Let's keep sewing!!!

I have tried a few diaper patterns and have settled on a fitted diaper pattern put out by VERY BABY. I chose this one because it was the easiest to make AND it seems to fit my son the best. It also turns out GREAT!!! The pattern can be found at www.verybaby.com and is quite detailed and explained very well. Someone with basic sewing skills should have no problem at all. The pattern also includes all of the markings for placement of the elastic and snaps. The Very Baby pattern is intended to be a snapped diaper but can be modified for hook and loop tape which is what I prefer. I have given an overview of the process below.

I use a serger to do the majority of the sewing. There are a few steps that still need to be done on a regular sewing machine. The diapers can also be made on a regular sewing machine using the turn and topstitch method. I just really like my serger!

You are given a list of suggested fabrics with the pattern but I have chosen to use recycled cloth from t-shirts, flannel sheets, nightgowns etc. I do wash all of the fabric with the same detergent that I use with my cloth diapers BEFORE I cut them up. If I am using recycled materials I will also strip them just as I would cloth diapers to remove any detergent residue or residue from softener sheets.
Most of the diapers that I make, I make from flannel just because I have a lot of it and have a pretty easy time getting more.

Materials needed:
Pattern, print flannel for outside layer, solid flannel or other absorbent material for inside layer, touch-tape (diaper quality velcro), ¼“ swimsuit elastic, terry toweling for soaker Optional materials: snaps for a snap-in soaker (I use size 16)

The diaper in the pictures is made of 1 outer layer of cute printed flannel and 3 inner layers of recycled flat diapers that were given to me.

TIP: In some of the pictures you may notice a small folded over blue ribbon serged into the top back edge. I use different colors to mark the different size diapers that I make. NB-white Small-blue Medium-green and Large-red

1. Cut out the layers for your diaper. Transfer markings for the elastic from the pattern onto the inside layer with a marking pen and sew the touch-tape(diaper quality velcro) to the outside print layer just under where the elastic will be sewn. Stack the layers together with right sides out. Pin all the layers together being careful to not block where you need to put elastic.

2. Sew the elastic into the diaper between the two inner layers, where marked with a zig-zag stitch, stretching as you go. As you finish each leg area and front and back area clip the elastic close to your ending point.



3. Serge around the diaper catching all the layers. The wings are the hardest to do because of their rounded shape HOWEVER if you are careful to pull the material out straight in front of the cutting blade and take it slow it comes out very nicely. When you get back to your starting point serge another inch or so being careful to not get anything in the way of your cutting blade. Finish off your serged edge by pulling out extra thread and clipping it, giving yourself plenty of room to tie it off neatly.


4. Sew touch-tape onto the inside of the wings along with laundry tabs and a tab to overlap the wings if desired..


5. Cut out the soaker fabric. I use 3-4 layers of old bath towels. Serge around the edge. I serge the towel 2 layers at a time and then machine stitch the 2 groups of 2 together so that I am not putting my serger through to much fabric.


This diaper has an external soaker so that it dries quicker. The soaker can be free floating OR you can apply a few snaps for the soaker to snap into the diaper body. The snaps are pretty easy to install and I like being able to have 1 piece to handle. I use the snaps from snap source since the snap setter is fairly cheap. Their snaps have the longer prong necessary for cloth diapers as well.

The first picture is of a soaker that is free floating, the second is a picture while the snaps are going in and the third is of a snapped in soaker




Completed diaper Size small and 2 that I had made the other day in size NB


That is all there is to it! It takes me only about 30-45 minutes to make 1 diaper (depending on how many interruptions I get). I personally LOVE them! They are SO easy to make AND use! They are also REALLY cute since I am able to choose my own fabrics. I am able to use recycled cloth which really cuts down on cost and saves an article of clothing from being thrown away when the material is still usable. Furthermore, my husband is a lot more eager to help with the diaper changing now that I no longer use just prefolds!!!!!

Warning!!! Diaper sewing can become VERY addicting!

- By Crystal

Let's keep sewing!!!

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Do-It Yourself: Making Cloth Wipes ** UPDATED with PHOTOS!!!

Need: flannel, scissors(roter cutter and board), thread and sewing machine

I love cloth wipes, I use them even if I need to use disposible diapers. I have made many of these and give them as gifts for new parents to use as wipes or wash cloths.

I made my wipes using a 6” square. I cut many squares out at once.

Once I have the squares cut out I pair two squares up with wrong sides together (those would be sides you do not want to see).

Once those are put together you will want to zigzag stitch close to the sides on all four sides of the square.
Sewing:

Straight stitch:

Zigzagged:

Once washed the sides will unravel alittle, but once those stings are cut off, it will not unravel any more.

Finish Product:

It can also be used different two different fabrics:

With this wipes I do one of two things with them. I either get them wet and store them in a sealed bag. This works well to keep in the diaper bag. The other way I use them is in a wipes warmer (the warmers with the pillow on the bottom work the best with cloth). I put about 3-4 cups of water in the warmer with one baby bits (a mild handmade glycerin soap). I let the water warm up and the baby bit melt before I put the cloth wipes in there. It usually just takes about an hour. My daughter loves having warm wipes. We live in South Dakota and everything is cold this time of year, it is always nice to have something warm.

- By Angela S.

Pictures provided by Serena (Thanks Serena!).

Do-It Yourself: Making Cloth Wipes ** UPDATED with PHOTOS!!!

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Do-It Yourself: How to Make Cloth Diapers

Need: Fabric (fleece, flannel, old t-shirt, PUL, micro-terry), thread, paper, scissors and sewing machine

This basic instruction can be changed to make a diaper that suits your needs. In making a diaper I wanted one that was easy to make, I take easy as less them an hour project. I will try to put in where changes could be made to improve this basic design.

Talking about design, the first thing that needs to be done is a pattern. I make my patterns by making half of the diaper I want. I either trace a cloth diaper I want or a disposable that fits my baby well. You only want to do half because you want the diaper to be symmetrical. I took a disposable that I had and traced that and then changed the areas that I wanted a little different. I make the crotch skinnier and the tabs longer. Once your design is on paper cut it out and you have your pattern. You can save this basic pattern for making others and them you just have to lengthen where you need it bigger, usually in the rise of the diaper.

The kind of fabric you use can really vary by what you have on hand or if you want to use a diaper cover or not. I make mine to be used with a diaper cover, or without a diaper cover and bottoms. My first ones I made were out of flannel (inside and out) and micro-terry cloth soaker. In my example I used fleece on the inside, flannel on the outside and micro-terry cloth as the soaker. Another option would be PUL on the outside and either flannel or fleece on the inside. You can also use other soakers, extra layers on flannel, an old flat diaper or old t-shirts also work as good soakers. I pick micro-terry because it holds a lot and is cheaply found in the automotive department of stores.

Once you have your pattern and the fabric picked out, you will go on to cutting out your fabric. You will only need your inside and outside fabric and not your soaker. You will want to fold your fabric in half (make sure if there is a pattern on it, it is the way you want it to be. In my example I wanted the cats to be the right way in the front of the diaper, but they are upside down in the back. If I wanted that different I would have needed a crotch seam). You want to pin the pattern with the half line on the fold. Once pinned, you can cut the fabric out.

Once the pattern is cut you will want to unpin it and lay both pieces flat with right sides together (that would be the sides you want showing)





Now you can sew a straight stitch all along the sides of the diaper, make sure to leave an opening in the back big enough to put you soaker fabric in. Also make sure to back stitch when starting and stopping, this will make turning right side out easier. Once stitched, you will want to turn right side out.


Now you have to decide if you want to make it like a pocket diaper or a contoured diaper. For a pocket diaper you will want to fold the extra fabric in the back down inside the diaper and do a zigzag stitch around the opening. You can then leave in like that and put in your insert (soaker) or zigzag around the edge of the diaper and then put in your insert. In my example I make a contoured diaper. After turning right side out I put what I wanted to use for a soaker in to the opening (I folded the micro-terry cloth in fourths the long way).



You have to make sure that the cloth is all the way up in the front and then cut off whatever hanging out of the opening. Then close up the opening, pin the opening shut and zigzag all the way around the diaper.


To put on I use a snappi to keep the diaper close and a diaper cover over that.

If you made it with PUL on the outside you would want to add elastic around the back and legs. You would also want to add Velcro to for the closure. You would also want to add elastic if you wanted more of a fitted diaper and did not want to depend on the cover catching the poo mess. I have used this pattern with a cover and have not had any blow outs. It all depends on what you want and what works for your child. This is one reason I liked this idea; I could change it many different ways and still have the basic simple idea I started with.

- by Angela S.

Do-It Yourself: How to Make Cloth Diapers

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Wipe-Out!

When thinking about cloth diapers it’s easy to forget about the little details, such as cloth wipes. If you’re already committed to cloth diapering – using cloth wipes is truly the easiest and economical way to go!

There are many types of cloth wipes available; terry cloth, organic cotton, flannel, bamboo, velour, hemp, etc… My personal favorite is terry cloth wipes such as Kissaluvs Knit Terry wipes. Knit terry fabric is coarse enough to thoroughly wipe up the messiest bowel movement but is still gentle on your little one’s skin. Oftentimes I can even clean my little man’s monster poo with one terry knit wipe (although I typically use an extra one for good measure). For pee-only diaper changes I like to use a cotton wipe, such as the bumGenius Egyptian Cotton wipes (these came as part of my bumGenius Shop and Go Pak).

On a tight budget? You can make your own wipes by purchasing a ½ - 1 yard of fabric (depending on how many wipes you want to make); cut the fabric into even-sized squares then stitch and/or serge the edges to prevent the material from fraying. Here’s an example of the double sided terry wipes I made myself with some stretch terry knit fabric I found on clearance at my local Wal-Mart. My daughters even helped me put the squares of fabric together and handed them to me as they were ready to be sewn.

A solution for your wipes solution…
The cloth diapering fun never ends; once you find the cloth wipe you like best – you can experiment with wipe solutions too! There are some who choose to use only water. I’ve tried this approach but found with numerous diaper changes throughout the day a little moisturizer is needed to prevent excessive skin dryness.

There are many great reviews for the more popular wipes solutions: Kissaluvs Diaper Lotion Potion, Baby Bits, and Northern Essence Tea Tree Oil and Lavender Free Wipes Solution. I’d love to try these, but since I prefer to save my cloth diaper “allowance” for diapers, I’ve chosen to make my own wipes solution. I use 2 teaspoons of Burt’s Bee’s Baby Wash and 2 teaspoons of Burt’s Bees Apricot Baby Oil with 2 cups of water; this solution is enough for approximately 20 wipes.

Other recommendations for DIY wipes solutions: boil water with lavender and/or chamomile tea bags and let cool (strain if necessary), then add a little oil (such as olive oil) if desired.

I prefer to have my wipes wet and ready to go, so I store them in a wipe warmer (which I will discuss in a moment). However you may store the solution in a spray bottle and either wet the wipes as needed or spray directly on baby’s bum.

Storing and Warming Your Wipes…
Although I use a wipe warmer it’s essentially a glorified storage box as I’ve chosen not to use the warming feature. I could have used a plastic storage box (or a recycled plastic wipes box), but I still had the wipe warmer my dad bought me 4 years ago – so I might as well use it for storage if nothing else.

The warming feature is great, especially for babies who detest a cold wipe against their skin. Take a cold wipe and slap it against the skin on your stomach to test for yourself how cold wipes actually feel and you would understand why so many babies cry during diaper changes. My little guy doesn’t seem to care either way so for the sake of less maintenance I’ve chosen not to warm them.

If you do utilize a wipe warmer you need to be a bit more attentive as the combination of water and warmth can cause a few problems, namely musty smells or even mold. To deter smells and/or mold avoid using too many wipes in the warmer (no more than you can use in less than a day). You may also consider adding a couple drops of Tea Tree Oil (TTO) to your solution. Tea Tree Oil has antifungal properties and will help ward off any potential problems with mold and also combats smell.

Another way to have warm wipes is to use a small thermal pump pot. Basically fill the pump pot with a little of your warm solution (or plain water) and this will keep it warm for at least 8 hours, maybe longer. Just pump a little water onto your wipe and voila – instant warm wipe!

More savings!
We all know the significant savings we gain by using cloth diapers; but those figures don’t typically factor in the cost of disposable wipes. When I used disposable wipes I would purchase them in bulk from Costco Warehouse. A box of 704 wipes (8 packages of 88 wipes each) costs approximately $16; which breaks down to $0.02 per wipe. Two pennies may not seem like much, but over the course of time they certain add up especially when you’re using a few dozen a day! By switching to cloth wipes I estimate a person can save a minimumof $100 each year!

NOTE: If experimenting with your own solution be very careful not to use too much of any one ingredient, especially oils and essentials oils. If you use too much, you not only risk causing harm to your little one’s skin, but the oils can deposit onto your diapers causing an oily buildup leading to leaking and repellency problems.

- By Serena

Wipe-Out!

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