www.incontinentsupport.org

I am going to paste in a copy of a message that SteveM posted to the General Discussion forum March 8th. I do hope others who have tried the CTDC cloth diapers will add their thoughts and opinions!

Again, thank you SteveM for your review of the new cloth diapers from CTDC.

I have to admit I was ignorant about "twill" and I am a "gauze" fan, so I was reluctant to try the new CTDC twill diapers. I had visions of a tough dense fabric when I thought about twill. I have tried hemp diapers in the past, and I'm not sure if anyone still offers them....they are a natural fiber like cotton but much stronger and "coarser" meaning they are not as soft as cotton. And the hemp was a tough dense material that never did, in my opinion, make for a truly comfortable diaper.

But I was wrong about my concept of twill. Turns out that "twill" and "gauze" are more accurately termed "weave pattern" and not fabric or material itself. Soft diapers are made from cotton. The cotton fibers can be woven in a variety of "patterns" to create cloth from which diapers can be made.

Cotton diapers then can be birdseye, flannel, gauze and twill....to name a few of the most common weaves of fabric used to produce diapers.

I did finally try the twill diapers from CTDC and was quite amazed to find I could NOT distinquish them from my "favorite" gauze diapers! They were soft when I got them-just like my gauze diapers- and softer after washing-just like my gauze diapers-and they puckered up very nicely-just like my gauze diapers!

If I had not marked the new CTDC diapers....I could not tell them apart from my gauze diapers! You have to look very closely at the weave pattern, that is the only difference. The twill pattern is said to hold the cotton together in the fabric thru many washings...meaning the twill pattern fabric will stand up longer to wear and tear than the gauze weave pattern will.

I have not had my new CTDC diapers long enough to verify the life of twill weave vs gauze weave, and that will take years to determine!

The owner of CTDC has provided a great in-depth explanation of the "weave" thing and sent it out to all on his email list.

Diaper shrinkage accurately follows what is posted on the site, so look at the "laundered dimensions" of the diaper when looking for your size.

I will agree with SteveM who says they are a bit on the "square" side for him....I found the same thing to be true for me, with the width a bit more than I'd like, in relation to the length. But I suggest you buy according to the length you need for comfort and best fit....it just means the wings of the diaper may wrap abit further around your waist and overlap more....which does add side bulk for daytime diaper wear but it is a good thing for an overnight diaper....adding absorbancy on the side for side sleepers!

JoeK

I would like to take this opportunity to thank JoeK and SteveM for their comments about the diaper twill pre-folds from CTDC. I too had a tough time trying to figure out the difference between our style and the more popular gauze pre-fold I often read about. I have several "gauze weave" pre-folds and could not tell the differnce. A little eduction on my part allowed me to become familiar with the two materials. Here is what I wrote in the March 2010 CTDC newsletter:

Time off from work has allowed me to update our site and add new products. I have been trying to understand the difference between our pre-fold diapers and styles sold by other suppliers of adult incontinence products. I have done some research and with the assistance of one of my customers’ have discovered there is basically little difference between our diaper twill pre-fold and the more popular gauze weave pre-folds. Basically, the only difference between the two is the weave pattern. You would need a microscope or strong magnifying glass to see the difference in the weave pattern.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, “gauze is a light, open-weave fabric made of cotton when used for surgical dressings and of silk and other fibers when used for dress trimming. The name is derived from that of the Palestinian city of Gaza, where the fabric is thought to have originated. It is made either by a plain weave or by a leno weave.” A little further investigating revealed gauze weave, also known as a leno weave, is a weave structure in which paired warp yarns are intertwined in a series of figure eights and filling yarn is passed through each of the interstices so formed, producing a firm, open mesh. What does this mean? Most gauze pre-folds sold are not made with “gauze material” but refers to the “gauze weave pattern” which is used to weave the cotton threads. Some suppliers refer to their pre-folds as “gauze” whereas other state they are “gauze weave.” There is a difference and the majority being sold today are gauze weave pre-folds diapers.

On the other hand, a twill weave, each weft or filling yarn floats across the warp yarns in a progression of inter-lacings to the right or left, forming a distinct diagonal line. This diagonal line is also known as a wale. A float is the portion of a yarn that crosses over two or more yarns from the opposite direction. A twill weave requires three or more harnesses, depending on its complexity. A twill weave is the second most basic weave that can be made on a fairly simple loom. Twill weave is often designated as a fraction—such as 2/1—in which the numerator indicates the number of harnesses that are raised, in this example, two, and the denominator indicates the number of harnesses that are lowered when a filling yarn is inserted, in this example one. The fraction 2/1 would be read as "two up, one down." The minimum number of harnesses needed to produce a twill can be determined by totaling the numbers in the fraction. Our pre-folds are double woven (2/1) twill according to the manufacturer.

Hopefully this should clear-up any misconceptions between our diaper twill pre-fold and the gauze weave pre-folds sold by other suppliers. They are basically the same and it is nearly impossible to tell the difference when it comes to comfort and absorption. Both are loose weave materials made with 100% cotton threading and easily fastened to an individual using diaper pins or the popular Snappi fastener.

The future of our Bumkins adult products is uncertain at this time as production has moved from Arizona to China. The company decided this move was necessary in order to stay competitive in the infant cloth diapering industry. Their decision leaves the adult products in limbo as negotiations between manufacturers will determine the minimum amount needed to keep this line of available. One alternative to the possible loss of the Bumkins products was to offer another style of waterproof pant from a well known US manufacturer. We are now happy to offer plastic pants from Gary Manufacturing.

They are now available in six styles made with milky white plastic: original pattern using 4 and 7 mil plastic, high waist using 4 and 7 mil plastic, regular comfort pant (no-wick) using 4 mil plastic, and high waist comfort (no-wick) using 7 mil plastic. This is our initial order and pant sizes are medium, large, x-large and xx-large. The original and high waist styles have one inch (versus ¾”) rolled over white elastic at the waist and leg openings. The comfort pants have plastic enclosed waist and leg openings. The 7 mil plastic is very similar in texture and softness as the Comco pants. The only difference between our Gary pants and those sold by other suppliers is the price. I have a very low overhead which allows me to make our prices competitive. See for yourself and you will learn our prices cannot be beat. A 10% discount is offered when four or more Gary pants are purchased.

My main goal for starting CTDC was to offer quality products at affordable prices. Today's economy have resulted in many of us tightening our belts as the monthly budget gets smaller. I am in the construction industry and have felt the loss of "disposable cash" first-hand and know what many in this country are experiencing.

Thank you for your time.

Robert C