In our recent scanning and archiving work, I really loved this illustration from a 1987 book, Fabricwise, on issues to consider when choosing fabrics for adaptive clothing. Really, it’s a good short primer on the pros and cons of different kinds of fabrics and why you might choose them in particular situations.
You might want to think about the tradeoff between a little bit of stretch for your pants if you are sitting in a wheelchair (good for comfort and not having baggy pants; bad for durability).
A quote from the introduction:
An able-bodied person may be able to tolerate clothes made from fabrics which are less than comfortable, crease badly or need a lot of care. For the person with disabilities, any one of these drawbacks, discovered too late, may mean that the clothes are hardly worn.
Correctly chosen fabrics can help minimise some of the problems of people with disabilities; a wheelchair cushion covered in a fabric with a high pile or rough finish may contribute to sitting stability while one with a fabric surface which is smooth may make wheelchair transfers easier. Warm yet lightweight bedding can make sleep more comfortable and getting in and out of bed easier.
It has a lot of ideas like this that seem like common sense when you think about it – but that many people have to find out for themselves. I never thought about using a rougher wheelchair cushion fabric to stop myself from sliding around, but now I want to try it!
Sadly, the book does not magically solve the problem of jacket cuffs fraying on one’s manual wheelchair tires.
But I appreciate the punk representation!!
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