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Bamboo Bamboo, surprisingly, makes a beautiful fabric. It's extremely absorbent while being soft and silky, and is naturally antifungal and antibacterial. I use bamboo fleece, which is 85% bamboo and 15% cotton, and weighs in at 430gsm. Cotton I use a few different cottons-here's a quick rundown of them. All are 100% cotton. Flannelette-We all know flannelette! It is extremely soft and comfortable to wear, making it a perfect (and traditional) choice for nappies. It does tend to fade quicker than drill and will collect fluff in the wash. Drill-A tough fabric that holds up well to repeated washing and is slow to fade. I love drill as an outer of fitteds in summer-it's perfect for non-walkers who tend to drag their bums over rough surfaces. Quilters cotton-This fabric is commonly used in quilts, hence the name. It comes in many exquisite prints and patterns, and like drill, holds up to washing and wearing well, but is lighter and smoother than drill. Faux Fur As the name suggest, a short-pile fake fur on a tightly woven base that is 100% polyester. Very similar to minky but not as luscious to touch. Fleece Fleece, commonly known as polar fleece, is 100% polyester, and doesn't absorb moisture. Thicker fleece can be used as nappy covers and pocket and AIO outers, whilst thinner fleece (microfleece) can be used as liners and nappy inners. It's extremely breathable and cool to wear, but can compression leak if put under pressure (long car trips or sitting in the pram). Hemp Hemp is an amazingly tough fabric that is more absorbent than cotton and naturally antibacterial and antifungal. The hemp I use is hemp french terry, which is 55% hemp and 45% organic cotton. Minky/Minkee Called by both names, minky is divine. It is 100% polyester, giving it the same properties as fleece, but is made of a short pile on a woven base. It's stand-out feature is its softness, it is amazingly soft and silky to touch and extrememly pattable, and tends to remain so even after a lot of wash and wear. Needlefelt Needlefelt is used in healthcare for incontinence products as it is insanely absorbent-it absorbs up to 770% of it's own weight in liquid. It is 70% polyester and 30% viscose, and I use 2.5mm needlefelt-any thicker and it tend to get quite stiff. Notions Nappies are put through quite rigorous wear and washing, so need to be made with the most robust notions. I use swimwear elastic, high quality polyester thread for sewing and a combination of polyester and wooly nylon for overlocking. Snaps are polyacetal resin applied with a professional snap press. PUL PUL stands for PolyUrethane Laminate, which is the coating applied to the fabric to make it waterproof, whilst still leaving it slightly breathable. These features make it excellent for nappy covers and AIOs. I use PUL coated polyester. Suedecloth Another 100% polyester fabric, used as a stay-dry fabric for lining nappies. It consists of a woven base with a brushed top. Suedecloth is super-trim and super-soft, doesn't pill and is stain resistant. |