Friday, June 18, 2010

Baby and fabric choices for baju kurung

Argh! how can purchasing fabric for the little one be so confusing?! and not that cheap! I never knew, i never get it! G-Na always talk about "choosing the fabric for Baby PP to wear is important" "This is nice cotton. Good for baby". My response was always..."eh? cotton is cotton lah. whats the difference?". Until I had to buy fabric for Baby PP in preparation for Eid. Its baju kurung fabric hell.

1. Designs

Most local cotton fabric designs are......crap. flowers, flowers and more flowers (like photo). and when i found something i like comes problem no.2

2. Fabric

Not all fabric is suitable for baby's sensitive skin. If you get cheap cotton, which are most usually thick and stiff, it traps sweat and that is a no-no for babies. But if you get good quality cotton, babies (and kids) will remain cool and comfortable for the rest of the day. Hence no "nakedness" by midday of the first day of Eid. 
"A fabric should breathe so that body moisture could evaporate...Cotton and cotton blend is often the best choices...washes well and is durable, which is necessary for babies. Stains are easily removed"
I really never knew not all cotton was the same until last weekend, i went on a cotton search! Touching here and everywhere and gawking at the price some shops were selling them at, bugging the sales people on why this is pricier than that one. wrapping myself in cotton of all types. Yes, i was a real "Mummy" in the fabric store. 
"Why do sheets vary so much in price?
A single bed sheet can cost as little as 10 dollars or as much as one hundred. Fiber content, thread count (and of course brand name) help determine the price. Cotton sheets are soft, absorbent, breathable and offer the most sleeping comfort. They are generally more expensive than cotton/polyester blends and tend to last longer. Thread count refers to the number of threads in one square inch of fabric." CottonInc.com
Same rule  apply to the cotton fabric we and our babies should wear. 

1. Local cotton are usually cotton blend meaning its cotton+polyester. Hah...polyester. Bad fabric for adults, much less babies and their delicate skin. The cheaper it is, the more percentage of polyester it contains.

2. Local 100% cotton are thicker and slightly rougher texture. Its ok for the mummies, but less for babies. If you are planning to buy local cotton, you have to make sure the texture. some are softer than others. Most annoying thing is, if you find a local cotton you like, you won't like the design. Flowers, flowers and more flowers.

3. Imported cotton like Japanese cotton, have a range of medium and light thickness and so much softer. It also more durable since the thread count is higher than local cotton. It is definitely more cooling that local cotton due to the thread count. I know because I wrapped them around me for 5 minutes just to test them out.

So what stops most people to buy imported over local cotton? Price. 

The price difference can make you go ga-ga. But the designs for imported cotton are hard to find.


So for the benefit of design choices and quality, imported cotton is the way to go. I will definitely have to fork out extra for the benefits. Anything for Baby PP eh? and of course Mummylicious wants to match-match. Hehe.

So, since i have searched high and low for good cotton designs plus quality cotton, I want to share, cause that is what i do (if you haven't notice that!) 
 
Yummylicious Baby is selling fabric and making baju kurung, baju kebaya and baju melayu johor for babies and kids. All items will have matching cute 50 cent sized fabric buttons. Too adorable! 

 If you just want the fabric, let me know and I will email the prices per meter. If you want to make baju kurung, baju kebaya and baju melayu johor for the little ones, get the little ones measurements and we can make it for you. 

You bet Baby PP will have 1..or 2...or 3 baju this year. With Mummylicious in matching fabric!

What I am getting from this? pure satisfaction of seeing babies and kids wearing adorable baju kurung and baju kebaya! aiyayayayay! I search them for you, so you don't have to go through the hassle like me.


Useful links for cotton info (I searched because I was as curious as any normal person would when it comes to obvious price differential)



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