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#1
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Snap tape
Cynthia, I also like this kind of tape, and was mystified by so many
saying not to use it. It's gentler to baby skin, IMO. Karen in Ohio Cynthia Spilsted wrote: I've been following Tom's posts on the sleepers and noticed that a lot of people advise against snap tape. Then I realised that they were probably referring to the regular snap tape which is metal fasteners on twill tape - horrid stuff really. There is, however, another kind of snap tape that I really love: white or black plastic (nylon actually) snaps on matching twill tape. It comes in two 'spacings' of the snaps and is wonderful for costuming as it stays together better than Velcro and does not scratch - or get caught in hair, etc.. It is not cheap, but I love the stuff. I think it is called "Tapey" fastener and can be bought by the metre. I buy the whole 10 yard roll at a time just to have it on hand. Just my two cents worth... Cynthia |
#2
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Karen Maslowski wrote in message .. .
Cynthia, I also like this kind of tape, and was mystified by so many saying not to use it. It's gentler to baby skin, IMO. I'm curious: gentler than what? (I'm not trying to be facetious here, I really want to learn.) My goal for baby clothes (excluding the PJs) is that nothing will touch baby's skin but the 100% cotton fabric (lawn or batiste) and 100% cotton thread, and as little thread as possible at that. (For the PJs I may use Polartec, and I'll chose a particularly soft one for baby PJs, like maybe one of the lightweight microfiber ones.) I'll probably use french seams wherever possible to make them as smooth to touch as I can. (And, I've used them almost everywhere in the past, so there should be few areas where I can't use them for this.) So, my choice of fasteners is almost, although not quite, irrelevant to me. I prefer to be sure there are no scratchy parts to scratch baby while mommy is dressing baby, but that's easy enough. If I attach my own snaps (instead of using snap tape) they shouldn't have any scratchy parts, and I'll probably enclose the backs inside a facing anyway. I probably won't use velcro on baby clothes. (I may make some toddler clothes, and I may use velcro for that.) If I use a zipper, I'll put in a facing to go between baby's skin and the zipper teeth. I could use buttons, but I probably won't. Mommy won't want to have to deal with buttons on baby's clothes. Is it just that using snap tape is easier than putting in facings and stuff to ensure nothing from the fasteners touches the skin? Or is there some other benefit to the snap tape that I'm not understanding? Really, the only reason I would say not to use snap tape is that I figure I can install my own snaps cheaper and easier and have them precisely where I want them. If you like it, that's great, use it. You'll hear no objections from me, and if you can name some other benefit to it, I'm all ears. Tom Farrell http://www.SewingWithTom.com/ |
#3
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Well, now that you mention it, gentler than metal snaps, which tend to
get cold. The nylon does not. Also, it was easier to install than the old type of snaps; Snap Source snaps make that argument obsolete, though. I've been making baby things since my oldest was in utero, 34 years ago, and now hope to make some for her baby-to-be, so I'm glad we're having this discussion. Karen in Ohio Tom Farrell wrote: Karen Maslowski wrote in message .. . Cynthia, I also like this kind of tape, and was mystified by so many saying not to use it. It's gentler to baby skin, IMO. I'm curious: gentler than what? (I'm not trying to be facetious here, I really want to learn.) |
#4
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I'll probably use french seams wherever possible to make them as smooth to
touch as I can. You might want to consider felled seams as being even smoother. Olwyn Mary in New Orleans. |
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#7
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Tom:
My guide is my inner arm. I rub most things against the inside of my elbow to test - and since I have extremely sensitive skin, it is a fairly good indicator! The snap tape that I have described beats out regular snaps (as in applied individually) in that there are not as great pressure points. Ever noticed the red marks on a baby's skin from the snaps of their sleepers? I had some wonderful sleepers for my second daughter that snapped up the back and across the butt. You just flipped her out of the legs to change. They were absolutely wonderful and I should have copied them before passing them on....Whichever snaps you use, just test them for pressure - that's all. I use all kinds of snaps in my sewing and have the bruised digits to prove it (turn my head in mid swing of the hammer when interrupted by children - and hubby wonders why I prefer to sew late at night!). I use snap tape in costumes because it is effective, quick, and user friendly for both the sewer and the wearer. For sleepers, I usually use a zipper and a snap tab across the top (individual snap placed on a tab) because that discourages undressing which toddlers are wont to do! Another word of advice: don't use cotton thread on the sleepers. The amount of laundering that they will go through will kill the thread before the rest of the garment dies. Use Gutermann or another good quality polyester thread and the garment will last through countless kids without having to be re-sewn. A mock French seam is all that I would go for (serged seam, topstitched flat) as it is far easier to repair in case of problems. Last but not least: No buttons on infant or toddler sleepwear, please! It is a safety issue because kids will swallow almost anything! My youngest got up in the middle of the night and swallowed a piece of Lego that she found on the landing shelf. (Explain that one to the emergency staff! She had awoken and got up to come and find me. Seeing the yellow plastic disc, she thought she'd scored a candy until she placed it into her mouth. Unfortunately, the swallowing reflex was too strong in her half-asleep state and down the darned thing went! Because she had a softened larynx, we had to be sure it had gone down all the way and thus the trip to emerg....) Cynthia "Tom Farrell" wrote in message om... Karen Maslowski wrote in message .. . Cynthia, I also like this kind of tape, and was mystified by so many saying not to use it. It's gentler to baby skin, IMO. I'm curious: gentler than what? (I'm not trying to be facetious here, I really want to learn.) My goal for baby clothes (excluding the PJs) is that nothing will touch baby's skin but the 100% cotton fabric (lawn or batiste) and 100% cotton thread, and as little thread as possible at that. (For the PJs I may use Polartec, and I'll chose a particularly soft one for baby PJs, like maybe one of the lightweight microfiber ones.) I'll probably use french seams wherever possible to make them as smooth to touch as I can. (And, I've used them almost everywhere in the past, so there should be few areas where I can't use them for this.) So, my choice of fasteners is almost, although not quite, irrelevant to me. I prefer to be sure there are no scratchy parts to scratch baby while mommy is dressing baby, but that's easy enough. If I attach my own snaps (instead of using snap tape) they shouldn't have any scratchy parts, and I'll probably enclose the backs inside a facing anyway. I probably won't use velcro on baby clothes. (I may make some toddler clothes, and I may use velcro for that.) If I use a zipper, I'll put in a facing to go between baby's skin and the zipper teeth. I could use buttons, but I probably won't. Mommy won't want to have to deal with buttons on baby's clothes. Is it just that using snap tape is easier than putting in facings and stuff to ensure nothing from the fasteners touches the skin? Or is there some other benefit to the snap tape that I'm not understanding? Really, the only reason I would say not to use snap tape is that I figure I can install my own snaps cheaper and easier and have them precisely where I want them. If you like it, that's great, use it. You'll hear no objections from me, and if you can name some other benefit to it, I'm all ears. Tom Farrell http://www.SewingWithTom.com/ |
#8
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This brings up another point; snap tape might be better just because of
the sheer number of times that it's opened in the course on one day of wearing by a baby. Small babies are changed as much as 15 times a day, which is a lot of opens and closes on those snaps. Since you're usually using thin cotton interlock (no Polarfleece or other synthetics for newborns, please), snaps can pull out more easily when they are not embedded in a tape and then sewn onto the fabric. Frankly, I'd use the snap tape with the nylon snaps for a newborn, unless you make my favorite garment for that age, which is a long nightie with a draw bottom. Nowadays, these are made with a piece of elastic on the opening, and no strings, but they are by far the easiest way to dress a small infant. Karen in Ohio Cynthia Spilsted wrote: Tom: My guide is my inner arm. I rub most things against the inside of my elbow to test - and since I have extremely sensitive skin, it is a fairly good indicator! The snap tape that I have described beats out regular snaps (as in applied individually) in that there are not as great pressure points. Ever noticed the red marks on a baby's skin from the snaps of their sleepers? I had some wonderful sleepers for my second daughter that snapped up the back and across the butt. You just flipped her out of the legs to change. They were absolutely wonderful and I should have copied them before passing them on....Whichever snaps you use, just test them for pressure - that's all. I use all kinds of snaps in my sewing and have the bruised digits to prove it (turn my head in mid swing of the hammer when interrupted by children - and hubby wonders why I prefer to sew late at night!). I use snap tape in costumes because it is effective, quick, and user friendly for both the sewer and the wearer. other excellent advice snipped |
#9
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On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 13:28:44 -0700, "Cynthia Spilsted"
wrote: Another word of advice: don't use cotton thread on the sleepers. Make that "don't use *three-ply* cotton thread. Six-ply DMC Cordonnet holds up just fine. Unfortunately, it comes only in white and off-white, and is no longer made in sizes smaller than #100/6. But #100 Cordonnet is equivalent to #50 in sewing thread, the most useful size. I find Cordonnet well worth winding off the ball onto a spool. But it's *possible* to sew it directly off the ball. Probably best to hang the ball from a button tied to a string that is poked through a hole in the label. But hang it someplace you won't be too startled when the thread unwinds off the label, and the almost-empty spool comes crashing down. Joy Beeson -- http://home.earthlink.net/~joybeeson/ -- needlework http://home.earthlink.net/~beeson_n3f/ -- Writers' Exchange joy beeson at earthlink dot net |
#10
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"Cynthia Spilsted" wrote in message ...
The snap tape that I have described beats out regular snaps (as in applied individually) in that there are not as great pressure points. Ever noticed the red marks on a baby's skin from the snaps of their sleepers? No, I think I was the only baby in my family that had them... on....Whichever snaps you use, just test them for pressure - that's all. At this point I'm leaning strongly toward a zipper. I use all kinds of snaps in my sewing and have the bruised digits to prove it (turn my head in mid swing of the hammer when interrupted by children - and hubby wonders why I prefer to sew late at night!). Paulo and I were joking that if we use too many snaps we'll have to make sure to put them in with the good sewing hammer... I use snap tape in costumes because it is effective, quick, and user friendly for both the sewer and the wearer. For sleepers, I usually use a zipper and a snap tab across the top (individual snap placed on a tab) because that discourages undressing which toddlers are wont to do! I'm going with zippers for the sleepers. Another word of advice: don't use cotton thread on the sleepers. The amount of laundering that they will go through will kill the thread before the rest of the garment dies. Yes. I should have thought to say something about that. I don't worry so much about the softness of the thread on a polartec item because the polartec will just curl slightly in the seam allowance and make the thread almost impossible for a baby to touch anyway. A mock French seam is all that I would go for (serged seam, topstitched flat) as it is far easier to repair in case of problems. I don't have a serger. Anyway, I expect that if a seam actually gives way, they'll get sent to me for repair, and I'll live with whatever I've done. Last but not least: No buttons on infant or toddler sleepwear, please! It is a safety issue because kids will swallow almost anything! Right, that I knew. I'm curious, do you have any strong opinions on buttons on toddler day-wear? I'm inclined to avoid them, but wondered if people felt it's not a problem. Tom Farrell http://www.SewingWithTom.com/ |
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