Cloth Diapered Kiddos

2011-07-30T15:28:00.000-06:00

Sorry to my fellow readers. Life with the 3 kiddos gets busy even during the summer. I'm at a crossroads right now with my kiddos: Big Brother wears underwear most of the day, Little Sister is wearing trainers (cloth and disposable to be honest) and sometimes panties, and Baby Sister is still in diapers. I'm still making things just not all cloth diapers. It has been a while since I made a diaper. I did cut out a trainer and a matching diaper for the Sisters but they aren't sewn up yet. I got a little burned out with sewing for a month or so.

This blog may turn more into a craft blog than for diapers - I'm not sure yet.

Flats Challenge wrap-up

2011-06-01T17:42:00.000-06:00

Wow life went a little wild and I never posted about the rest of my week of flats and handwashing. I did it and succeeded in using flats for Baby Sister all week but on Fri Little Sister was crying for a "paper diaper" (sposie). On Saturday, Mr H. watched the kiddos for a while and put her in a sposie - after that she wouldn't go back to a flat. I did have to pick up a pair of rubber gloves halfway through the week to protect my poor hands (the excema was trying to spread on one of them). I found that I liked the pad fold for Baby Sister but every time Little Sister wore a pad fold it bunched up weird and if she pooped in it I had to retire the cover because it was very dirty. So the Origami fold worked the best for her. I did try the origami with a twist on both girls but it I like the original origami fold.

By the end of the week I felt like a pro at handwashing (even though my bucket lid split in 3 places). I know that if some disaster does happen I will be prepared to wash my clothes using the bucket. I'm keeping my bucket washer for that reason. It was eye opening and definitely doable.

Flats Challenge Day 3

2011-05-25T22:15:00.000-06:00

Enjoy! The rules are here.

Today will most likely be the only sunny day during the challenge so I took the opportunity to use the sun. These dried in 3 hours.

Baby Sister in a pad folded flannel (made by me) flat inside a Thirsties Duo wrap.

She is pretty happy

Not sure what Little Sister is doing (excuse the mess in the background) but she is in an origami folded flannel flat covered by a fleece cover I made. The snappi was barely hanging on.

Day 1 and 2 of the Challenge

2011-05-24T23:41:00.002-06:00

I forgot to post yesterday. Oops. Here are the rules for the Flats and Handwashing Challenge. I was kept pretty busy with the kiddos. I did change the Sisters more often than I normally did because I was mainly using my flour sack towels and birdseye flats. Plus I was dealing with a constipated Baby Sister suddenly not being constipated any more. I think yesterday I was just trying to stay on top of things. I did pretty well and changed a total of 12 flats between both girls and used 4 covers total. I washed my diapers in my camp style washer and had some sore hands. Next time I'm not going to attempt washing that many diapers all at one time. I hung them to dry in the only free area in my house - my basement. I wrung them out as best as I could and then snapped them (getting water in my face when I did that) and thought I did a good job.

Today, I decided to use a different approach when I woke up to discover the diapers that I hung to dry last night were still wet and it was raining and cloudy all day. Last night I finished using an overcasting stitch all around all but 2 of the flats I made on Sunday night. That was my flat of choice today and I used the pad fold and I now love how easy it is to fit in a flip cover or a Thirsties cover. I felt like I could have them in the flats a little longer today because I was using the flannel flats and they seemed pretty absorbent. I still like how trim they are and I may just use pad folded flats in the few pockets I have after the challenge. Baby Sister's flat first thing this morning was pretty bulky but it was a receiving blanket folded in the pad fold and folded over in the front. I love fluffy bums on my babies since they are pretty skinny and petite. In the morning I plan on washing today's diapers and hanging them to dry outside. Tomorrow there will be more pictures too.

Preparing for the flats challenge

2011-05-22T23:54:00.000-06:00

Wow things are going pretty quickly and the challenge starts tomorrow morning. I still need to do some prepping on the flats that I made. I cut out the material and I worried about not having enough for the Sisters I decided to make more than I had originally planned. I still need to sew around the diapers so they don't fray as much in the wash.

They are pretty colorful!

Here is the plunger with the holes in it and with the bucket for my "washer"

So here is what I've done to prepare for the challenge:

cut out 10 flannel squares (some are smaller than others because that's what I had on hand)
bought a plunger and a 5 gallon bucket from Walmart.
Mr H drilled holes in the plunger and the lid.
Tried out the washer by washing what I had dirty. I think the full load was 6 flats, 4 covers, an AI2 with 2 inserts, a Flip stay dry insert, and a fleece trainer. It was a bit full in my bucket but I washed them and hung them on the line outside since it was actually a sunny day. I did have to take them in earlier than I planned because it got pretty cloudy and looked like it would rain. All the flats and covers were dry but the others went into the dryer.
Figured out my covers. I have only a few that the Sisters share and technically I could use 10 covers because I'm diapering 2 kiddos but I don't have that many covers. I'm using 3 Thirsties Duo Wraps, 2 flip covers, and 3 fleece covers as backup and for naptime.
With all the flannel that I cut out the grand total of flats that I have is 26 for 2 girls. I don't think Big Brother will let me try to put a flat on him for naptime or bedtime.

I also made note of which flats are trimmer and which are more bulky. The flannel flats are bulkier with the origami fold on both of the Sisters. I love how trim the Osocozy flats and the flour sack towels are but the towels get wet quicker than the birdseye and the flannel.

Little Sister in an Osocozy flat Origami fold it is trim

A little bulk in the bum but that is to be expected.

Baby Sister in a receiving blanket flat Origami fold. It's the bulkiest flat I've tried.

And the flour sack towel is the trimmest flat.

Flats and Handwashing Challenge

2011-05-13T15:38:00.001-06:00

I have posted before about how much I love flats. They are cheap, trim, and easy to care for. Well I have decided to challenge myself a little bit.

A while ago, I heard about some parents who were trying to save money so they rinsed out their disopsable diapers and reused them and their kiddos got sick. One article is here if you want to read it. So to make others aware that there is still something cheap and easy to use that won't make kiddos sick, Kim, from Dirty Diaper Laundry is hosting a challenge to only use flats and a few covers and handwash them for 1 week: May 23 - May 30.

Why am I doing this?

I started using cloth diapers because they were pretty expensive when Little Sister was born. Then add Baby Sister with Big Brother not quite potty trained and that adds up to a lot of $$$ for 3 sizes of disposable diapers. Plus add to the fact that flats are one size and dry faster than other diapers, I can use the flats for the 2 Sisters in cloth full time. I also make most of my diapers to save even more money. I think that handwashing the diapers in my really hard water may actually get the diapers cleaner than it does in my HE front loading washer. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm taking this challenge to save a little more money by making some flat diapers and not using my washer or dryer.

I have only 6 actual flat diapers but I did just pick up some flour sack towels from Walmart and I have some receiving blankets that I use. I also have a lot of flannel that can easily turn into flats. I sorted out the girly flannel that would be big enough and Little Sister has been asking me to cut her "blankies" but was excited when I told her they were going to be pretty diapers. I think I have enough to diaper the Sisters for a day so if I wash every night it might work.

Trimsies

2011-05-04T18:17:00.000-06:00

I made my first diaper with the Trimsies pattern and think I'm in love with this pattern. I love how trim these are in the crotch and the combination AI2 shell and the insert (which is technically a double insert) is still super trim. I had some material left over from making a purse and thought it would make an adorable diaper. I got it cut out - outer cotton, hidden layer of PUL, and inner layer of anti-pill fleece a few days ago but got it finished last night during another bout with insomnia.

see how trim they are on Baby Sister?

Crafty Sewing Mama's Blog Challenge

2011-04-23T00:04:00.001-06:00

I have tried to do this for the past 9 challenges but never did get them done. Ok so this one is actually for the one that ended last week but I'll still include it. It was to make an Easter item.

I made my girls matching skirts. I really like how they turned out. I still need to get a picture of the entire outfit which includes a white shirt the skirt and purple leggings. I used the Market Skirt tutorial.

Little Sister's skirt is on the bottom and Baby Sister's is on top.

A close up of Baby Sister's white material.

A close up of Little Sister's white.

Look at that cute little skirt on Baby Sister - her fluffy bum makes the skirt stick out more.

Little Sister definitely gave these skirts a "Jingle Bell" which means they are twirly I guess like a jingle bell and like Tinker Belle too.

My Newest Love

2011-04-02T21:03:00.002-06:00

I bought some flat diapers recently and I am in love with them. They are pretty easy to use and really trim. Baby Sister can wear jeans over the top of her flats with a flip cover or a Thirsties Duo Wrap. Here is my first try at using a flat. Now I feel like a pro at the origami fold that holds a lot of pee. I even used one overnight with an added booster in the middle.

Trainers

2011-03-29T18:55:00.003-06:00

I'm now at a point in my life that diapers are not being used as much for my 2 older kiddos. I've been working on making some training pants for them because they still have lots of accidents. Big Brother is almost in underwear all day but still has tons of accidents and only wears a pull-up at night and naptime. Little Sister has started refusing to wear diapers and wants panties but hasn't quite mastered the potty so lots of accidents there too. I think I found a happy medium where they aren't in pull-ups (you know the name brand ones) yet still have padding and some protection. I tried my hand at my first one today. I made a Trimsies Trainer. I made a size med (around a 2T/3T pants size) in a girly print for Little Sister with her waist and hip measurements but the butt is too big on her. Big Brother fits in the trainer perfectly though except for the leg holes and is currently testing it out for me.

I used a anti-pill fleece (one layer) and sewed the insert onto it. The insert is 4 layers of birsdeye fabric and a layer of anti-pill fleece on the bottom next to the fleece. I had to add leg cuffs because I didn't cut the material generously enough in the legs. I used the quick trainer variation of the pattern too. Next time I'll make a size small (18M/24M/2T) for the girl. The boy gets about 5 new trainers soon in boyish/gender neutral prints.

My new diaper bag

2011-03-24T10:09:00.004-06:00

I'm so happy with this project. I have a small diaper bag right now and need something a lot bigger to accommodate 3 kiddos diapers, wipes, toys, and extra underwear. I just made the diaper bag using Andrea's Originals directions. I really like how big it is. If I make another one I w0uld add more material to the handles to make them longer. I had limited material for the 3rd coordinating fabric so I winged it with what material I had on hand and it turned out really cute. No I didn't try to copy her exact pattern for the bag, I had the material and wanted to make a bag out of it before I saw Andrea's diaper bag. I like that it has 13 pockets to put stuff. Now I just need to fill it up with my stuff (the fun part).

Snail Shell

2011-02-24T13:00:00.004-07:00

Here is what I've been working on today and last night. Matching diapers for the girls. I used the LaDiDa pattern and turned it into a snail shell diaper so like a hybrid diaper with a snap in liner that I can unsnap and wipe out. I need to make more than 1 liner though. I got the idea from the Diaper Sewing Diva board.
The outside

the inside

Little Sister wearing a med stuffed with an infant prefold (trifolded of course)

Baby Sister showing off her small stuffed with an insert I had laying around

And look how cute they are in their matching fluffy bums.

2011-02-23T11:24:00.004-07:00

Today I feel crafty. I have finally gotten around to sewing again. I haven't wanted to sew for a while. Here is what I finished today.

Ok so this was finished a few weeks ago and is a little wonky I need new elastic on there (it isn't the right size for Little Sister). I used Dana's market skirt pattern and tutorial to make it I just didn't add the pockets. I also used an old tablecloth as the top and bottom strip.

Little Sister has a big blanket made from this same material and it is her favorite. I made a smaller one to keep her from carrying the big one all over the house. At least I hope she keeps her big one on her bed.

Fleece pants for 2 of the kiddos I have another one cut out for Baby Sister and I hope to get it done during naptime.

After pics

2011-02-01T09:06:00.003-07:00

The desk didn't get started on yet. I had sick kiddos needing my attention all week. They aren't better yet but they were ok enough that I was able to get this done yesterday.

Weekly sewing goals

2011-01-24T12:22:00.004-07:00

This week my goal is to organize my sewing space. Notice I said space and not room - I only have a small area where I'm looking at a wall. If I try to sew while kiddos are awake they destroy the house behind me. Big Brother is now refusing to take a nap anymore so I have only when they fall asleep at night to sew. Anyway I have some before pictures and hope to add the after pictures soon.

The sewing table.

This is what is behind my sewing machine - lots of scraps and half finished projects.

The rest of the fabric and various stuff gets stuck on my desk.

Another goal I have is to make my older 2 kiddos some training pants. Big Brother has almost successfully mastered the art of using the potty be we still have a bunch of accidents. Little Sister thinks she can go potty too so she refuses to wear a diaper, then immediately pees in her underwear. I have a few patterns to try out and I'm really wanting to buy the tinkle time trainer pattern. I think I need a few trainers with PUL for outings and some with knit for around the house with a hidden PUL layer so I don't have to clean up so many messes.

2010-12-11T13:05:00.004-07:00

I have mostly been making diapers and other things for other people for a swap. I make them something and they make me something in return. Here is what I've made recently:

and she sent me 2 diapers and a pair of fleece longies with matching hats for all 3 kids

Big brother showing off one of the diapers I received (I forgot to take pictures of the other diaper)

Little Sister got to try out a pretty AIO diaper from another swap (it's OS so it fits Baby Sister and Big Brother has even worn it too)

and Baby sister got a pretty ruffle butt diaper for another swap but made by the same mama who made the bird diaper (shown above)

I made these for the last 2 swaps to different mamas. Longies and a pocket fitted

Ergo Giveaway

2010-10-05T13:17:00.001-06:00

Mom's milk Boutique is giving away an Ergo baby Carrier here. I've always wanted to try one.

1 day in cloth diapers with 3 kids

2010-10-04T22:55:00.005-06:00

Crafts from Aug

2010-09-16T15:08:00.002-06:00

My computer was sick (it had a virus) for about 2 months - since Baby Sister was born but I have still been sewing. Just not diapers right now. I made a carseat canopy for Baby Sister.

Big Brother's birthday presents were all homemade this year he got a backpack, a car cozie, and a crayon roll. I'll post links to the tutorials I used after I look them up.

And Little Sister needed a new towel so I made her one - it was very easy.

I have some diapers cut out and ready to sew together and I'm working on some trainers because Little Sister wants to wear "underwears" and I'm getting a bit tired of cleaning up little messes all over the house.

Cloth Baby pattern Testing

2010-07-26T14:28:00.004-06:00

Obviously this is Baby Sister in some brand new fluff. I tried out a new pattern last weekend for another mama. She really wanted to see how it looked on a new little baby since she is due to have a baby next month I think. Anyway here is how a newborn (currently 7lbs 6oz and 21.5in) fits in a OS snappiable diaper. The diaper is made with thermal knit outer a hidden layer of fleece (Blizzard from Joann's if you want to get technical) and an inner layer of cotton velour. I'm thinking that most of the bulk was from the hidden fleece layer. I also used a cloth wipe folded in half as an insert since I haven't made one yet. I felt it was way too bulky on my little one so I added a bamboo insert and Little Sister wore it. I like the way it fits on her much better.

First day in cloth

2010-07-19T13:57:00.004-06:00

Her first cd - a newborn size RRP another mama gave me.

Then a TWH I made with snaps and there is still gapping at the legs.

but with the Thirsties Duo Wrap cover over the top there aren't any gaps at the legs.

Here she is at 2 weeks (today) in a small BG AIO and it is still a little big on her.

I started Baby Sister in cloth after the first week. Since she was having issues with Jaundice I waited (and that was a good thing). The diapers drown her right now but soon enough they will fit her and then be too small. There were some lovely bf poop stains but a few hours in the sun did the trick and the diapers look brand new again.

Baby Sister is Here

2010-07-16T10:43:00.002-06:00

I was playing around on Facebook on Sat July 3rd and got up to get Little Sister a drink. I got to the fridge and went to turn around to ask her if she wanted milk or water when I started leaking all over. I was able to get to the bathroom where fluid just gushed and gushed. Little Sister had followed me into the bathroom and started slipping on the wet floor. I'm holding her by the arm and sitting on the toilet so I started yelling for Hubby to come here (he was sleeping). He came in and I told him that my water just broke and he was still sleepy and asked me "are you sure?" I just looked at him and showed him my wet pants and said "this is different from peeing my pants" Anyway, I didn't have any bags packed for me or for the kids so Hubby and I ran around the house getting things ready to go. I also had to change my pants again from the leaking. Anyway, after dropping the kids off at my SIL's we got to the hospital about an hour after my water broke. I think we got there after 6:30 and was hooked to an IV and had some pitocin around 7pm. Oh and the day before I was dilated 1cm but when I went in I was dilated to 3-4cm. I got an epidural around 8:30 and every single time the anesthesiologist went to do something to me I was focused on breathing through a contraction so I didn't really feel anything. Around 9:45 (I think - I can't remember) the nurse had me turn onto my left side and upped my pit to get things moving faster - I was just supposed to tell her if I was feeling pressure. I was laying there reading a book and Hubby was watching a movie. The resident came in to check on me and I mentioned that he should let the nurse know I was having a little pressure. She came in a few minutes later and wanted me to turn over onto my right side. I turned over to my back and just kind of thought "Oh there is something there." The nurse decided to check my cervix again and she was looked at me with her eyes wide and said, "Are you sure you haven't been feeling any pressure? There is baby's head right there!" She then went to call my OB in. She came back in with the resident and started getting the room ready. She also just told me "whatever you do DON'T PUSH!!!" So I waited it out through the contractions where I felt her coming but I didn't push. My OB arrived and started saying I was very nice to let him finish lighting fireworks with his family and Hubby mentioned that I had let him finish his movie too. The nurse had to remind my OB to get gowned up (he came in a t-shirt and shorts) because the baby was right there. My dr looks at me and says "OK don't cough, sneeze, laugh, or push in any way" I just looked at him like he was crazy - then the nurse the resident, and my OB start teasing me about not having a 4th of July baby and her coming into the world with a bang and just teasing me about not even feeling that the baby was there. I couldn't handle it anymore and I burst out laughing. Hubby tried to get me to stop and the nurse just looked and me and said, "Come on! I've never had someone laugh their baby into the world." I couldn't stop laughing and out came my baby girl - no pushing at all at 10:41pm.

She was 8lbs 4oz 21in and she looked different than my other kids. She has been really sleepy and had to deal with Jaundice because my milk didn't come in until 5 days (but that is typical for me). We spent 2 nights and a day trying to get her to stay in the bilibed. She is a strong little lady. She is almost 2 weeks and is finally starting to get a pink color back in her skin.

Newborn Diapers

2010-06-16T21:54:00.003-06:00

I think I have found a love for newborn diapers. They are so little and I can make them cute. Here is my newest one - a newborn Tighty Whitey Hipster with velcro this time. I'm not sure if I like how the velcro looks. Anyway, it has a knit outer and a suede cloth inner. I made a different pocket again (I'm trying other ways of doing pockets to see which one I like). I sewed a rectangle around a mark I made for the size of the pocket I wanted and then cut the material inside the rectangle. Next time I need to make it a little bigger because I could barely get my hand in there to stuff it. Oh this is another pocket fitted and for the picture I stuffed it with an infant microfleece insert that came with other pocket diaper inserts.

Pocket Fitted Tutorial

2010-06-09T17:05:00.010-06:00

I have gotten a few requests to show how I make my diapers. This is what I had in mind when I started the blog in the first place. Enjoy!

First choose your pattern. I really like this pattern and I transferred it to an old box. It's the Onesize pattern.

Make sure that the stretch of your fabric goes across the hips of the diaper. Cut out the fabric (an inner and outer fabric). I like using the rotary cutter because it is easier than marking the pattern and cutting with scissors.

Now add snaps. I add an extra piece of my fabric on the back to help reinforce the snaps.

The front side.

Or sew some loop velcro to the outside(this diaper still needs the rise snaps though). Rounded edges look and feel nicer in my opinion.

This is the diaper I'm sewing together. I've had it ready to sew together for a few months. I only had enough material to have half of the fabric so I cut out what I could from the fabric. I then cut another piece so I could have a whole diaper and sewed together the 2 pieces.

Since the outside is flannel I added a hidden layer of fleece to help with absorbency.

I cut in the seam allowance at the back elastic markings to make my pocket.

Then measure your elastic by stretching it between the 2 cuts and cut just a little more elastic off. Just in case you measured wrong and have a little allowance.

I use a 3 step zig-zag sitch set to 1.5 width and tack it down just on the ends. This means you sew and back-stitch over the elastic only on the end. I like to make sure to sew and back-stitch at least 4 times. Sew it on the wrong side of the material.

This is what it looks like tacked down.

Fold over the material wrong sides together and sew a channel along the edge of the top material. Make sure you don't catch the elastic as you sew otherwise your elastic won't stretch like it should.

The right side looks like this when you are done.

Do the same thing to your outer material.

Line up the material so that the seams of the elastic match up. Put a few pins in it to hold the material in place. Then sew from the edge of one of the openings to the other end. I try to keep the presser foot as my guide along the edge of the fabric.

What it looks like when sewn together.

Now measure your elastic for the legs and front and tack it down on the ends. It will look like this when it is done.

Trim around the edges for nicer turning.

Turn it right side out and try to get the corners looking nice.

Here it is fully turned.

I start at the edge of the elastic pocket to top stitch.

First I reinforce the elastic one more time before top stitching. Then I turn the diaper and top stitch.

Feel for the beginning of your elastic and move the diaper so that you don't catch the elastic with your stitching. I feel for the elastic before stretching and sewing a casing around the elastic. When you get to the end of the elastic, move the diaper back over so you are back to sewing close to the edge.

Your diaper is top stitched. Now you are almost finished.

Using your awl make holes where the pattern shows to put the snaps. Or you can sew the velcro on right now. Sew the hook closest to the edge of the wings and then sew a piece of loop about 1/2 inch away to use as laundry tabs.

My lovely snap pliers.

Don't the snaps look lovely? Now make sure all the snaps work and don't come off.

Stuff your diaper. I use either a trifolded prefold or microfiber auto towel to stuff.

And there is your completed pocket fitted diaper.

Various crafts

2010-06-08T08:36:00.003-06:00

I got just a little burned out on making diapers. I still have a bunch cut out and ready to be sewn together. I decided that I need to make some things for Baby Sister (only 5 more weeks) so I tried my hand at a car seat canopy.

This one is actually for another baby as a shower gift but I plan on making one for me too. I used this really easy tutorial to make it and it only took me an afternoon (or it should have if I had sewn the straps on that day :P)

For the baby shower gift I also made a receiving blanket and I love the stitching on it. I had to use another sewing machine to do the sewing though. I made a matching one for Baby Sister but I made hers with rag edges (no pics of that one yet but it is finished).

new diapers

2010-05-25T09:42:00.004-06:00

I still haven't made anything lately but I have a few older things that I haven't taken pictures of yet.

My first newborn diaper - it is so small. I made it using the Cloth Revolution pattern.

with a contoured snap in soaker

and a few other diapers.

Little Sister loves this owl diaper she picks it to wear every time it is clean.

Little Sister modeling my newest diaper. Fleece and cotton on the outer with suede cloth inner - another pocket fitted. It would be just a pocket if I had added another full layer of fleece under the whole thing. Oh and I made this one with a fold down rise and snappiable.

the front

and the back. I need to get a picture of the inside of this diaper - I made a sham almost like the Bum Genius except that it is too low and hard to get the insert out when the diaper has poop in it.

Slacker

2010-05-14T13:17:00.002-06:00

Wow I've been a slacker lately. Life with 2 kiddos and another one on the way is busy. I've been trying to make time to make diapers when the kids are sleeping but I end up sleeping the afternoon away too. I have been busy making diapers though - mostly to trade with other ladies though so none of the diapers I've made are on my kids. Plus the house has gone through a bad case of stomach flu and the kiddos have been mostly in sposies this week :(

I'll be back later and post pics of my most recent creations.

Dolce Diapers

2010-03-13T09:10:00.004-07:00

Little Sister wasn't a very happy model for the diaper.

Actions shots of the back

front while standing no gapping in front.

the front fit of the diaper

Big Brother had to show off his fleece pants that match the diaper. He wore these to bed over the diaper. It looks a little fluffier than what he normally wears but he likes it.

He looks happy about the diaper

no gapping in the crotch

Showing off how great the fit in the butt is.

I'm testing a new diaper for my kids. It is called the Dolce diaper. The Mama is a WAHM and is trying to get her business started. The Grand Opening is on March 15th! When I first got the diaper Big Brother grabbed it and just held on to it like he does with his blankie. He didn't want to let go. I don' t blame him it was so soft and squishy and the stretch is great. I made sure to get the snapless Dolce diaper so that I could fit it on both kids. I tried the diaper on both kids - Big Brother wore his overnight and had a small leak but that was probably because of me not prepping it enough first (I only washed it once before putting it on him). Little Sister got to wear it twice - the first time we had a snappi problem and the whole diaper came off. The 2nd time she wore the diaper it stayed on longer and I was able to get pictures. We had some errands to run so she was in the diaper with a Thirsties Duo Wrap and then had some overalls on top of that for about 3 hours. She was struggling to get up off of the floor (you know stand up) and I think the overalls were a little too snug on her. I folded the rise down for her so that she didn't have it over her belly button.

I like the fit on both kids and I love the print and so does Big Brother - "girlie" colors doesn't bother him at all.

Trying out new patterns

2010-03-04T21:21:00.004-07:00

I've been trying out new patterns because I like variety. I love the One*der Snap pattern and I use this pattern all the time. However, I tried a pocket with PUL for the first time using the One*der pattern. I like how it looks but the material is woven cotton so it wicks just a little in the legs. I'm still going to use the diaper though I need more "girly" diapers because I found out I'm having another Baby Girl.

The yellow one is the Oneder snap and the purple is the Tighty Whitey Hipster.
Little Sister got to try out the Tighty Whitey Hipster in a size Med. It fits her great (no action shots of her in that diaper though) and I made it out of cotton knit outer with a hidden layer of knit and 4 layers of birdseye sown in soaker with crushed panne inner. It is soft and trim but I add one of my trifolded microfiber and flannel soakers as a lay in soaker and it seems to work better that way.

I also tried the Quick Snap Flap Wrap pattern last night. It has a knit outer and crushed panne inner but I added a microfiber/flannel soaker to the inside. I made a large and it was very large. The pattern doesn't call for elastic but there is a tutorial on Diaper Sewing Divas board that shows how to put elastic in. I think I'll try the pattern again at least one more time and see if it fits better. Maybe I need to make a smaller size for Big Brother. There was some serious gapping in the leg on him.

I also made a Minky diaper cover with an extra layer of fleece inside just in case of leaks. I made a large sized Baa Baa Baby Cover and it fits Big Brother. I have more material in Pink Camo for Little Sister's cover and I want to get some more Pink Camo for Baby Sister when she comes. I love finding deals - I got the Minky (ok the store calls it Cuddle Fabric) and the large I mad from a Fat Quarter and the others are just the right size for the Fat Sixth material so I can get cute Minky for 1 cover with some left over at my local craft store.

I'm still here

2010-02-17T08:01:00.002-07:00

I am still here and making diapers but I don't make a lot of time to do it or blog. My computer has a bad virus on it so there are no pictures for a while :(

I made a cover using 1 layer of minky fabric and an inner layer of fleece just to make sure it didn't leak. It works awesome and big brother likes his soft cover.

Last night I tried the Tighty Whitey Hipster diaper pattern and I think it turned out pretty good. I still need to put snaps on it and then see if the med I made will fit on my chunky little sister. If I like the fit I may make more for the new baby in a size small since my babies haven't been smaller than 8.5lbs.

Finally getting back to work.

2010-01-28T13:38:00.003-07:00

I'm finally feeling like myslef again and I'm getting back into the sewing groove.
Here is a pair of wool longies made from sweater sleeves.

I found a tutorial online showing how easy it is to cover your microfiber towels with flannel and trifold them then sew the bottom together. It was very easy and they work great. Plus I don't have to touch the microfiber to fold them or stuff them into diapers.

I don't have much energy lately

2009-12-04T14:19:00.002-07:00

Big brother and baby sister are going to be big siblings again. I have been struggling with morning sickness and really haven't been up to making diapers or even putting my kids in cloth diapers. I feel bad that they are in sposies and it makes me gag at the smell of dirty sposies but I don't have much energy to deal with another 2 loads of laundry a week. I know I'm taking the easy way out but I'm ok with it for now. I think I'm going to eventually have 3 kiddos in diapers soon - big brother really has no interest in potty training. That is fine with me because he is still little (a few months past his second birthday). I hear Baby sister up from her nap (I guess I should call her little sister now - nah I'll wait until I know what I'm having first).

Babylegs Tutorial

2009-11-17T10:13:00.002-07:00

First you start out with a pair of knee high socks. These are girls socks but the adult ones work great too.

Then you cut off the heal and toe of the sock.

Then you fold over the "foot" piece so that it is right side up

Next put the folded piece over the leg part of the sock and line up the seams.

Sew then together on your machine with a straight stitch. I tried on one pair a zig-zag stitch and it made the seam pucker.

Now unfold the seam and you have some cute baby legs for your baby or toddler.

The finished product on Baby Sister.

Here are a few others I made:

Some Halloween goodies

2009-10-26T13:33:00.002-06:00

Some baby legwarmers. A tutorial for how to make these is coming very soon.

matching fleece soakers.

Giveaways!!!

2009-10-26T09:48:00.002-06:00

I get really sucked in to the giveaways in the chance that I could win one of them. I haven't yet but one never knows. Right now Newly Wed, Newly Bred is having a giveaway for 2 items that I really want to try out. The first one is for an amber teething necklace. I am having a really tough time with Baby Sister teething horribly. She is getting 4 top teeth right now and I heard that the necklace has analgesic properties just by wearing it. Right now I feel so bad for numbing up her whole mouth with Orajel.

The second thing that Newly wed newly bred is giving away is Rockin' Green laundry detergent. I have heard great reviews about the soap and that it is great for hard water (tons of issues here with that). I also heard that it doesn't have a strong scent and that it is great for sensitive skin (which I have).

2009-10-13T12:12:00.003-06:00

I tried the pants again before I tried it on some wool so I used the Katrina's longies pattern in size large and medium for my kiddos.

Then I decided to be brave and try out the longies from a wool sweater
before

after

2009-10-09T21:02:00.003-06:00

Just a few more Pooligans pictures.

Recycled material covers

2009-10-03T18:54:00.003-06:00

I found a great tutorial on how to convert old sweaters (mainly their sleeves) to longies that I have been wanting to try out. I followed the directions but got a little confused on a few directions. It says to cut the extra material off so I cut it and then ended up with a really small waist plus I sewed it together and then pulled the other leg out the seam was wrong. Think about a pair of fleece pants with the seam inside on one leg and the seam on the outside of the other leg. That's what I did *oops* Anyway after unpicking and trying again I got a pair of fleece longies from the sleeves of a fleece sweatshirt. Then I decided to use the cute Mickey Mouse embroidery on the shirt as the back of a cover. Here are the finished pictures.

Pooligans Update

2009-10-03T18:49:00.002-06:00

Well after trying out the diapers last night I have to say that I really like Pooligans diapers. Super soaking Big Brother didn't leak at all and neither did Baby Sister. She even had an extra middle of the night feeding (ok technically 2) and the diaper was pretty wet on her but they didn't leak out of the cover. They didn't smell too bad from the stong ammonia smell I get with all of Big Brother's night diapers. I give the diapers 2 thumbs up! We shall see how they hold up to poop soon too.

Testing Pooligan's Diapers

2009-10-02T21:46:00.004-06:00

A fellow cloth diapering mama is starting a cding business and asked for testers to test her diapers out. I told her I would do it and was able to get 2 diapers to test (makes sense with 2 kids). Anyway they are Pooligans for your lil' Hooligans diapers. They are made with a cotton knit outer material and bamboo velor and a trifolded snap-in soaker made from Bamboo velor and bamboo hemp fleece material. I received them a few days ago and they are sooooo soft and fluffy. I tried them on my kiddos after prepping them twice. They held up pretty good. Little Sister's diaper lasted her a few hours (because she wasn't wet when I put her down for a nap) while Big Brother's diaper I changed after wetting once - we are trying to potty train and he told me he needed to pee but had already gone and I didn't want to put the wet diaper back on him. Anyway I was able to get some pictures of the kiddos wearing their new fluff.

It works great with a snappie

Cute kids in their matching Ooga Booga diapers. Big Brother calls them "Booga Booga"

It would have been the perfect picture if Little Sister didn't move.

Nice and trim in the back and in the crotch. The back elastic does a good job.

They are currently wearing them to bed with a fleece cover over the top plus pj's. It doesn't look as bulky as the pockets stuffed with 2 inserts they normally wear to bed. They are pretty trim in the crotch and the elastic in the back stretches nicely for a tight fit (no poop running out the back on these I'm sure). The biggest test for me is night-time. Big Brother soaks through many of his diapers at night (that includes disposables).

Homemade stuff

2009-09-25T09:22:00.002-06:00

I have been trying to save some money lately because of this economy and to make things more easy if I can make it myself. I've been making different cleaning supplies. I make my own diaper detergent and it is so easy to make. I found all my ingredients in the laundry isle of the grocery store and all of them are pretty close to costing $5 or less and it makes a lot of detergent.
The recipe is:
1 cup Oxyclean Free
1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Borax.
I have a front loading washer and I only need 1 TBS for a light/small load and 2 TBS for a large load or very dirty load. I've been using it for a while and it is doing it's job. No fragrances and it doesn't have soap in it to cause buildup. Plus it doesn't cause bubbles in my diaper laundry so I don't have to keep rinsing until all the bubbles are gone.

I'm also going to make some wipe solution today. I just need to get a spray bottle to put it in. The recipe I'm using is:
2 cups distilled water (I'm boiling my tap water - distilled water keeps the solution from going bad too soon)
2 TBSP baby soap (I'm using Johnson's nightime baby wash)
2 tsp baby oil (I'm using Johnson's baby oil lavender scent)
a drop or two of Tea Tree Essential Oil and you could use a drop or two of Lavender Essential Oil but I figure I'm using the lavender scented oil and wash so I have that already)

Helping others out

2009-09-25T08:56:00.002-06:00

I gave some tips in person yesterday when I took baby sister to a parenting meeting in a t-shirt and a Haute Pocket. I think that educating others on the different types of cloth diapers out there now helps them decide whether it is a good idea to make the switch from disposables to cloth. I feel pretty good about the info I gave. I even gave away the diapers I don't really use all the time to let one of my friends try them out on her child. It feels good to help others out.

The reason I started this blog wasn't just to show off my sewing I wanted to help inform anyone about the things that are out there and how to sew them yourself. Now the basics - cloth diapers are very different from the ones my mom used on me and my siblings. They have better covers that breathe so there are fewer rashes - no more plastic pants. There are different styles of diapers out there - prefolds and flats, fitteds, pockets, and All-in-ones (AIO). Prefolds and flats still need to be folded on the baby. Fitteds are my personal favorite they can be made out of many different materials and they do not need to be folded. Prefolds and fitteds need covers so that they don't leak onto any clothes that are on top of them. Pockets are usually made out of Polyurithane Laminate (PUL) outer and a wicking fabric on the inside like microfleece or suedecloth. They have a pocket (hence the name) in them that you stuff with an insert (I use microfiber inserts). The most costly diapers are AIOs but they are the closest to disposables you don't stuff them and you just put them on. The covers are usually made out of PUL but I've seen some made out of nylon (Dappi covers) I love making them out of fleece and I'm on the lookout for some wool to try. I've heard that wool is more absorbant and it has antimicrobial characteristics. Plus you don't need to wash them as often either - another bonus! To start I'd suggest trying out the different styles to see what works for you and your lifestyle.

That's just the basics

My latest creations

2009-09-17T23:40:00.000-06:00

I've been a little busy lately. I was so excited to get some snap pliers and snaps to put on my diapers now. I finally finished some diapers and covers. Oh and today I made 10 wipes one side is flannel and the other side is microsuede. I thought I could use the microsuede for the inside of my diapers but it isn't good next to baby's skin. I mixed it up with suedecloth.

2 wipes, 3 Rita's Rump pocket diapers (RRP), and 1 Baa Baa Baby easy cover

An action shot of a RRP

the 10 wipes I finished tonight

My first fleece pocket diaper with snaps

big brother's soaker - Baby sister has one that is already cut out just not sewn together.

Another switch over - my diaper stash so far

2009-09-17T23:38:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to show off the cloth diaper stash I have. Keep in mind that I have 2 kids in diapers right now. Plus there are a few that are dirty - 2 more pockets, 2 more mutts, and 2 that I made.
Covers: far left row 3 Bumkins large, 2 small Imse Vimse, and 3 Bumkin small, then the fleece soakers I've made - med row, 1large 2 xl row, and a long large and long med.

2 dozen infant chinese prefolds, 1 dozen premium Indian prefolds and the small (more like newborn soaker I made)

pockets and Kissuluvs size 1 fitteds

one of the diapers I made

all but 2 of the Mutts

some I made, the 2 minky ones are from Cheeky Bum and the nb/smalls

My fabric Stash: Knit patterns

flannel

fleece

cut out diapers ready to sew - when I find time :)

A few more finished diapers

2009-09-17T23:37:00.000-06:00

I'm switching this one over from the other blog:

I have tons of material to make my diapers now I just need some motivation. Here are a few more pictures of finished diapers I made and 2 fleece soaker covers.

Welcome to my new blog

2009-09-17T22:42:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my new blog. I was getting the feeling that my regular blog was getting bogged (or blogged hehe) down with too much of my cloth diapering stuff. So I decided to start a new one just for the diapers and various other crafts I make. I hope you enjoy!