Unfortunately, we cannot take on all the projects we receive. As a knowledge institute, we have a selection policy; we focus on innovative fashion, art and design projects that also have a link to the museum collection and our exhibition programme. In addition, the lab’s capacity is divided between established makers, young talent and educational programmes. If your project fits into our programme and we can accommodate it, we will send you a tailor-made quote and timeline.

Knitting is a method of making fabric by creating loops in a single continuous thread. Weaving is the process of interlacing horizontal and vertical sets of threads. Because of its structure, knitted fabric is more elastic and pliant than woven fabric. Compare a knitted T-shirt with a woven pair of jeans, for example.

The other main difference is that weaving has a set base structure; the width of the fabric on the machine is always 170 cm. Knitting does not have a set base structure. You can knit straight lengths as well as separate panels; the shape can vary.

You can come and work in the TextielLab yourself, or we can develop a project for you while you watch remotely. See the options here.

Unfortunately, you cannot buy yarns from our yarn collection.

No, the TextielLab does not share yarn suppliers’ contact details. We keep an extensive yarn collection in stock to minimise delivery times. We have our own permanent collection as well as a comprehensive overview of our suppliers’ current assortments. We can source these relatively quickly.

The assembly studio can finish most products to your specifications. This applies to fairly simple products such as wall hangings and household linen. We cannot finish complex tailored items such as fashionwear.

Museum visitors can watch our experts at work in the TextielLab’s tufting department. You are welcome to come and see the technique in action and to ask our experts questions.

If you want to learn the technique yourself, you can apply for an internship in the tufting department. You can also submit a project proposal and indicate that you would like to be physically involved in producing your tufted work. For more information about tufting in the TextielLab, click here.

We recommend Kobor for buying cheap remnants of wool and other yarns. The TextielMuseum itself does not sell yarns. We order yarns for use in our makers’ projects. We buy the yarns and other materials we need from companies that supply the textile industry. These companies only sell in large quantities.

• Tufting machine: If you are just learning to tuft, an electric, manual tufting machine is a good place to start. You can buy this online. Search for ‘electric rug tufting gun’, for example, and compare the prices of different sellers.
• A pneumatic tufting machine is suitable for advanced tufters. You need an air compressor to produce the necessary pressure for the machine. Hofmann Handtuft-Technik makes good, hardwearing hand tufting machines.
• Tufting frame: You need a tufting frame to stretch out the backing fabric or grid. You can make your own sturdy frame from wood. The frame is then mounted with nail slats to hold the grid in place. You can buy nail slats from tufting atelier Fabrikaat by emailing info@fabrikaat.nl.
• Grid: Fabrikaat also sells grids and canvas for tufting.

Yes, we can do this in our Damask Laundry. The laundry is part of the museum’s Damask Weaving Workshop, where we display the museum’s collection of table linen. This is also where old damask looms from the 19th and 20th centuries can be found. The Damask Laundry washes uncoloured table linen, including embroidered and openwork tablecloths.

No, the TextielMuseum does not have a restoration workshop. To find a textile restorer, please visit the website of the Dutch Association of Restorers.

Belgian’s Monumentenwacht has produced a brochure on preserving and storing ecclesiastical textiles, which also contains useful information for other types of fabric. The brochure provides tips on cleaning, packing and storing textiles as well as suggested treatments for damage caused by, for example, insects and exposure to sunlight.

Would you like to know more? The museum’s Textile Committee regularly organises symposia on subjects such as textile restoration, maintenance and preservation. The lectures given during these symposia can be found in the reference work Studies in Textiles in the museum library.

The TextielMuseum is home to the largest specialist textile library in the Netherlands. It is open to all textile lovers, both professional and amateur. If you have a specific question, do not hesitate to contact our library team on bibliotheek@textielmuseum.nl.