Choosing durable fabrics for active kiddos
Natural fabrics are sooooo lovely–but I only use them in towels. Why?
In my experience, some fabrics are easier to care for than others. I’d love to use cotton for everything: it is absorbent and fairly strong. That’s a necessity for good toweling. Because of that, I use 100% cotton terrycloth in all my towels and bath mitts: it’s a no-brainer. But I don’t use cotton for other items.
For costumes, cotton does not mean “easy care.” We all know how cotton wrinkles (I’m looking at you, favorite dress shirt!), and in bright colors it fades quickly. Cotton and other natural fabrics can also be quite heavy and hot to wear. Frequently worn costumes can need frequent washing. That makes more work for you and me… unless I’m the only mom who avoids ironing? (Okay… stop laughing… LOL!)
For all these reasons, I use polyester and polyester-cotton blends for play costumes. They’re very tough, and do not wrinkle, fray, or tear easily. Better yet, they hold vibrant colors wash after wash. These synthetic blends can also be very lightweight, making them more comfortable to layer over clothing.
After all, I make costumes to last year after year: why not make them easy care, too?
Why synthetics?
Given that there is SO. MUCH. PLASTIC everywhere, you might wonder why I’d choose synthetic fabrics. Bear with me for a moment! Here’s the great part: many polyester and acrylic fabrics are made from RECYCLED plastic, especially water bottles.
Whenever possible, I purchase fabrics made with recycled plastics. So while your superhero costume might not actually be saving the planet, it is doing a small part to put those discarded plastics to use in a more positive way. And since you buy play costumes to last for many years, they help take those plastics out of circulation for a good, long while.
Bonus: Upcycling synthetic scraps
All those tough, colorful, kid-friendly fabrics do leave me with a lot of fabric scraps. To keep them out of the waste stream, I find ways to use them. For example, those synthetic scraps make great decorative elements on my hooded towels and bath mitts: they help me create cute details that dry fast, won’t fade or fray in the wash, but are still soft on skin. Scraps that are too small to use are repurposed to help out at… animal shelters! (What???) You can read more about that here.
I hope all that makes you feel pretty good about your purchases from my tiny shop. I’d love to hear any questions or ideas you have about how I can make The Rowdy Ladybug even better–get in touch with me here! 🙂
xoxo,
Jane
Hi! I’m Jane, owner of The Rowdy Ladybug. I design and produce costumes and playthings for kids. Since I’m a parent like you, I know children’s products need to be FUN, washable, durable, safe, and comfortable. Everything I make is designed to exercise a child’s imagination while getting in their way as little as possible. To that purpose, I don’t use commercial characters or others’ copyrighted designs. I do what I can to keep my business as green and as local as possible.
I live in Washington, PA USA, with my husband and daughter. They tolerate my piles of fabric and occasional excited babbling when I create something new. We are supervised by two cats, who do a better job of holding down the furniture than keeping me out of trouble.
If you have questions about my shop, my blog, or my creative process, I’d love to hear from you!
