Hey lovelies,

I've recently had the chance to use a new to me product which I'd love to tell you about. I purchased it fair and square and thought you would like to know a bit more about it.

It's a new type of headliner fabric. It's either for luxury car ceilings, or lazy bag makers (like me!). It's a faux suede bonded to a 2mm foam headliner. I thought it would help eliminate the need for an outer stabiliser and I was right, I was really pleased with it.

I purchased it from an auto upholstery business in the dark grey colour. I bought 1m and it's 1.4m wide for £14.99 plus £6.99 postage. That makes it a bargain in my book as I used such a small amount! There are similar products cheaper but I haven't tried them and I've always had excellent service from DIY foam upholstery Supplies so I'd recommend them whole heartedly. (They also sell rug grip by the meter, I'm noting that for sure!)

Faux suede one side, foam the other

It arrived on a roll by courier the next day, although that's not guaranteed by the seller, and it had a very slight plastic smell, but it certainly wasn't noticeable until it was pressed, when it did become stronger in the steam. The smell was gone once my bag was made.

To decide how to cut your pattern pieces, you should run your hand over the nap and decide which direction you prefer. Then cut all of your pattern pieces with the top facing the same direction so that the nap runs the same way on all of your pieces.

I found it very easy to cut through, it wasn't bulky or thick and it was easy to press with a pressing cloth. You should not press on it directly.

Welt zipped pocket

I found it slightly tricky to topstitch around my welt zip pocket, although no harder than any other textured fabric. I did find that it preferred my walking foot, although I've yet to find a bag that didn't!

This Suedetrim™ doesn't mind pins, but it's worth noting that you should avoid visible basting as it can show. You can steam (using a pressing cloth) any pin holes though and they're not noticeable.


I loved the ease of use, I loved that I didn't have to spend time cutting and applying separate stabiliser. The only con I can find is that my bag does have a slightly foam-y bouncy quality as opposed to true faux suede which has a slightly heavier feel. For the ease and practicality I can totally live with some bounce!


This new product gets a very big two thumbs up from me and my Manhattan bag, designed by Emmaline bags for the Bag of the Month Club, April '15.


I'm head over heels in love with my Manhattan bag and I hate Janelle for designing it instead of me!*

I contacted DIY Foam upholstery who said that they've been supplying headliners to bag makers for some time now and are always happy to help where they can. They're looking to add more colours to the range in future so it's worth keeping an eye on their store. Matt from the store did also say, "In addition we also have other headliners that are just as versatile. We have a brushed nylon & various textured nylon headliners. " So if you're interested in other products, do please contact them.