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So, what is PUL fabric? Or polyurethane laminate – apart from being a mouthful!?
Polyurethane laminate can be abbreviated to PUL fabric.
PUL is special… It’s a waterproof AND breathable fabric!
Why is this important?
Well, it means if you make waterproof items of clothing your body heat has a better chance of escaping into the atmosphere!
Heat escapes THROUGH the fabric – so you “glow” less.
It’s pretty brilliant!
PUL has 2 sides.
One side is a polyester knit, so has a slight stretch which is great for clothing.
The other side has a laminate coating applied.
It’s slippery and shiny – this is the waterproof bit.
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As well as single layer PUL we also stock sandwich PUL which works in the same way but instead of being composed of 2 layers of fabric there are 3 layers. The layer of laminate is sandwiched in between 2 layers knit fabric. This is especially helpful if you don’t want to have the shiny laminate side against the skin as it’s hidden away between the knit layers. It’s also stronger so if you are applying a kind of fastener such as KAM snaps, extra reinforcement isn’t required around the fastenings.
Uses: Cloth nappies and wraps, anoraks, waterproof trousers, wet bags, swim bags, changing mats, changing bags, mattress protectors, pillow protectors, baby bibs, picnic blankets, incontinence products, anywhere you need a waterproof, breathable layer.
We ALWAYS get asked this.
Is there a right side to ensure “waterproof-ness”?
There isn’t really, it’s a personal preference.
The fabric will be waterproof no matter which side you choose, so go with the look that pleases you most!
That said, for aesthetic & comfort reasons I usually use the knit side as the “right” side most often.
It’s more comfy if your project will be close to the skin.
✂️ Needle: Use a stretch needle
✂️ Stitch Length: Use 3mm stitch length
✂️ Machine Foot: A walking foot is helpful. If your machine foot is sticking then you can apply a bit of Scotch Magic Tape to the base of your normal machine foot
✂️ Thread Type: Polyester thread is recommended to match the fabric composition
✂️ Sealing sewing holes: When you sew your needle will leave tiny holes behind in the laminate layer which MAY affect the waterproof effectiveness of your garment.
These holes are easily resealed … either:
✂️ Pop your garment in the tumble dryer on low for 20 minutes
✂️ Or if you’re using our White PUL it’s weldable so just iron it (using a pressing cloth!) and the holes will seal!
❤️ A special note regarding our own brand of white PUL … we get this manufactured ourselves here in the UK & it has some very special properties:
☔ Its waterproof YET breathable
☔ Its medical grade
☔ Its weldable giving you a completely sealed seam (Look! No leaks!)
☔ Its fungistatic which – apart from being a brilliant word – means it inhibits the growth of fungi & bacteria ?
☔ Its double laminated – whaaaat’s that?! It means it lasts longer & is less likely to delaminate over time as it’s washed loads
☔ Its fire retardant
Love the sound of PUL? So where can you use it?! Well… anywhere you need a waterproof layer really…. here’s some handy projects on our blog!
Other ideas include….
Have you sewn with PUL fabric? Have you got any tips to share?
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Hello! And welcome to day one of Real Nappy Week 2015. In this series I hope to share information about nappy making fabrics as well as letting you know about the offers we have running this week, so let’s talk about the offer first. Today you can enjoy up to 20% off PUL which is the waterproof layer used in a cloth nappy (as well as a whole host of other applications). We will be having different fabrics on offer each day. If you’d like to get involved in more than one offer 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. (more…)
This is my third article for Sewing World (eeek!), you can read about the two here and here. Don’t forget there’s a discounted subscription offer available for Plush Addict customers. You can get a 12 month subscription for only £39.99 (that’s a saving of £19.89) use the code PLUSH14 at check out here. Grab yourself a copy and sit down for a good read with a cuppa, I’m in the “Techniques” section. You can also get your mitts on this magazine at WH Smiths. Next month is the last in the series and I’ll be writing about natural alternative sustainable fabrics. I’ve really enjoyed writing this series and I’m looking forward to doing a bit more writing in the New Year once the Christmas mayhem has subsided at Plush Towers a little. I hope you enjoy it! 
Image Source: Michael Miller
Following on from my popular post about the fabric possibilities for dribble bibs I thought it would be a good idea to run a series of these posts to talk about the other more specialist fabrics we stock in the Plush Addict Shop. We get lots of questions about which is the best waterproof fabric to use for a particular type of garment or handmade item so I figured this would be the next one in line for a bit of (hopefully!) helpful blurb. (more…)