What the Tulle? A guide to Tulle And Net fabric

by Kellie Rose | Oct 2, 2018 | Dress Net & Tulle Fabric, Fabric, Fabric Guides, Fabric Information Guide

You will need this guide to tulle and net fabric because Halloween is just around the corner and what better fabric to create a statement with your costumes this year than dress net? We get asked a lot about both tulle and dress net and there seems to be some confusion about this family of fabrics and whether tulle and dress net are actually the same thing (they’re similar, but not the same). We thought we’d put together a fabric guide to help you decide which type of net is best for your project, along with some tips on how to handle this fun and holey cloth!

Option for finishing dress net raw edges

What’s the difference between Tulle and Dress Net?

It’s all in the drape, softness and size of the holes! Tulle is much softer to the touch than net and has smaller holes and it generally isn’t as stiff as regular dress net. Tulle is used for soft support, net is used for a stiffer look.

Tulle Fabric: Tulle is much softer and has smaller holes than dress net, it has a much better drape than traditional dress net and is often used for bridal veils, petticoats and can also be used as an interfacing. Tulle can also used for ballet tutus but will be starched. High quality Tulle can be made from nylon or silk, and nylon tulle is much crisper than silk.

Dress Net Fabric: Net, or dress net is an open-mesh fabric with larger holes than tulle and it can be made from rayon, silk, nylon or cotton but commercially it’s usually found in nylon, unless you’re shopping for bridal fabric. Dress net can range from very sheer to very heavy and most of the dress net fabric available commercially is made from nylon and is quite stiff and is perfect for costume making where structure is required. It can also used in evening gowns, petticoats, millinery and for underlinings and net makes great ruffles which add volume to a garment.

Dress net makes fun costumes

Sewing with Dress Net & Tulle

Layout & Cutting

High quality Net & tulle do not have a true grain, but there is more stretch in the width than the length. Despite not having a true grain it is advisable to cut conventionally with the lengthwise grain arrows parallel to the lengthwise grain of the fabric. Using a rotary cutter with net will give you the most accurate results. Follow the “Without Nap” cutting layout.

Machine needles

To make the most out of this guide to tulle and net fabric, use universal or sharps needles in sizes 60/8 – 80/12, depending on the weight of your net.

Stitch length

Use stitch length 1.5-2.5mm. You may need to lower the tension on your machine, always test on a scrap first.

Thread

Use a good quality polyester or cotton thread

Machine feet

Use a wide straight stitch or roller foot. You may also benefit from using a small hole needle plate if you have one.

Markings

Safety pins or tailors tacks are a good choice for marking on net. Remember to use a contrasting thread for tailors tacks for ease of visibility!

Seam Finish

Net and tulle do not unravel so seam finishing is not functionally required, however for aesthetic reasons you can choose plain seams, french, bound (with chiffon or tricot), rolled hem, you can even use a narrow satin stitch. Seams should be as narrow as practically possible. You can also overlock net fabrics; reinforcing with seam tape when overlocking would be a good idea just in case the net rips. Use a bound seam at the hem to prevent dress net from itching or scratching the skin.

Closures

Don’t use button holes as they will pull out of the fabric. You can use instead button loops or small, reinforced snaps.

Other Top Tips for Sewing With Net Fabric

Place a small square of water soluble stabiliser between your machine foot and the fabric at the beginning of seams, and at the beginning and end of darts to stop your machine chewing your net.
Hold on to the top and bottom threads at the beginning of your seam to avoid the fabric being pulled down in to the needle plate.
Careful with the iron! Most commercial net fabric is made from nylon and will melt under high heat so ensure your iron isn’t too hot and that you use a pressing cloth.
Make a test seam to determine your stitch length and use tissue paper if your feed dogs are tearing the fabric
Stitch slowly! This will help to prevent unwanted puckers or gathers.

Have you ever sewn with high quality net or tulle? Have anything to add? Do share your tips with us , we love to hear from you!

Dress net adds volume to a hem

What Is Taffeta Fabric? A Fabric Guide

by Kellie Rose | Jul 5, 2018 | Fabric, Fabric Guides, Taffeta

We’ve been getting lots of enquiries about taffeta fabric recently & we’re putting its popularity down to the fact that both wedding & prom seasons are upon us and taffeta is a very popular choice for posh frocks!

With its crisp finish & subtle sheen, it’s not surprising taffeta is a go-to fabric choice for special occasion garments.

Get 10% off Taffeta fabric with codeTAFFETA10

Explore are Taffeta Range here

Taffeta’s not just for posh frocks tho! It’s also great for luxe home furnishings – think glam cushions and curtains!

Here’s a quick summary of taffeta fabric & some top sewing tips…

What is Taffeta Fabric?

Taffeta is a fine, crisp, noisy woven fabric with a gorgeous sheen that also rustles when you walk!

The word “taffeta” derives from the Persian word tafta, which means “glossy twist”. Originally the fabric was woven with highly twisted silk fibres and it’s the highly twisted yarn that gives taffeta its characteristic crispness.

These days taffeta can be found made from a variety of modern fibres such as nylon, viscose, polyester, acetate, or even a blend of these fibres making it an affordable & accessible fabric choice.

See Our Taffeta Colours

Shiny!

Explore are Taffeta range

What Can Taffeta Fabric be used for?

Taffeta is very versatile fabric nad makes great

dresses
bridal wear
evening dresses
prom dresses
suits
blouses
linings
lingerie
costumes
hats
bags
curtains
cushions
lampshades.

Tips for Sewing with Taffeta Fabric

Needle size: It’s best to use a Sharps needle with taffeta for both machine and hand sewing. On a sewing machine it’s best to use sizes 60/10 – 80/12 – depending on the weight of the taffeta
Stitch length: Use 1.7-2.5mm. Hold the fabric taught when sewing to help prevent puckering.
Thread: All purpose cotton or polyester thread.
Machine Feet: use a wide straight stitch foot or roller foot.
Layout: Use the “With Nap” layout when cutting out a pattern especially if your taffeta is iridescent
Fabric markers: Any type are suitable EXCEPT wax. Mark lightly and a little as possible. Ensure your test on a scrap of fabric!
Pins: pins can permanently mark taffeta so you may wish to consider using weights or clips but extra fine pins can often be used. If you find your fabric has pin holes these might be removed by gently scratching the fabric where the hole is. These extra fine pins are amazing and highly recommended!
Pressing: Use a warm, dry iron and press on the wrong side where possible. Always use a press cloth if pressing the right side of a garment as it’s better o be safe than sorry. Always test press on a fabric scrap before pressing your garment.
Taffeta does not ease well so choose a style of pattern that allows for this. Curves like princess seams might be an issue. You may consider reducing the ease in a sleeve cap if you’re having trouble setting in a sleeve.
Taffeta can crease easily which can be greatly reduced by underlining a garment with silk organza or net.
Interfacing: It’s best to use sew in interfacing with taffeta to offer more stability and because iron on interfacing requires steam , which taffeta doesn’t like.

Explore Out Taffeta Range

Well I hope you taffeta sewists found that helpful! Are you planning on using taffeta on a project soon? Please let us know how you get on, if these tips helped you and do feel free to send us some photos of your creations! We always love to see them….

A beginner’s guide to fabric

by Kellie Rose | Feb 7, 2017 | Fabric Guides

Confused about woven, non-woven & knitted fabrics ? What is the difference?!

Want some tips on choosing fabric if you’re a beginner sewist?

In the past I’ve written quite a number of fabric guides but none have really gone back to the very basics.

For some of you this post will be teaching you to suck eggs, but for those less experienced I hope this is a useful resource to help you demystify some of the terminology and help you choose the right fabric for your next project.

Fabric Composition

Manmade vs natural fibre fabrics

Fabrics are made of fibres and these fibres can be either natural or manmade. Natural fibres are derived from plants or animals and will biodegrade, making them a great choice for the eco-consious Seam-Star!

Examples of natural fibres are cotton, bamboo silk, wool and linen.

Natural fibre fabrics are comfortable to wear as they are breathable.

Be warned though – hey may also shrink when laundered and could lose their colour… Talk about giveth with one hand and taketh with the other! Pre-washing is always recommended for natural fibre fabrics, particularly if you are dressmaking.

There is nothing worse than investing your precious time in to sewing your masterpiece only to have it shrink in the first wash

Manmade fibres on the other hand are usually produced by some kind of chemical process and include fibres such as polyester, spandex or nylon.

Mostly, but not always, manmade fibres are more affordable that natural fibres. They also tend to be more hardwearing and less likely to shrink or lose their dyes through laundry. They are less likely to be breathable fabrics so are likely to keep you warmer if you make clothes with them.

What about fabric blends?

Just to mix it up a little, fabrics can be combined together giving you the best of both worlds. – these are called blends. Polycotton is a good example of a blend – here you have the easy care of polyester added to the comfort of cotton – it’s a cheaper fabric than 100% cotton too. There are literally endless varieties of blends and each will have their own unique characteristics.

Then there’s viscose, which is kind of a half way house. Viscose (or rayon as it’s better know in the USA) is made from wood pulp but it’s very heavily machine processed to turn it in to fibres for weaving. It’s breathable like a natural fibre and has a great drape so is a perfect fabric for dressmaking, but one can’t ignore the heavy processing to turn it from wood to cloth. Read out full guide to viscose fabric here

What Is Fabric Hand?

Ever heard people describing fabric as having a “lovely hand” and wondering what on earth they were going on about?!

No, fabrics are not sprouting limbs & digits – all it means is how the fabric feels against the skin and how it drapes. Is it crisp or soft? Does it crease? Does it stretch? Is it heavy or light? It’s quite a subjective term and a good hand for one project might not be the best hand for another.

Fabrication: Woven, Non- Woven & Knitted Fabrics

Fabrics are also classified by fabrication, this means simply how they are constructed. If you’ve ever wondered what the difference between woven, non-woven, knit or stretch fabric is then read on…

What Is Woven Fabric?

Woven fabrics are literally strands of fibres woven together so they interlock and form the cloth. The most common woven fabric is a plain weave construction, like cotton poplin.

Woven fabrics have warp and weft threads which interlock in different ways to create a different surface look, feel and strength, see the diagram below. Most quilt cottons are poplins which are stable and easy to sew.

Denim is an example of a twill weave, which runs diagonally (if you’re interested you can read my denim fabric guide here)

Or a cotton sateen fabric is a satin weave which makes the fabric feel smooth and has a sheen. The weave differs as four or more shafts of the warp floats or weft floats in a diagonal.

Woven fabrics can be made up from wither natural or manmade fibres.

What Is Knit Fabric?

In a woven fabric there are two threads – the warp and weft which are woven together to form the cloth, whereas in a knit fabric there is only one thread which is literally knitted together, just like you would if you were knitting with yarn & needles.

There are lots of types of knitted fabric and the one thing the all have in common is that they stretch. Knit fabrics include jersey, interlock, or fleece.

They will all differ depending on the type of knit-stitch used to construct the fabric (it’s literally similar to knit one row, purl one row)

Knit fabrics can also be made up from either natural or manmade fibres.

What Is A Non-Woven Fabric?

Non-woven fabrics are made from long fibres which are bonded together by chemical, mechanical, heat or solvent treatment. Felt is a good example of a non woven fabric. Interfacing is also an example of a non-woven.

Tips for choosing fabrics if you’re a beginner

When you start sewing it’s always a good idea to start with fabrics which behave themselves and are easy to sew.

Choose a woven fabric – Woven fabrics with a plain weave are a good choice for beginners as most do not require complicated seam finishes or special handling. Cotton poplins for a medium weight fabric or canvas, Oxford cloth or broadcloth if you need a heavier weight.
Think about the fabric’s pattern – It’s a good idea to choose a plain fabric or one with a small print or stripe. If you don’t pattern match this type of print it, won’t be so glaringly obvious.
Choose dark colours – Dark colours will hide stitching imperfections
Choose stable or moderate stretch fabrics like a double knit or interlock – you can get away without seam finishing these fabrics and the less they stretch the easier it will be to sew. They will also curl less than a lighter jersey.

I hope that was helpful and might have cleared up any questions you may have been too afraid to ask. If you have any further questions don’t hesitate to leave a comment and I’ll do my best to help out.

A Plush Addict Guide To: Quilt Wadding (Batting)

by Kellie Rose | Jun 3, 2015 | Fabric Guides, Fabric Information Guide, Product Guides, Tutorials

This Guide Has Moved & Been Improved.

See the Updated Guide Here

Choosing-Quilt-Wadding-Blog-Banner-1024x576

Whether you’re new to quilting or a dab hand in that area, choosing which wadding you’ll need for your quilt can be a tricky business.

Not only are there loads to choose from, but there are so many words and phrases associated with wadding that just go straight over your head, am I correct?

Well we’re here to help answer all the questions you’ve never had answered, teach you the basic lingo and hopefully put your mind at ease for the next time you need to purchase wadding or attach wadding to your quilt project.

Wadding, or ‘batting’ as it is known in the US, is the layer of material in between your quilt top and backing fabric, and the type of wadding you choose will determine the way your sewed quilt will look and feel.

The first thing you need to consider is how thick you want your finished quilt to look. This is where the ‘high loft’ and ‘low loft’ come into play.

Loft

A high loft means the wadding is thick with more apparent quilting lines and will ‘puff out’ more, whereas a low loft is thin and better for a flatter finish and for showing off your piecing rather than the actual quilt lines.

Most quilters prefer to use a low loft as it’s easier to machine or hand quilt and a high loft can be difficult in this area due to too much bulk.

The good news is that low loft waddings are just as warm and cosy!

Composition

The composition is the next factor you need to bear in mind when choosing your wadding.

There are various benefits for all types of wadding, whether it be their great quality, durability or economical value.

Take a look at a few examples of wadding compositions along with their pros and cons and how you can better understand them.

Cotton

Cotton is a soft, breathable, natural fibre and a popular choice for many quilters. Cotton wadding tends to shrink if not pre-shrunk, creating a classic, wrinkly ‘lived in’ look, and whilst it’s usually a low loft, this can vary, so there are more options when choosing a wadding suitable for your project.

Some cotton waddings are needle-punched, giving them extra stability, making them a good choice for wall hangings or items that will be heavily machine stitched. For those who prefer hand quilting, you’d be better off looking for a cotton wadding without needlepunching or scrim. It is one of the more expensive waddings available, but with the price does come quality.

Polyester

Polyester is a popular choice which of wadding which has been used by quilters for years as it comes in a variety of lofts, is very durable and is less costly than all other commercial waddings.

It is light, doesn’t shrink and maintains its shape, but it isn’t as breathable and doesn’t drape (how it feels after being quilted) as well as cotton or bamboo waddings.

As it is one of the cheaper waddings available, it can have a tendency to beard after a while, which is more evident if your fabrics are dark coloured.

Bamboo

Bamboo is an increasingly popular choice because it’s a more sustainable plant than cotton.

This wadding benefits from being environmentally friendly and its naturally low lofts gives it a good drape. Plus, it’s soft, cosy and great quality!

It’s suitable for both machine and hand quilting.

You can find out more about bamboo by taking a peek here at our Absorbent Fabrics Guide.

Blends (poly-cotton/bamboo-cotton)

These combine the ‘best of both worlds’, and are designed to make quilts loftier and lighter while still providing the benefits of natural fibres.

Blends are easy to work with, a good choice for quilters who are unsure which wadding would be best for their quilt and also benefit from being cheaper than pure bamboo or cotton.

Colour

It might not seem like a big thing to bear in mind when choosing your wadding, but the colour you pick can affect your finished quilt.

Waddings generally come in three colours: white, natural and black.

Whilst white is the most commercially available and arguably the most popular, black wadding is a much better choice for quilting projects using darker fabrics as it won’t show through.

So before you buy, make sure you think about which fabrics you’ll be using for your quilt and which colour wadding would be most beneficial to you.

Should I pre-wash wadding?

We are constantly being asked whether you should wash your wadding and whilst many wadding brands will state that pre-washing is recommended – we don’t think it’s necessary.

Pre-washing your wadding DOES help to reduce shrinkage as well as take out any oils & resins, but as most wadding has already been washed during the manufacturing process we don’t see this as an issue.

But what about shrinkage?

There might be a small amount of shrinkage, but usually it’s not very much at at all – maybe 3%? And personally, we LOVE the slightly wrinkled effect on a washed quilt – it feels kinda vintage!

However, if you don’t like this look and want to pre-wash then it’s best to do it in the bath! Just pop your wadding in a bathtub full of hot water and leave it for a bit. Be warned – your wadding will be pretty darn sopping when you get it out, so it’ll be very heavy. Watch your back !

As you lift it, you’re probably going to stretch the wadding which may make it thinner in some places – this isn’t ideal.

You might try a delicates cycle or handwash in your washing machine but you run also the risk of it distorting your wadding.

If you do pre-wash then dry your wadding as flat as possible to avoid further stretching.

How much will I need?

It all depends on the size of your quilt.

Simply measure up the size of your quilt and buy as much as you need for your sewing project!

Most waddings are available by the cut half metre and they can also come pre-packaged in standard sizes for crib, twin, double and king, so you’ll be ready for the project that you wish to make from the get go.

And that should be most things covered!

If you’re still unsure about some of the words or phrases used throughout the guide, take a look below at the handy glossary.

Wadding Glossary

Batting: general term used for wadding in various countries including the USA

Drape: How a quilt feels after being quilted. Good quality wadding will allow your quilt to drape around you comfortably without being too stiff.

Loft: the weight and thickness of wadding. A high loft means it’s thick, a low loft means it’s thin.

Bearding: When fibres separate and push through the top layer of the quilt. Often happens with cheaper wadding

Needle-punched: mechanically felted together by punching them with hundreds of needles, causing the fibres to intertwine and bond together, making it denser

Scrim: a thin grid of polyester/synthetic stabiliser which is needle punched into the wadding to stabilise the cotton fibres and prevent them from bearding. Also adds strength and stops the wadding from distorting and stretching.

No scrim: With no scrim, the stitches must be quilted closer together to keep the fibres separating. Waddings with no scrim are a good choice for hand quiltin

We stock a variety of different wadding for all your quilting needs! Hop on over to the website and browse the world of wadding!

I hope that you’ve found this guide useful and that when you next need to buy wadding it will cause you less of a headache!

Happy quilting!

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Cloth Nappy Fabrics 101 Part 5: A Guide To Plush and Outer Fabrics

by Kellie Rose | Apr 23, 2015 | Cloth Nappy Making, Fabric Guides, Fabric Information Guide, Minky Fabric, Sustainable Sewing

Boring Legal Bit: If you follow any tutorial or guidance found in this post, or on this blog, you agree to be bound by our disclaimer which can be viewed here

Hello! And welcome to part 5 of my nappy making fabrics guide (you can read the rest of the series here). Today we’re going to talk about one of the best bits of cloth nappy making – the pretties!! The outer layer is where most of the fun happens so read on….

Today we have 20% off all plush/ minky as well as quilt weight cottons so fill your boots! If you’d like to get involved in more than one offer this week but are worrying about the accrued postage costs – don’t! Just leave us a note at check out and ask us to hold your order until the end of the week then we’ll dispatch it all together and refund you any postage charges due. We also have 20% off nappy making kits all week long.

The use of the word “pretties” is rife within the cloth nappy community and boy, are there some amazing creations out there. Many WAHM (Work At Home Mum) creations really excel at turning nappies in to works of art.

So what are the fabrics you can use on the outside of a nappy?

PUL

A lot of mass manufactured nappies will use PUL as the outer layer. This works well for a number of reasons. Firstly, that you’re using the waterproof layer as the outer layer so you are reducing the number of layers needed by one. This means it costs less to make and you get a slimmer nappy. The down side comes when considering the pretty factor – it’s more difficult to embellish and customise PUL without affecting it’s waterproof properties. With the right handling it is possible to embroider on to PUL but those needle puncture holes will eventually weaken the PUL and longer term is likely to affect the performance and longevity of your nappy.

PUL as an outer fabric

Plush/ minky fabric

To my mind, this is where the magic happens. Plush is great to use as the outer of a nappy, keeping it simple it comes in an array of pretty prints so you can get a good looking nappy with minimum effort. It’s very forgiving for less than perfect stitching as stitches get hidden in the pile and let’s face it, plush fabric is one of the nicest, most stroke-able fabrics you’ll ever come across and what nicer feeling is there to have on your baby’s bottom?

You can read my full Guide to Plush Fabric here which has some hints and tips about sewing and a guide to it’s composition and handling.

You actually don’t need any fancy machines to create spectacular nappies, just check out this amazing creation from Bumble Bees (this is actually my nappy, I’m SO lucky!)

Image courtesy of Bumble Bees MCN

You can use applique really effectively to create some really amazing effects.

Image courtesy of Bumble Bees MCN

Image courtesy of Bumble Bees MCN

But if you are lucky enough to have an embroidery machine then there really is no limit. I mean, just look at this from Dinky Dot Bots . If these don’t have you adding an embroidery machine to your Christmas list, I don’t know what will.

Image courtesy of Dinky Dot Bots

Image courtesy of Dinky Dot Bots

So as well as being pretty and tactile, using plush as the outer of a nappy does have some functional benefits. Because it’s a polyester fabric it won’t easily absorb moisture, this means that it’s unlikely to wick any moisture on to your baby’s clothes.

Cotton

Another option for your outer layer is to use a quilt weight cotton. Because of the vast array of choice, cotton is a popular choice to easily add some decorative magic to a nappy. Because cotton is a natural fibre and will absorb moisture relatively quickly it isn’t common to see the outer layer made completely out of 100% cotton because the risk of wicking is high. Often cotton will be teamed up with plush placing it as a high back panel like this:

Image courtesy of Bumble Bees MCN

Or at back and the front leaving plush fabric around the leg area like this:

Image courtesy of Bumble Bees MCN

All of that said, I recently had a chat with Toya from Made by Toya who reminded me that ages ago we’d spoken on the phone about using cotton as an outer and I didn’t recommend it because of the potential wicking issue, but I’d not tried it . She was keen to use fabrics from her stash so she did. And it worked! She used the Chelory method. which I’d not seen before so using cotton is definitely an option. This would be a great way to use up some of your stash and keep the nappy trimmer too.

Image courtesy of Made By Toya

Well I hope that has given you some idea of the different fabrics you can use on the outside of a nappy, and the design elements that are possible. I’ll be back tomorrow for the last in this series and shall be talking about the options you can use on the inside of a nappy, often called “Stay Dry Fabrics”

Cloth Nappy Fabrics 101 Part 4: Notions and Fastenings

by Kellie Rose | Apr 22, 2015 | Cloth Nappy Making, Fabric Guides, Fabric Information Guide

Hello! Today I’m taking a break from the fabrics today to talk about some of the notions and fastenings you can use when making cloth nappies. And welcome to part 4 of my nappy making fabrics guide, you can read the other parts in this series here. Today you can enjoy up to 20% off KAM snaps, lastin and Aplix/ Touch tape hook & loop. Wondering what an earth these are? Fret not! All is to be revealed…. If you’d like to get involved in more than one offer this week but are worrying about the accrued postage costs – don’t! Just leave us a note at check out and ask us to hold your order until the end of the week then we’ll dispatch it all together and refund you any postage charges. We also have 20% off nappy making kits all week long.

Fastening your cloth nappy

You have a choice of two main fastenings – KAM snaps or hook and loop.

Hook & loop fastening

Hook and loop is the generic term for “Velcro” (you know, like “Hoover” is the brand that has become the household term for “vacuum”) – one side of the fastening is covered in tiny hooks the other is fuzzy and made up of tiny loops and together they stick to form a firm fastening. You can’t just use any old hook and loop in a nappy though, you need some special stuff that can withstand the high volume of laundry that a cloth nappy goes through. Normal “Velcro” will just lose it’s stick after a few washes and won’t be any use to man nor beast. In a cloth nappy you need to use brands such as Aplix or TouchTape.

Hook & loop fastenings have their advantages in a cloth nappy, especially at the beginning. You don’t need any special kit to apply it, just a regular sewing machine and at change time they are super speedy (and often favoured by men!) but the disadvantage of using hook and loop is that as your little ones grows they will learn to be able to undo this type of fastening much quicker than using KAM snaps.

The nappies above have a hook and loop fastening, can you see the white hook and loop at the front?

KAM snap nappy fastening

KAM snaps, oh KAM snaps… oh how I love thee! Anyone that’s got busy with these wonderful fastenings will confirm how ace they are and SUPER useful for many things. KAM snaps are for life, not just for nappies.

The downer for a beginner in the nappy-making world is that you need either some pliers or a press to apply these “poppers” so it adds to the initial cost BUT they really are super useful little fellas and I’ve used them all over the place. You can use them instead of buttons, press studs and even zips. They come in a mind boggling array of colours and also different sizes and shapes. For a nappy you need a size 20 snap,

rather than a size 16. A size 20 KAM snap can’t be undone easily by small hands and they are also incredibly strong and are weight-bearing. A large wet bag full to the brim with dirty laundry will easily have its weight supported by one size 20 KAM snap.

As well as providing the fastening for a nappy KAM snaps are also very handy at providing a fitting adjustment in the rise of the nappy as seen in the photo below. The snaps on the rise can be popped together for the shortest rise setting when your baby is small and let out as they grow to make the nappy larger.

Lastin vs Elastic

There are generally two areas of a nappy you need some kind of elastic – around the legs and at the back. There are two main types used – Lastin and Polybraid elastic – and I can’t say that one is better than the other, it comes down to a personal preference.

Lastin

Lastin is a clear, flat elastic which has an amazing stretch and can elongate to 300-400% and it’s stretch recovery is amazing. Lastin is resistant to chemicals and doesn’t absorb any moisture so is equipped to stand up to the laundry demands of cloth nappies. Not only is it great for nappy making but it’s great for garment making too and is used to reinforce neck lines, arm holes and is great for seam re-inforcement. You should use Lastin brand in nappies and not just a generic clear elastic which might not be strong enough to hold shape or withstand the laundry regime.Lastin has a soft return on the stretch and is less likely to mark your baby’s skin and it creates really great looking leg gathers, not always possible to achieve with polybraid elastic.

Lastin was my personal choice when I was making nappies but some people find it difficult to use and experience breakages. The trick is to give it a bit of a pre-stretch before you sew it and then NOT to over stretch the Lastin when you are sewing it. If you over stretch it under the needle its likely to break. It can take practice as Lastin is super stretchy and will stretch more than elastic will so there’s not an easy “stop” indication. Practice makes perfect as they say!

Polybraid Elastic

Cheaper and more readily available, there’s nothing wrong with using good old polybraid elastic. It has a good return but it can be a little harsh on larger legs and can leave marks on your baby’s skin. It will still hold up well to frequent washing.

The only way to find out which you prefer is to try it and see which you get on with.

I hope you’ve found this useful. Join me tomorrow to talk about the outer layer of a nappy.

Boring Legal Bit: If you follow any tutorial or guidance found in this post, or on this blog, you agree to be bound by our disclaimer which can be viewed here

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