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Moderated by Deepika, Sharon1952
Posted on: 1/12/19 4:29 PM ET
I have some leggings (several actually...) that I started buying at the drugstore because they're fleece lined and were really cheap. I found after a very short time the fabric pilled beyond belief, I have bought more pairs and made sure to turn them inside out during washing, same effect (and wow do they attract threads, lint, cat fur, anything like crazy - like they've gotten too trashy to wear outside the house and even just for cleaning then I can't stand to look at them!). Another pair I discovered after the first wearing but I wore my fleece lined boots with them that the friction just from the boots pilled up the legs. So then I found some at Target for $18 (vs. Walgreen's $5.99) and thought these will be better. Wrong.
I know they're cheapo made in China products but quality wise this is probably the worst rtw I've ever purchased. Warmth and comfort wise they're awesome! And while the price isn't a killer, even if I had to buy a new pair a month... there's got to be some quality fabric out there to make some that will keep me warm and look good a long time.
The smooth outside isn't totally matte, has a bit of sheen but I could go either way. Needs to be a stretch or performance fabric though for close fit and not just a stretch fleece that you might use for a jacket vs. pants.
Any ideas? Thanks!
I know they're cheapo made in China products but quality wise this is probably the worst rtw I've ever purchased. Warmth and comfort wise they're awesome! And while the price isn't a killer, even if I had to buy a new pair a month... there's got to be some quality fabric out there to make some that will keep me warm and look good a long time.
The smooth outside isn't totally matte, has a bit of sheen but I could go either way. Needs to be a stretch or performance fabric though for close fit and not just a stretch fleece that you might use for a jacket vs. pants.
Any ideas? Thanks!
Posted on: 1/12/19 4:37 PM ET
In reply to kaysheri
I haven't found a sample to play with yet, but Polartec Powerstretch FR or Powerstretch Pro looks like it might be something you're interested in:
https://www.polartec.com/fabrics/workwear/power-stretch-flame-resistant
https://www.polartec.com/fabrics/military/power-stretch-pro
https://www.polartec.com/fabrics/workwear/power-stretch-flame-resistant
https://www.polartec.com/fabrics/military/power-stretch-pro
Posted on: 1/12/19 6:04 PM ET
I made pants a few years ago for around the house and to do winter farm chores using Polartec power stretch and they were amazingly comfortable. They wore like iron and I use them hard and they lasted a long time while still looking good. They were not warm if there was any wind and they absorb water like a sponge. So I had to stay out of the cold wind and out of the rain. They would make a great underlayer in colder weather. I’m not sure if it was the exact same version in kayl’s links.
I got it through millyardage.com, they have great sales.
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I got it through millyardage.com, they have great sales.
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Little strokes fell great oaks. On the other hand, go big or go home!
Projects completed in 2024: 3 pairs gloves. Four pairs of jeans. Five custom tarps. A dozen linen hankies. A wool wrap for a friend. Four linen bath towels and 24 washcloths. Two bed pillows.
38.5 yards of fabric out.
Projects completed in 2024: 3 pairs gloves. Four pairs of jeans. Five custom tarps. A dozen linen hankies. A wool wrap for a friend. Four linen bath towels and 24 washcloths. Two bed pillows.
38.5 yards of fabric out.
Posted on: 1/12/19 6:30 PM ET
In reply to blueviola
You probably had the original powerstrech. The pro and fr versions are a lot more pill resistant than the original.
Posted on: 1/12/19 9:25 PM ET
In reply to kayl
Never actually pilled! I actually wore holes in it, but that took up two or three years of hard to use. I love the stuff. Can’t stand it now that I get hot flashes though. Switching over to wool. 
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Little strokes fell great oaks. On the other hand, go big or go home!
Projects completed in 2024: 3 pairs gloves. Four pairs of jeans. Five custom tarps. A dozen linen hankies. A wool wrap for a friend. Four linen bath towels and 24 washcloths. Two bed pillows.
38.5 yards of fabric out.
Projects completed in 2024: 3 pairs gloves. Four pairs of jeans. Five custom tarps. A dozen linen hankies. A wool wrap for a friend. Four linen bath towels and 24 washcloths. Two bed pillows.
38.5 yards of fabric out.
Posted on: 1/12/19 9:34 PM ET
In reply to blueviola
Some of the Polartec Powerwools used to be pretty stretchy, but not that cushy soft feel inside that most of the Powerstretch had. It's also not quite as stretchy.
May your hot flashes be minor... I recall about three months worth, and that was it.
May your hot flashes be minor... I recall about three months worth, and that was it.
Posted on: 1/13/19 2:12 AM ET
In reply to kaysheri
I’m on the lookout for the same type of fabric. I was gifted a pair of fleece lined leggings and I want to live in them until spring, lol. Currently in the laundry pile for their first run through, my fingers are crossed that they will not pill. This pair feels like a high quality polyester performance fabric with a matte finish but I know they were inexpensive. Hummmm, perhaps I will wash them separately. I’ll report back if I find an online source and can order swatches. Maybe this is a newer type fabric that hasn’t filtered down to retail for the home sewer. I hope so cause I really love the feel and warmth of the fabric.
Posted on: 1/13/19 10:11 AM ET
Kaysheri,
Every year I buy a huge amount of Polartec Powerstretch for the purpose you've described. I use it to make warm leggings for my grandchildren. Here's the link to Mill Yardage's product (#9445 or similar is the best type) here . The Fabric Fairy also has polartec powerstretch in a lighter weight.
Good luck,
Annette
-- Edited on 1/13/19 at 10:14 AM --
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Every year I buy a huge amount of Polartec Powerstretch for the purpose you've described. I use it to make warm leggings for my grandchildren. Here's the link to Mill Yardage's product (#9445 or similar is the best type) here . The Fabric Fairy also has polartec powerstretch in a lighter weight.
Good luck,
Annette
-- Edited on 1/13/19 at 10:14 AM --
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Silknmore
http://fabricateandmira.wordpress.com/
http://fabricateandmira.wordpress.com/
Posted on: 1/13/19 10:39 AM ET
In reply to kayl
There was power stretch with wool? I wonder why they discontinued that?
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Little strokes fell great oaks. On the other hand, go big or go home!
Projects completed in 2024: 3 pairs gloves. Four pairs of jeans. Five custom tarps. A dozen linen hankies. A wool wrap for a friend. Four linen bath towels and 24 washcloths. Two bed pillows.
38.5 yards of fabric out.
Projects completed in 2024: 3 pairs gloves. Four pairs of jeans. Five custom tarps. A dozen linen hankies. A wool wrap for a friend. Four linen bath towels and 24 washcloths. Two bed pillows.
38.5 yards of fabric out.
Posted on: 1/13/19 11:11 AM ET
In reply to blueviola
There used to be a Malden Mills outlet store in Seattle; alas, it was heavily damaged in the Nisqually quake and never reopened. But they often got rolls of experimental fleeces there, sometimes of products in the development phase, sometimes stuff that had been developed but was then determined to be too pricey to sell to RTW makers. That's where I got some Powerstretch with wool. And a really interesting version of what became Windbloc, with a mesh laminated to it as a lining.
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