Fabric question

[mommy2abigail]

Actually 3.

1.Anyone ever use silvercloth or silencecloth? They are SOOOO soft, 100% cotton, kind of fuzzy, like the underside of fleece jersey is, but softer. I wanted to line some diapers with it, but didn't know how it held up....

2.Velvet....can this be a stay dry liner? I saw 100% cotton velvet at my fabric store. I can't seem to find cotton velour, so I was wondering if this could do the same thing?

3.Wool batting. This may sound crazy, but could I make a cover, with both sides flannel and in between the batting? This batting is machine washable, so I could throw the whole cover in the washer....

I am asking because my local Hancock fabrics is going out of business!!! Everything is going to be discounted so I am looking to stock up on things I normally wouldn't be able to afford. THanks!!!

[Minoh]

I don't know about any of those questions really :. But with respect to your 3rd question, I know that the Ottobre diaper uses cotton batting. Do you think maybe wool batting would take too long to dry and be hard to wash?

[mommy2abigail]

I dont know about the wool...I was thinking maybe a cover, or last night I thought maybe I could make some wool doublers?
Anyone else??? I HAVE to take advantage of this great store closing sale!!! COme on, help me spend my $!!!

[ssroh]

I don't see why you couldn't do the wool cover if it's covered on both sides with flannel. I'm not sure how leakproof it would be since batting is generally a looser texture than what you would use for shorties/ longies. I would recommend that you wash and dry the batting before you sew it, it will probably shrink quite a bit, as well as the cotton flannel you will use with it.

Not sure about the others, but maybe you could ask for 6 inches of the velvet and wrap it around one of your inserts/ doublers to see how stay dry it would be for your babe?

Susan

[cyncyn]

Hmmm...interesting questions!

I would not user silvercloth because it has tiny particles of silver embedded in it (to attract tarnish). Silence cloth is usually just a thick flannel so probably ok.

Cotton velvet and velour can be used as a type of stay dry fabric. The effect is not as pronounced as with polyester wicking fabrics like Powerdry or microfleece. You need to have something underneath that it very absorbent to start the moisture moving down the raised fibers (nap) of the velvet. Basically the wetness flows down the fibers, leaving the tips drier. YMMV on that. Also, some velvets or velours need delicate laundry care to avoid matting or shredding, both of which will negate the wicking.

You would not want to put cotton inside a diaper cover as it would get wet and wick around the edges to the outside fabric (also cotton in your example). Wool batting generally needs to be quilted every few inches to keep it from shifting when washed. Otherwise you end up with a big clump in one end. All that extra stitching through the layers might leak too. Wool batting is fantastic for nap pads and other items that can be quilted and washed less frequently. If you are able to felt the wool batting down into a solid piece (i.e. can't tear it with your hands) it could work better for a cover.