What an excellent video this one is. You present the information simply and with clarity. I especially like how you demonstrated the difference of sewn PUL vs oilskin - that was a very powerful way to show that PUL is easier to work with and gives a more durable result when turning sewn seams. Thanks for taking the time to make this excellent video and for sharing your knowledge.
Thanks for sharing this. I bought a solid color of fabric the other day, but I don't know the name. It has charactheristic just as PUL. Now I'm so sure it's PUL :)
By far the best content in RU-vid about the facts of good waterproof fabrics. How can I make 100% waterproof seams for a plant rooting chamber used in aeroponics? I do not want to use plastic containers because they are very expensive and hard to work with and setup, specially for large containers used in commercial settings. I think waterproof fabrics is the solution but do not know how to make 100% waterproof joints and seams. Thanks
planing to make loose and mid thigh water proof pants for my mom to over over adult diapers because sometimes it. an be heavy. Glad to know that those needle holes seals up with washing and drying. And you mentioned a lining so it doesn't snag. Good tip.
To avoid any confusion, please note that when I refer to the weave, I am referring only to how the fabric strands interlock - this is a knit fabric, not a woven fabric.
To buy PUL fabric, our range of solid colours, patterns and plush polyurethane laminate fabric can be found here - www.sewingbeefabrics.co.uk/product-category/fabric/waterproof-pul/
THank you for this informational tutorial. I'm wondering what size needle to use and what kind of thread. Should the stitch length be long so there are fewer holes in the fabric?? Thanks for your help and thanks for this tutorial!
Wondering the same. Do you use stretch needle or ball point? @sewingbeefabrics and yes do you use longer stitch length? here the stitches looked very very short.
Great, detailed overview. I have a question. When you sewed the heavier material, the video images made it appear that the tension was way off - the threads appeared not to be locked within the fabric. Was this intentional? Or maybe it was not a straight stitch - giving the seam an unusual appearance? Or, maybe it was just a casual demonstration? I’ve had mixed success with vinyl and like materials, so I suppose I’m asking if there are special techniques that would make sewing them more successful. There is not a lot of useful information available, so it’s very likely that I’m missing some important things. Side note: I’ve found that it’s often the thickness, rather than the material qualities, that make the biggest difference, when it comes to tearing. I’m guessing this is due to different amounts of shearing that occur when the seams are folded. Especially considering the 1mil PUL, that might explain part,of why the stitch/performance was so different. Even so, PUL is very forgiving. Anyway, I appreciate your helpful tips. Thanks.
Thanks for this information...I am going to be crocheting bags for Christmas and wanted something to line the bags due to these bag will be for laptops's and I would like to keep the stuff in the bag to get wet. I am hoping this works great. :0)
Before I knew about PUL I tried making doll raincoats & boots out of oilcloth - Disaster! Next I tried [brand name] Pleather. Nice shiny yellow available and only a bit easier to sew with. My last group of rain gear was made with PUL and what a difference that made! Thank you for this detailed background information. Could you also please post some background on the manufacture of your fabric? Some PUL uses environmentally save solvents in the manufacturing process and releases no volatile organics. Also, where is your fabric manufactured and under what conditions? Not saying I don't find this fabric adorable durable and a breeze to work with - but still I like to be environmentally responsible when I can.
We use a couple of different manufacturers to make ours. We only pick those that currently or recently have held oeko tex certification for their laminates/fabrics
Hi I made curtains an washed them in my washing machine I hanged the curtains wrong sides facing an they stuck together an tore badly how can I fix it the rubbery side
Great video!! From your demonstration... It shows that the top layer holds onto the water. Does it transfer that water onto skin? For example could this be used to make a waterproof blanket? I have a son who has a g-tube and it leaks at night and he wakes up cold and wet because the water sits in the fabric of his blankets. If I made this into a blanket he could lay on top of would it keep him dry? Would I have to have him lay on the back side of the fabric to stay dry? Thanks in advance! :)
Hello I enjoyed your video, you gave a very good information about the PUL fabric. Would you be able to tell us where we can get PUL fabric at a reasonable price to make things to sale? Thanks in advance. Dora
Are there any particular tapes, sealants, etc. that you could recommend to help improve the waterproofing of the seams - for either or both of the materials that you compared? Thanks.
Hi, I have a new grandbaby coming any day now and I am making a diaper changing mat clutch and was wondering if you can interface the PUL fabric and at what temperature would you set your iron? My pattern calls for Pellon SF101 and Pellon fleece so was just needing some advice on how to and iron temperature, I've never used PUL fabric before so this is new to me. Thanks so much for your help. Tammy
Thank you for this tutorial! I'm much more confident in making items with it now :) Any tips for what lining would be best to attach to the PUL? I'm making a large play mat for a friend's baby!
+poptin thank you! Maybe something soft like cuddle fleece if that side is facing up? Or maybe a batting with cotton layer - I'd just join the 2 before joining to the pul. Or, if you are having PUL facing upwards, maybe something that won't slide much on the floor like denim?
Wow it's really very informative tutorial! I'm a I.T guy and don't know about any chemical reaction but I have one question, may be you know about the DTG (Direct to Garment) printing process. For the dark garments we have to spray on a t-shirt with pretreatment and dry it with heat press machine before printing. This pretreatment process is used for binding the white ink (Textile Pigment Ink) on t-shirt. First white ink layer would be printed underneath then CMYK. I'm curious if we can use polyurethane as a binding agent for pretreatment process :). Your reply would be highly appreciated and thousands of people can get the benefit if your reply would be positive. In advanced thanks :)
I'm afraid I'm no expert on printing methods so i wouldn't be sure, but surely the pretreatment area would take on more of a shiny surface - not sure how well the CMYK would print on top of that. If you have a go, let us know!
The central issue with the proposed technique is that it would alter the drape and feel of the fabric (as briefly described in the video). Polyethylene, polypropylene and polyurethane have a translucent, white cast when not treated otherwise. Given that the human eye will naturally compensate for the material (fabric, paper, etc.) around images, 4-color images can be successfully printed and viewed in a surprisingly natural way on salmon colored newspaper, as a real-world example. So, if the change in drape is acceptable, the white undercoating may actually be unnecessary for printing on fabrics which have been dyed with colors that are not highly saturated. Of course, you mentioned “dark” garments, so YMMV. Although I have quite a bit of experience with both screen and offset printing, I haven’t attempted the process you described. However, I suspect that, were the poly mixed with titanium dioxide (cheap and readily available), you’ll get the undercoat you’re looking for. So, basically, yes. Hope that helps.
That depends how you look at it. Polyester isn't a natural fibre plus it has a polyurethane backing which isn't ideal for the environment. However, we had about 10 PUL fabric cloth nappy wraps that were used for 2 babies. They are still more than usable to be given for another baby - imagine how many hundreds of disposable nappies that little bit of fabric saved going to landfill! The same goes for cloth sanitary or continence pads, or using it to cover bowls instead of cling film etc.
Is there anyway to know if pul fabric is food safe, after it’s been cut from the bolt? I ordered some to use in reusable pads, didn’t like them, so now I want to make food bowl covers. I can’t go back to the place of purchase, so is there any way of looking at the fabric to determine this?
hi there I'm wondering which PUL fabric would you recommend for the warmth and also waterproof even if you are stitching and the water won't affect any water entering through the stitches?
I'm afraid I haven't tested keeping it submerged, but I've had plenty of nappy covers just as waterproof after 2 babies and years of regular washing if that helps
Thank you. I thought it would be. When making sanitary pads, do you have to cover this with a cotton fabric or can it be used as an exposed core touching the skin?
I've been looking for a pair of waterproof shorts. I hate getting out of the water and having wet shorts. Would it be possible to design and make a fashionable pair of swim trunks out of Polyurethane Laminate (or I guess sandwiched Polyurethane Laminate)? Does that exist at all? I don't know if this fabric would even work because it sounds like the polyester still soaks up the water.
I don't think you'd get the quick dry effect you're looking for with this fabric. I'm aware that many people who regularly do water based activities will often favour neoprene so this may be a fabric you can look into.
Hi! I made a wet bag with white pul as a lining with a cotton fabric. My question is does it matter which side of the pul is used as the inside? Also, can ironing the seams seal the holes from stitches?
+Cheryl Tauyan it wouldn't change the day to day function or how waterproof the wet bag is depending on which way round the fabric is, but it may be a little less durable if the laminated side is the side exposed to the contents of the bag as a scratch or rip to the lamination over time and with repeated washing can make it start to separate away from the fabric. I wouldn't recommend a direct heat with an iron as you may melt the lamination but you might find a hair dryer might work if you have no access to a tumble drier... Worth an experiment! I've only ever sealed holes a couple of times and never noticed any difference as I've never had leakage at the stitching so your need to seal with probably depend on what's actually going in the bag. If it's just damp then chances are you'll be fine without sealing your seams. Hope that helps. Linda
Hi, all the patterns featured were in our shop at the time of filming. I think the one you are after is currently out of stock but we have plenty of others here - www.sewingbeefabrics.co.uk/product-category/fabric/waterproof-pul/
Would PUL be good for a shower cap? Or also for a flaxseed heat cap for heated hair conditioning? Can PUL go in the microwave? Also can fleece go in the microwave? Thanks.
PUL works perfectly for a shower cap. It washes up to 50 degrees centigrade so I wouldn't recommend heating it any higher than that or you might risk melting the polyurethane layer.
There's something wrong with your site,it won't let me scroll down as it continues to upload second after second and always load the upper page. I wasn't able to see fabric details or anything.
So sorry you were experiencing problems. It seems to be an intermittent issue over the last couple of for a few people but I've not been able to recreate it and neither has our tech support team so we aren't sure of the cause. Hopefully you won't find it again but please do message me if you run into any more troubles
+Ivette Torres Thank you so much. I'll have a think about a project for future. In the mean time though, cotton to PUL is easy when you have the laminated side between the 2 fabrics. If you sew it with the PUL outer facing the feed dogs then it feels and moves just like sewing cotton. If you are sewing with the laminate facing out, just treat it as sewing PUL on its own. Hope that helps!
To have patterned fabrics available says it must be possible to print on PUL. However, I haven't tried it myself so couldn't tell you the best way. I would just look for a way of printing suitable for polyester that doesn't require heat of more than 60 degrees centigrade. Let me know how your experimenting goes if you try!
Both are waterproof but how waterproof they will be as a finished project will depend on how you sew it and durability will depend on use and washing. My personal experience though is that PUL tends to put up with a lot more abuse!
Jinja I'm in Australia too and sometimes I have trouble finding materials they talk about, so i use key words for what the material is used for. In this case i used the words waterproof and absorbent fabrics. And found heaps of suppliers , I ended up getting mine from spotlight but there were heaps of online stores in Australia that also have it including Ebay etc . 🙂
+unicorn it has no insulating properties so although it will keep the water off of you, you will still feel the heat. If it was very warm water, you could however add a layer of insulated wadding then a lining layer to keep the warmth out. However if the water is over 60 degrees Celsius you would risk break down of the polyurethane layer which may let some water seep through, especially through repeated exposure. If the water temperature is significantly over then I would be concerned that there would be a risk of the polyurethane layer of the PUL fabric melting directly onto the skin which obviously would not be a good outcome. Hope that helps!
So sorry you were experiencing problems. It seems to be an intermittent issue over the last couple of for a few people but I've not been able to recreate it and neither has our tech support team so we aren't sure of the cause. Hopefully you won't find it again but please do message me if you run into any more troubles
Do you need to seal the PUL after stitching with a sewing machine? If so, is there any other way to seal the PUL from the needle punctures from sewing, other than putting in the dryer? I do not have a dryer, and I air dry my clothes after washing.
It depends what you are planning on using it for. I haven't got a tumble drier either. I've taken a couple of bits to friends to pop it in theirs while I visit, but I've made plenty of PUL cloth nappy wraps, not tumble dried them and still never had a leak around any of the stitching. I guess you could probably also use a hairdryer to give a similar dry heat... following the stitching around slowly - although I haven't tried it myself to be sure.
@Sewing Bee Fabrics. Thank you! I was planning on sewing Cloth Diapers and Cloth Pads. The hair dryer tip might just work, if I have any problems come up with it.
@Sewing Bee Fabrics. Yes, I'll be excited once I am finally able to make my 1st item. Cloth Pads 1st though. I don't have kids yet, but would like to sew a stash a little bit at a time, so I have them ready for when I need them. :)
Sounds like a very smart plan. A lot of people end up feeling too ill or tired to sew much through pregnancy, especially in the first and third trimesters so you usually can't sew as much as you think you will!