Adventurous Explorers, Durable Knee Fabrics • Babbily • Reinforced knees

Today I want to tell you a story about finding the perfect durable knee fabric for Babbily Leggings and Trousers.

Backstory

When my little one was starting to explore walking and crawling, I wasn’t sold on sweatpants. But the alternative shop-bought trousers often felt constricting. I noticed my curious explorer had more freedom in the trousers I made. His knees remained intact during this phase, though.

As he grew, I designed trousers that would keep up with his growth (who wants something that’s only useful for a month?). But reality hit – the trousers wore out at the knees before he outgrew them. And so, the quest for the right knee fabric began. I needed to find durable knee fabric.

In search for the right durable knee fabric

My aim? Comfy trousers that could handle indoor floor play (where knees meet their match). I needed fabric that could take on abrasion while pairing well with soft jersey or lightweight cotton. Heavy outdoor fabrics were a no-go due to their weight and stiffness. I was after a flexible, lightweight, but durable knee fabric that could last through rough play, beyond a few months.

My little testers, helped me along the way and put trousers with various knee reinforcements to the test at kindergarten. Here’s what we tried:

Light rip-stop – Gave up quickly.
Reinforced hemp – Didn’t last long.
Normal trousers fabric with interfacing – Didn’t hold up well.
Polyester scuba – Performed better but was too bulky for indoor wear and not breathable.

Photo @Babbily. Testing various fabrics.

Testing the limits

After a year of searching and testing, I struck gold with the perfect fabric – light, stretchy, and seriously strong. None of my little testers have managed to tear it up to this moment. They put it to the test every day.

There are industrial tests for abrasion resistance (Martindale test), but just to be sure, I conducted a “lab” test at home by rubbing the fabrics with sandpaper. In just 35 seconds, regular jersey fabric wore out. Our resistant durable knee fabric kept going strong after two minutes of rubbing. You can watch the video here.

If you are looking for leggings and trousers that are comfy, breathable, and ready for school and kindergarten play, check out our Babbily Leggings and Trousers. They’re up for the challenge, while keeping your little ones comfy as can be.