If the paper is dark, you can’t see the printed colours, or you don’t see them in the right way. If you print on coloured fabric, the color paste needs to be covering. It’s not possible to use that kind of paste in digital printers. In digital printing the colors are thin and don’t make the fabric feel harder or thicker, which we think is a great advantage of the technique!

Is it allowed to sew products of Nuppu fabrics for resale? 

A short answer: no. 

Longer explanation: It is allowed to have tailor-made pieces but manufacturing-like production is prohibited. So if you would like a seamstress to make a dress for you from our fabrics, go ahead. But if you were planning to make 20 baby leggings for sale, it’s not allowed. We would like to hear, if you have come up with an idea of cooperation though!

Why do most of your jerseys contain elastane?

There’s also 100% cotton single jersey in our collection, but it’s not very popular. One of the reasons could be that major part of patterns are designed for fabrics that contain elastane. Single jersey that has elastane in it, is stretchier than the one without and it’s easy to get a well-fitting result. That’s why you can’t necessarily use the same patterns for both qualities.