so confused--PUL/fleece questions

[neveryoumindthere]

hi...'im a newbie..never sewn anything b4 except some pillows in elementary school and a tote bag a few months ago...i want to try making a pocketstyle diaper but i have some questions..

i've been reading some posts and i'm just confused...from what i understand from the instructions i have the inside is microfleece and the outside is PUL...so how come i'm reading posts about ppl using fleece as the outer??? if the fleece is taking in the moisture adn keeping it from babies skin and goin to the insert and the PUL is keeping it from soaking thru, then how can u use fleece on the outside too??:

also, i went to a fabricstore here and the microfleece i found was 18.98 a metre (not much of a difference btwn a metre and a yard)...is that ridiculously expensive? or is that how much it usually runs?? i didnt buy it cuz i was like please i'm not paying that much..so i went to walmart and found fleece that feels exactly the same and it just said (Malden)fleece--didnt say 'microfleece' on it and no one could help me there,UGH it was really irritating..they had this young boy working in the fabric department and when i asked him he was like u just have to look thru everything i dont know if we have it..wht the heck?!?...
anyway is this the malden mills fleece i hear so much about?? it was only about $4 per meter!!

also about the PUL, does it have a diff. name? can u believe both of the FABRIC stores i went to (not including walmart) didnt know what i was talking about??? i'm not an expert so i dont know what i'm looking for exactly...like i mean if i saw it i might walk right by not knowing what it is...

what is the link to joann's fabric website? do they sell PUL...we live in canada but dh works in the states so i can tell him to get some b4 he comes home from work

ok thanks for reading all of this
hope someone can answer
so far at least 2 posts i posted here have been ignored

[dotcommama]

Hi - I'm no sewing expert either, but I'm working on making a pocket dipe. Here is what I've found out so far.

About fleece -

There are two kinds of fleece (at least two anyway ). Microfleece which is thin and will wick moisture away from the baby and then there are other types of fleece which are treated so that they are water proof. Therefore you could make a pocket dipe with microfleece next to the baby's skin and the waterproof fleece as the outer layer.

Craft stores don't sell PUL - you have to order it on-line. Also the microfleece you can pick up at a craft store is not that great of a quality and will probably pill after several washes. I don't think craft stores sell waterproofed fleece.

Here is a link to some places that sell PUL and all kinds of fleece online:

http://www.sewshoppe.com/fabric.shtml
http://www.janellespuls.com/

I've only had a few minutes to try to make one and so far it was a disaster - but I'm still hopefull. I have to find a time where I have two solid hours to sit down and go slow (doesn't happen often with a 5 yr old, 3 yr old and a 4 week old!) I'm hoping this weekend my dh will watch all three boys for a bit so I can try again. I have some PUL and some waterproof fleece. I did buy some cheap microfleece from the craft store to use as the inner layer b/c I didn't want to spend a lot of money on supplies until I knew I could make a usable diaper.

Also here is a link for a pocket dipe pattern incase you need it:
http://www.geocities.com/gabrielbaby1/fuzzibunz.html


Let us know how your diaper turns out!

[jjquilter]

I've made tons of diapers and covers, so here's what I know.

Microfleece - thin fleece that is waterproof/resistant. If you put water in it/on it, it doesn't get absorbed at all. If you use it as a diaper cover, though, pee goes all the way through it if it gets too soaked. $20/metre is not unreasonable.

Polar fleece - thick fleece that soaked up water like there's no tomorrow. It repels the first part, but then gets totally soaked and wet. I get it for about $7/metre. I use it as a cover for my diapers since it dries fast and repels moisture as long as babe isn't sitting it it for too long. After a while, though, it can get really wet. The advantage of fleece is that it truly breathes, unlike nylon or puls.

PUL - Poly-urethane laminate. This is a coating (you can spray it on fabric yourself from a spray can) that is put onto fabric, usually to ripstop nylon or polyester fabrics, to make them waterproof. It wears off after a while, but if the coated side isn't hidden (ie when sewn) then the garment can be re-waterproofed with an extra coat of spray. These fabrics, in order to be waterproof, are not truly breathable. You have to buy them online -- don't even bother looking in fabric stores for them. Outdoor fabric outlets might be your best shot.

Does that answer most of your questions? I wouldn't bother investing in fancy fabrics. I tried them and was sorely disappointed. I haven't tried gore-tex, mind you, but that's more like $30/metre, a little too much to spend for a small-time diaper sewer like myself.

[neveryoumindthere]

what is gore--tex..

i was JUST about to post a question about this stuff i bought at the fabric store yesterday..it was called 'AMTEX diaper lining" and it's 100% nylon...
is this the same as gore-tex with a different name?? it seems thin but waterproof..do u think i could use this to make the outside of a dipe..it WAS expensive (well i dont really have anything to compare it too)...$15 a metre

so do u think that malden fleece i got would work..i too dont want to go all out and buy the great materials online b4 i'm sure i can make it *look* like a diaper.lol

thanks so much for all ur help dotcommama and jjquilter

[jjquilter]

Gore-tex is two layers of nylon with a waterproof coating between. At least traditionally, that's what it is. I believe that the company makes different kinds of materials, though, and I know that some are not two layer. Anything that doesn't have a protective coating over the waterproof layer will lose its waterproofness in time.

As I said, fleece is far from waterproof. BUT, it's breathable, so there you win. The same can't be said for PUL, even though it's a very popular fabric for diapersewing. However, it IS better than plastic!

[pinky]

Just thought I'd add my $.02

Originally posted by jjquilter

Microfleece...$20/metre is not unreasonable.

That's a reasonable retail price, but there are lots of mamas that run co-ops for diaper making fabrics, and you can get both first-quality and seconds for much less. Go to Yahoo groups and do a search for fabric co-op and you'll find a lot, I'm sure. If you have trouble, PM me and I can send you some links.

Microfleece is sort of an "optional" diaper-making fabric, IMO--it's generally used as the topper for a doubler or on the inside of the diaper in order to wick moisture away from baby and keep him or her feeling dry.

Polar fleece - thick fleece that soaked up water like there's no tomorrow. It repels the first part, but then gets totally soaked and wet. I get it for about $7/metre. I use it as a cover for my diapers since it dries fast and repels moisture as long as babe isn't sitting it it for too long. After a while, though, it can get really wet. The advantage of fleece is that it truly breathes, unlike nylon or puls.

In my experience, the characteristics of polar fleece vary a lot depending on what kind you use. The malden mills 300 wt. or windpro are extremely water resistant but they are also more expensive--but IMHO totally worth it. Less expensive fleece tends to get pilly, wet, and doesn't really breathe that well. Co-ops are a great source for malden mills fleece.

PUL - Poly-urethane laminate. This is a coating (you can spray it on fabric yourself from a spray can) that is put onto fabric, usually to ripstop nylon or polyester fabrics, to make them waterproof. It wears off after a while, but if the coated side isn't hidden (ie when sewn) then the garment can be re-waterproofed with an extra coat of spray. These fabrics, in order to be waterproof, are not truly breathable.

Actually, PUL can be both breatheable and waterproof, b/c the holes for air are actually smaller than water molecules. I have had great luck with the breatheable PUL from New Conceptionsand Janelle's PUL
It worked great for a nighttime cover and held up great...I never considered trying to recoat it or anything like that.

HTH!