Sew Fitted Cool!

When my husband and I decided to cloth diaper I looked at every aspect in order to see how to start with as less money as possible. We were given 5 Thirsties size 1 covers, and I had some prefolds and flour sack towels. I learned about fitted being a great option for night time for heavy wetters, because my little 8 week old baby could pee an ocean at night. To cut down the cost I decided to try and make a couple out of things around the house. I got my little sewing machine (lil’ sew and sew), a t-shirt, and some elastic I had left over from making a dress for my four year old. I made a rough sketch of my cover and went from there. My little machine did NOT like that much fabric! It was skipping stitches and the foot was slipping. I asked my sister (who is a seamstress) why it would do that with t-shirts and she had told me that I needed a ballpoint needle, lesson #1 learned. At the time I didn’t have any snaps or Velcro so I just made a snap-less fitted and used a snappi to secure it. I had such a success with the first and had a couple of women ask if I could show them how. What better way to help the women who have helped me so much then to write for the cloth diaper whisperer!

So here’s how to make a fitted diaper (I am making a one-size, you can make a sized) from things around the house!

What you need:

• A diaper pattern (you can find them online for free)
• A T-Shirt
• Towel
• Flannel (You could also just use another layer of the t-shirt if you make a sized diaper)
• Ballpoint Needle for your sewing machine
• ¼ inch braided elastic
• Scissors
• Pins
• Optional (Snaps or Hook and Look)

So the first thing you do is find a t-shirt, and fold it half and pin the pattern to it (you’ll have 2 layers for your diaper cut).

Cut the same pattern with the flannel.

You then will want to take the sleeves off of the cut shirt and open them up (you’ll be making them layers for the snap in soaker)

Layer the sleeves on the rest of the material left from the t-shirt and cut a long rectangle out of the layers (it’s easier to do with a rotary cutter or just pin the layers and cut with scissors)

Cut the same rectangle out of a double layer of towel (this will be the sewn in soaker). So total you will have 6 layers of t-shirt soaker, 2 layers of sewn in towel soaker, 2 layers of t-shirt for the diaper, and 1 layer of flannel for the diaper.

Sew the towel layers together (so they stay put when sewing to the layer of flannel), and then pin that to the wrong side of the flannel piece.

The next step is to either put snaps or hook and loop, on for securing on the two layers of t-shirt.

Then pin the RIGHT side of the t-shirt layers to the RIGHT side of the flannel layer, sew around leaving an opening at the top for turning.

You will then want to tack on the leg elastics and back elastics(leg elastics cut to 5 inches back elastic cut to 5 ½ inches).

Turn the diaper through that hole. You will then top stitch around and make leg casings and back casings for the elastics. (The second picture shows sewing a leg casing)

Here is the finished and turned and top stitched diaper, you will then want to add on the wings for securing and two snaps on the inside for the snap in soaker.

To make the snap-in soaker, sew around 3 of the edges of the rectangle of t-shirt layers. Trim the edge so it’s not bulky. Turn and top stitch that and seal it up.

Add snaps to your snap-in soaker and you are done! You can even just do sized diapers with no snaps for a snapless fitted like the one I made for my daughter (using a t-shirt, flannel and a flour sack towel as a sewn in soaker!) If you have any questions please feel free to email me! Happy fluffiness and have FUN!

Bio: My name is Teal; I am a mother of two beautiful little girls (four-year-old and 5 month old). I cloth diaper, I’m crafty, and I like trying different things to help my family.


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Sew Fitted Cool!

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How to Make Your Own Cloth Wipes: Part 1

Once you have completely switched over to the fabulous world of cloth diapers, you may find yourself faced with a conundrum...there isn’t a place to throw out wipes anymore! The diaper pail has been repurposed with a washable pail liner and is no longer the multi-purpose nursery room trash can that it once was. Plus, once you get used to that warm fuzzy feeling you get when thinking about how much you’ve reduced your trash output, throwing away wipes starts to feel weird in combination with cloth diapering. The good news is: cloth wipes are easy to use and you can make them yourself for free or cheap!!

You can of course buy cloth wipes when purchasing your other diapering supplies, but in my personal opinion, they can be sort of overpriced for what you are going to do with them - namely, wipe poop. Why spend $2 for one wipe when you can either repurpose another piece of fabric you have laying around, or buy a bit of flannel at the fabric store for much less? Let me tell you how easy it is to make your own wipes.

Option 1: You Have Very Basic Sewing Skills
The good news is that you don’t have to be a professional seamstress to sew wipes. Cut flannel or any other soft, absorbent fabric into rectangles or squares (you can either use a disposable wipe as a pattern to measure size, or just make them whatever size you darn well feel like!) and then use a basic zig zag stitch around the edge of each wipe. Allow the “zag” part of the stitch to go over the edge of the fabric, to seal it against unraveling.

I found personally that it was easier to stitch around a rounded edge than to navigate around a sharp corner. I just rounded off the edges of a big stack with my scissors and didn’t worry if they weren’t all perfect. Again - remember the wiping poop factor. It doesn’t matter if each one isn’t perfect. You aren’t going to frame them and hang them on the wall.

Option 2: You Couldn’t Sew if Your Life Depended On It
The good news is that not all fabric will fray on the edges. You can cut up a piece of knit fabric and it will roll its edges up a bit over time instead of unraveling. Allow for the shrinkage in size that the rolling will cause when you cut them out. I would allow about an extra 1/4 - 1/2 inch on each side.

For this option, just cut the fabric to whatever size you would like and you’re good to go! How easy is that??

Option 3: You Want To Be The Over-Achieving Mother Of The Year
If you have more experience sewing and want your wipes to be extra thick and cushy, you can sew two rectangles together (right sides facing in toward each other), leave a little hole to turn it right side out when you’re done, press the wipe flat with an iron, and then top stitch around the edges.

What Can I Use to Make Wipes?
You can make wipes out of any fabric you have laying around that is soft and absorbent. I say absorbent because the wipes must soak up the solution you use to make them wet. If you use fleece, that won’t happen. Here are some ideas of things you may have at your house:

Flannel receiving blankets
Burp Cloths
Old hand towels or wash cloths
Hubby’s old undershirts
That t-shirt from your sorority date function in 1998 that you still wear to bed but you should let it go.

If you repurpose fabric from an item that has been washed in regular detergent, you will probably want to wash it in your cloth diaper detergent (or at least give it a really hot rinse) before throwing in with the rest of your diapers just in case it has residue built up on it that could mess up your cute fluff!

By Stephanie G.

How to Make Your Own Cloth Wipes: Part 1

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The many ways Cloth Diapering changed my lifestyle and thinking

1) I did not have to run out to get diapers in the middle of the night when I realized I was out and baby had just pooped.

2) I did not have to budget money every two weeks for diapers. I do budget for new cloth diapers and accessories, but that is every few months or so.

3) I started thinking of what else I was throwing away; paper, cans, glass, etc. I started recycling what I could and finding ways to decrease the other things I was throwing away (finding other uses for some things and really just thinking twice before tossing)

4) It has also encouraged me to try sewing different things. I tried my hand at sewing some cloth diapers, wipes and even simple skirts and dresses for her, which led me to try my hand at blankets, quilts and curtains. Sewing isn’t really related to cloth diapering, but it was the mindset that was started from cloth diapering. It was for me a way to starting thinking about what resources I have that I can use reuse the things I have in the house. Most everything I have made has been from scraps that I already had or from clothes that were not worn any more.

5) I should also include that it had gotten me to think about healthy eating and other things I could be doing to make my family healthy. I am not the best at this area, but it was a place to start and encouragement to keep working on it.

I guess after looking over this list it has been more of a way of thinking change for me and through changing my way of thinking it has changed my lifestyle.

- By Angela S.

The many ways Cloth Diapering changed my lifestyle and thinking

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Making your own cloth diapers

So you have a sewing machine that your Great Aunt Elda gave to you when you got married (or you stumbled on a great deal on craigslist). You could be just starting out; only ever using it to fix some seams on some old shirts, or maybe you have lots of sewing hours in, making dresses for your daughter or even yourself. You find yourself saying; "It doesn't look that hard." when you look at a cloth diaper. Well, the truth is, it's not... If you know the right terminology, that is.

Being a pattern designer, my email is filled with questions daily: "How do I T&T?"; "Does this come with an insert pattern, as well as the pattern for a cover?"; "What's the difference between inner fabric, outer fabric, hidden inner fabric, soaker fabric? How many of each do I need and where do they all go?" All of those are questions I actually just replied to from my inbox, and I will address them here along with a few others.

How do I T&T?
Simply put the first T stands for turning and the second T is topstitching. Basically you sew the diaper right sides together, leaving an opening somewhere described in the pattern; turn it right side out, pin together the opening so it matches the rest of the edge and topstitch around. A turning tool (I use a bone folder, but a plain old chopstick works great) will really help the wings stay even when turning, so I highly recommend that.

Does this come with an insert pattern, as well as the pattern for a cover?
Mostly these questions come from folks that aren't familiar with cloth diapering in general. Most of my diaper patterns include instructions for making All-in-One diapers (like a disposable), Fitteds (absorbent only, requires a cover of some sort), Covers (waterproof only, needs an absorbent inside. Can be a fitted, or even prefolds). For greater detail in descriptions of types of cloth diapers and add-ons (like inserts) check out http://www.zany-zebra.com/types-of-cloth-diapers.shtml.

What's the difference between inner fabric, outer fabric, hidden inner fabric, soaker fabric? How many of each do I need and where do they all go?
Wow, slow down there! That's actually a bunch of questions! LOL Okay, so from the outside of the diaper towards baby: outer fabric, hidden inner fabric, soaker fabric, then inner fabric. Some recommendations for the ladder are as follows;

All-in-One(AIO)/Pocket outer fabric: PUL or Polyester fleece works great. You can use Alpine, Blizzard or Anti-pill fleece from Joann's for an inexpensive route (find coupons!) all the way up to Malden Mills 200-300wt Polartec works well. You can't use wool as the waterproofing fabric, because it requires different care then the absorbant materials.

Fitted outer fabric, AIO & Fitted inner fabric: Cotton, Hemp, Bamboo knits work well here. Fun prints for the outers of the fitteds are always a big hit with the kids. If you are going for the "I can't feel wet" idea, which works wonders for overnight and outings, get some microfleece. Knits, such as interlock, jersey, velour, etc, will give you the largest range of fit. For frugality, it's totally fine to go with wovens such as flannels and birdseye for full body layers (if you are using wovens and want the "I can't feel wet" effect, try suedecloth), and pretty cotton quilting wovens for outers. Heck, while we are on the topic of cheap, search through old clothes, t-shirts work WONDERFULLY, and are found a plenty, look for natural fabrics and make sure you are using fabric with no more the 20% polyester content.

Hidden inner fabric: Remember those cotton t-shirts you found? Use the discolored and stained ones here ;) No, really, you won't see them and they are just added to stabilize the soaker fabric. I won't tell. (or you could use similar fabric to your inner, you know, whatever you are comfortable with. LOL)

Soaker fabric: This is where you get most of your absorbency from. Some folks like microfiber (towels in the car section) and zorb, others like french terrys and fleeces(cotton, bamboo or hemp here, not poly fleece!), and others still like birdseye and warm and natural cotton batting. Try a few out and see what you like best!

As far as numbers of fabric for each layer; there is a balance that you need to find between bulk and absorbency, for a "general average wetter" you should be fine with 3 body layers (outer, hidden inner, and inner) and a 3 layer soaker (microfiber, zorb, french terrys, old towels, lol, you get the idea) for the thicker fabrics or 6 layer for the thinner (birdseye, flannel, jersey) ones. Sew one up and see if you need more or less. For example, french terry is very absorbent and thicker then birdseye, but thinner then terry toweling. Birdseye is absorbent and about similar thickness flannel.

Just a couple last things to remember when sewing your own.
1.) Ballpoint needles are your friend. They don't pierce the fabric they "push" the fibers away to go through, not causing runs (think those pesky stockings).
2.) When sewing on knits, a stitch length of 4 or greater for a straight stitch is where you want to keep your settings. It will provide enough stretch so that when you pull the fabric, the stitches will move with it and not break.
3.) Remember to relax! Sit down when the kids are in bed with a cup of tea and read the instructions. Reread them. Read them one last time for good measure. Pattern designers sometimes take weeks upon weeks to write these up making sure they are both informative and easy to follow. Don't ask me how I know. ;)


- by Samantha (Creator of Little Comets Patterns)

Making your own cloth diapers

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