Thursday, July 31, 2014

Cloth diaper sewing - The After Hours

The only time I get a to sew without interruption is if I stay up well past midnight to do so. Well I've been cranking out little girl diapers for my daughter due next month, but I didn't forget to whip up some super cool diapers for my little guy.

I purchased the PUL from diapersewingsupplies.com. I used the In A Snap Cover pattern One Sized. He's a big boy so I don't bother putting on the snap down rises.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Using Flour Sack Towels as Flat diapers

I restocked on Flour sack towels I bought from Walmart, in preparation for my second baby due next month. They run about $5 for 5 of them.

I use flour sack towels as flats for my 18 month old toddler. They are cheap and easy to use. They clean thoroughly, dry quickly, and I get a perfect customized fit every time. I can increase absorbancy either by folding together two towels, or by adding an insert or microfiber towel.

I never have to strip clean the flour sack towels. I only have "stink" issues with my other diapers. The inserts and fitteds. With those I have to strip clean them every few months, but my flour sack towel diapers are always ready to go.

Many of the negative reviews I hear about using flour sack towels as diapers, I have personally not experienced. I've heard people complain that they are not very absorbent. By themselves, the flour sack towels where absorbent enough for my son to wear for 2-3 hours, up until he was almost a year old, after that is when I starting adding inserts, or trifolded microfiber towels to increase the absorbancy. I've heard people say that flour sack towels felt rough. Compared to minky, velour, and microfleece, it's definitely not as soft to the touch. But I don't see my son complaining...

The only cons I experience is family, friends, babysitters, and daycares not knowing how to put a flat diaper on a baby. Handing them stuffed pocket diapers, they can quickly figure it out. Handing them kite folded flats with a snappi and a diaper cover, you will probably get question marks.

Because I am a stay at home mom that doesn't regularly use the service of a babysitter, flat diapers is the best choice for my family. They are very cheap, economical, easy to clean, easy to customize, long lasting. They are also great for multipurpose uses, I have used them to wipe down kitchen counters, juice spills, spit up, sticky toddler hands and faces, and many other messes associated with babies.

For one baby I would recommend 25 flats. That should be enough if you do diaper laundry every other day. If you are buying flour sack towels, that's a little over $25, plus the cost of waterproof diaper covers. It is a great way to get started with cloth diapering if the price tag of other cloth diaper styles is off putting.

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Completed my Newborn Diaper Cover Stash

Our baby girl is due in August. We decided to use flats, prefolds, and lay in inserts to diaper her. All of which I currently use for my 18 month old Toddler.
 I have been working on Newborn diaper covers using the Turn and Topstich method I've been using with my son's covers. They have double gussets to hold in all that Breast milk poop, and has a dip on the belly panel to avoid rubbing against the umbilical cord while it is still attached.




 Admittedly this diaper cover was MUCH more difficult to sew because it's so tiny. This diaper cover doesn't lay flat. It "concaves" to better fit around baby's legs and bum. It doesn't drape over my sewing machine like most projects. It curls around my sewing foot as I am trying to sew the tiny diaper pieces together.

 But I am VERY happy with how these came out. I plan on making Small sized and One Sized diaper covers so that I have a stash that can take her all the way to potty training. I don't think I will be getting much sewing done while I have 2 under 2.

The Pattern I use is Rocket Bottoms In A Snap cover pattern. It can be found here.
Tutorial on how I did the leg gussets can be found here.