Polyester: How to Work with It? Material Properties?

Dear users, dear designers,
do you like polyester as a blend in fabric and yarn?

Good morning!

I often use polyester yarns, especially when it comes to children’s clothing. However, there are significant differences in quality (as with all other fibers and materials).
That’s why I start by doing a “feel test.” 
If the skein already feels like “old plastic bags,” I don’t use it. If it’s soft and feels good, I give it a sniff. If it smells like plastic—no thanks.
Most of the time, it’s soft, feels good, and is also dimensionally stable (which isn’t always true of cotton, which often stretches out), easy to care for (I throw just about everything—except for real wool—into the washing machine at 60 degrees and then into the dryer), and often comes in very vibrant colors…
That’s why I’m perfectly fine with 100% polyester—as long as it passes the “tests.”
(By the way, most yarns marketed as “baby wool” are actually made of polyester.)
People with allergies get along well with it.
Unlike cotton, it also keeps you warm—and these days, often without the “sweaty” feeling it used to have.
And since many people find wool itchy, polyester is a popular alternative.

When you consider how many people wear “functional clothing” and fleece—which is mostly made of polyester, too…

I’m much less fond of acrylic. It often “squeaks” just when you touch it and almost always feels like plastic.

Best regards, Nina

Polyester is found as part of elastane in virtually every jersey fabric; the proportion is usually 4–6%. My children and I get along just fine with it.

I rarely use pure fleece fabrics or performance fabrics with a significantly higher polyester content, usually 100%, for sewing. I’m not particularly fond of softshell either, but I’m not an organic cotton fanatic.
 
As with everything, it’s all about the amount :). Polyester in small amounts is okay!

Best regards, Sonja