NONWOVENS MADE FROM WOOL, COTTON AND HEMP
Filling and padding
So-called nonwovens are often used as an intermediate layer in clothing (coats, winter sportswear, bathrobes, etc.), as well as in items such as blankets and futons. At Ecotex, you’ll find a variety of these nonwovens, made from different materials: wool, cotton, and hemp.
19/9/26Filling and padding with wool, organic cotton, and hemp
Puffer coats, winter sportswear, sleeping bags, multi-layered blankets, yoga cushions, stuffed animals and more are often filled with synthetic fibres these days. That’s a shame, because there are usually good natural alternatives. Sometimes down is used, but when it comes to insulating layers, wool or other fibres are also worth considering.
Take nonwovens, for example. These have a bit more structure and are easier to work with than “loose” fibres.
What is a nonwoven?
Nonwovens are made by “needle-punching” unprocessed, “raw” fibres. This means that needles are mechanically passed back and forth through the fibres, causing them to become increasingly tightly packed and denser - a process comparable to dry felting. Ultimately, this creates a type of mat with a certain degree of cohesion, without actually forming a woven fabric. Hence the term.
Nonwovens are made from various materials and come in a range of weights and strengths. The more the fibres are needled, the greater the cohesion and the sturdier the material. Consequently, more material is typically used per square meter, resulting in a heavier final product.
What materials are nonwovens made from?
Ecotex offers nonwovens made from the following natural materials:
1) WOOL
We’ve had wool nonwovens in our collection for quite some time. Because we believe wool nonwovens are suitable for both clothing and interior design applications, they come in various thicknesses. The wool itself comes from different sheep breeds. New to our collection are two nonwovens made from Icelandic wool: a heavy-weight version and a lighter version. In addition, we offer a nonwoven made from Dutch wool (the Campine heath sheep) and from German sheep breeds. The latter are made from a blend of wool and polylactic acid (PLA), which is derived from corn. The PLA is added to create greater cohesion between the fibers.
More about Icelandic wool →
Nonwoven wool fleece with PLA →
2) ORGANIC HEMP (GOTS-CERTIFIED)
Of these materials, hemp is the roughest and coarsest; this is inherent to the nature of the material. Hemp is also one of the strongest nonwovens. It is not typically used in clothing, but is often used, for example, as a core layer in yoga mats, futons, and similar products. The hemp nonwoven is GOTS-certified. This means that the hemp was organically grown and then processed in accordance with GOTS standards. This is quite rare in the hemp processing industry.
3) ORGANIC COTTON
The cotton nonwoven is also organic and GOTS-certified. This material is loosely woven, making it soft but also somewhat more delicate. If this nonwoven is used as an interlining, it will therefore need to be thoroughly quilted.
Nonwovens are typically used as an intermediate layer for padding and insulation. In general, the “dimensional stability” of nonwovens is low, meaning they can sag or shift if not processed properly. To use them as an intermediate layer, they must therefore be securely attached to the surrounding layers and thoroughly quilted.