Interesting Fabrics...

[rolenta]

I've been looking through some wholesaler's catalogs (my mom owns a fabric store and wants to start stocking diaper supplies, so I'm helping her find all the various diaper fabrics one might need) and I came across a few that I haven't heard of before, but they might be useful. Here's a listof the fabrics, what they're made of, and the descriptions (if there was one). Tell me what you think:

"Diaper Liner" Fabric - 100% polypropylene
"Soaker" Fabric - 100% rayon. Used for maximum absorbency. One layer has the absorbency of four layers of flannel.
"Hydroflex" - 100% nylon. Waterproof and breathable.
"Polyhydroflex" - 100% polyester. Waterproof and breathable. Listed under "highly visible" fabrics.
"Cool Dry" Fabric - 100% polyester microfibre. Moisture control finish.

Also, they had these, which I thought might be useful in finishing diaper covers (in that I don't think they'd wick moisture).

Bias Knit - doubled folded 100% polyester bias tape.
Lycra Binding - 80% nylon 20% lycra

Also, while they didn't have any fabric listed called "polyurethane laminate" or PUL, but they did have several nylon fabrics that had a polyurethane coating. Is that the same thing?

Thanks in advance for your replies! My mom hopes to eventually stock all common diaper-making materials (and will eventually be going online) so we're both just doing a tonne of research. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Jes'sBeth]

I am a firm believer in PUL for the barrier layer. Others have used different waterproof breathable layers and honestly, they just aren't the same as PUL. I used a woven polyester with a sprayed on polyurethane treatment on the one side and it was NOT the same as PUL. Not in waterproofness and not in how it goes on the baby. PUL is also cheaper than most waterproof breathables. A lot cheaper. You can try it out for sure but I'd be cautious when ordering to make sure that you don't end up with a bunch of fabric you can't use.

Nylon isn't as strong as polyester. It does work but putting nylon covers in the dryer will damage them. Bummis original covers are nylon so it does work. No, polyurethane laminated nylon is not the same as PUL. Order some PUL from a diaper making store (you'll have to import it from the USA, it's a pain but totally worth it!) and compare it to other fabrics. You will very quickly see why it's used instead of other materials.

I've been wondering about lycra binding for awhile. It's easy to get and comes in lots of colours. Let us know if you use it and how it works!

I don't know about using polypropelene in diapers. I know my polypro long underwear holds smells like you wouldn't believe and that that's a pretty common complaint about it. I'm not sure if that's because there's something in sweat that sticks to the material or if that's just what the material is like. I'd personally be pretty cautious about buying something that has a polypro liner for a diaper. microfleece is readily available and not that expensive. Why not just use the right stuff? You can order it direct from Tonitex in Montreal if you're set up as a business.

I also don't want rayon in my diapers. I like my diapers being natural materials and much prefer cotton to synthetics for the soaker layer.

so, there's my 2 cents worth! hope it's helpful!

[mehndi mama]

I know a few commercial diaper companies use the rayon soaker stuff in their diapers, but really, the claim that it is superior in absorbency because one layer is the same as 4 layers of flannel isn't really saying much. You could say the same thing for Burley knit terry, or cotton fleece, which would probably be the better fabrics to stock, anyway.

I think the diaper-making materials you carry will depend on what patterns you intend to stock. Making diapers the way we do here - looking up patterns online, researching the best fabrics to use, and then trying to search out a local source - is not really the norm for most moms thinking about cloth diapering. For the average, they'll walk in, see the pattern, and want to buy what the pattern calls for. Not many will think about if there may be something better to use.

as previously mentioned, I would totally forget about polypropylene. and lycra binding works very nicely for diaper covers - I have a few coated nylon ones that had the elasticised edges bound in lycra.

So anyway, I think I'd research pattern sources first, figure out what you want to stock, and just carry the supplies for those patterns, plus some diaper flannel, twill, and birdseye for the people looking for those fabrics.