A little update June 2008

Hi Everyone! Thank you for the great feedback!

I wanted to jump in to make a few things clear. This is a free site I have done as a service to other mamas. I don’t spend much time here, I’m not going to be answering questions etc. If you want to jump in and help by answering others in the comments, that’s fine.

Some were asking where the pictures were. I have them hosted on Flickr. I didn’t have the money to upgrade the account until recently. Yes, this costs some money, it’s not all free on my end. I appreciate any paypal or RME donations (see sidebar) you can make to help the site. But you know, you get what you pay for and this is all free LOL.

I’m not going to be drafting a PDF pattern for you to download for the diapers. If you want to contribute to the site you can feel free, and I’ll add it to the site! I’d be thrilled.

I also do not give sewing advice. There are many sites that can be very helpful for learning to sew, sewingmamas is one of the sites I own with a lot of great and informative mamas.

You may sew any of the items on this site, as many as you wish, for fun or profit. You have free use of all of these patterns, so long as you have a link back to this site on every diaper or item you sell, or at least on the tag. Call it pay it forward.

Love,  Nutmeg

cookiepants.com ::  materialmama.com ::   sewingmamas.com

Turned and Top stitched Diaper

This tutorial will walk you through making a turned and top stitched diaper, with the soaker attached to a ‘hidden’ body layer and tacked on elastic in a casing.

Supply List:

Diaper Fabric (this is a matter of
preference, I used birdseye for the two body layers, cotton jersey print for the
outer layer and super flannel and birdseye for the soaker (2 layers flannel, 4
birdseye)

Sewing Machine Thread

1/4 Elastic (or the size you prefer)

Snaps or Hook-N-Loop (Aplix, Velcro, Touch
Tape, etc.) if you’d like closures on your diaper

Step One:

First, cut out all the pieces of your diaperand soaker.

For this diaper, you will need one innerbody layer, one hidden body layer, and one outer layer. The number of layers inyour soaker will depend on your personal preference. The diaper I am making will
be for a newborn, so the soaker is pretty light.

Here is a picture using a ‘half’ patternplaced on the fold of the fabric to create a symmetrical diaper when cut out,and a second picture showing all the body pieces of the diaper (2 of birdseye,and one of jersey knit print):

Step Two:

Stack up your soaker layers, and finish the edges either by serging (as shown in ‘How to sew a serged side snap diaper’), or sewing with a zig-zag stitch around all four edges.

Center your finished soaker on your ‘hidden’ inner diaper body layer. Pin through all layers to secure the soaker, and straight stitch around all four edges (as shown in ‘How to sew a serged side snap diaper‘).

Step Three:

This is the trickiest step because it’s important you get your layering right!

Place your inner and outer diaper layers
RIGHT sides together (these are the layers that will be on the very outside of
the diaper, and the inside against your baby). Lay them down with the inner
layer on top.

Now, place your hidden diaper layer, with
attached soaker facing ‘up’ on top of the inner diaper layer.

You should now have a ’sandwich’ of layers,
that goes… outer layer (with wrong side facing out), inner layer, hidden layer
with attached soaker facing out).

Once you have your layering correct, pin in
several locations to keep the layers from shifting.

Starting at the front of the diaper, about 2
inches from the center begin straight stitching about 1/4 inch from the
unfinished edges of the diaper. Continue all the way around the diaper, until
you reach the front, again stopping about 2 inches from the center. This will
leave you with a 4 inch opening at the front of the diaper to turn it right
sides out.

The pictures below are of both sides of the
‘diaper layer stack’.

Wrong side of the outer jersey print:

Hidden inner layer, with attached soaker
facing out. The inner layer of the diaper that will be against baby is
sandwiched between these two layers!

Picture showing stitching around the outer
edges of the diaper:

Step Four:

Next, cut your elastic for the legs and back
of the diaper. The length of the elastic will depend on the diaper pattern you
are using, and how tight you’d like the elastic to be. For my pattern, I use the
following guidelines:

Large: legs – 6 inches :: back- 6.5 inches

Medium: legs- 5 inches :: back 5.5 inches

Small: legs-4 inches :: back 4.5 inches

Securely tack the elastic on OUTSIDE the
seam allowance using a zig-zag stitch at both the starting and stopping elastic
guide marks at the legs and back of the diaper.

This picture shows the elastic firmly tacked
on, OUTSIDE the seam allowance at the starting elastic mark.

Step Five:

Trim your seam allowances, especially around
curves and in between your elastic marks. This will make your curves ‘cleaner’
and your elastic stretch more evenly.

Turn your diaper right sides out. Push all
curves fully out, using a long object like the ends of your closed scissors
helps.

Step Six:

Topstitch, with a straight stitch around
your entire diaper starting with the opening you left for turning. Turn the raw
edges of the opening under, and stitch closed as shown:

You can stitch close to the edges of the
diaper around the front and wings where there’s no elastic, and then ease out to
compensate for the elastic, or just do a wide topstitch around the entire
diaper.

Make sure you DO NOT catch the elastic in
your stitching. If you do, you will have to pull the seam out and start over
because it will prevent the elastic from sliding in the casing and stretching
evenly.

The top stitching around the elastic creates
the ‘casing’ that will hold it neatly in place.

Here is a picture of a narrow stitch around
the wings, widening to make the casing for the elastic:

The finished diaper (which will have snaps
added when I get to it):

Here is the diaper open, as you can see the
inside is smooth and pretty.. this is the benefit of a ‘hidden’ layer. Your
soaker is invisible, and it makes for a very nice finished look. It also adds a
little bit more absorbency, but it also adds another full layer to the bulk of
the diaper.

One Size Diaper

My Free Diaper Pattern!

With basic sewing skills you can make your own cloth diapers!

Sew fun and easy!

The pattern-
The fitted diaper pattern that I have chosen to share with you on this site is cute and easy. It is a One Size Diaper pattern. It will fit an 8 1/2 lb. baby on up to toilet training. (as I’ll show you-It’s all in the folding.)
(If your kids are on the bigger side you may need longer wings. My kids are average, but not huge as pre-trainers.)

This One Size diaper is a very versatile diaper. If your goal is to sew one set of diapers to use the whole time your baby is in diapers this diaper pattern will work very well for you. It works best as a pinnable diaper.
For a preemie baby you can shrink the pattern down to make a
Preemie version! Experiment a bit.

Folded for a small baby:

For a medium baby you use the front tabs. Fold the front and the back of the diaper and pin on the sides.

The diaper is used with out any folding on a toddler.

Soaker pad-

Lay out your flannel, and cut a piece 20 inches by 11 inches. Then cut a piece of recycled towel, 4″ by 11″. Then wrap the piece of flannel around the piece of towel. Securely zig zag around the edges of your soaker pad. Secure the edges well to prevent fraying. I have cut up inexpensive walmart (The kind that are 5.00 a bundle) wash cloths for part of this. Then wraped them in flanell. (Then of course zig zag the edges well.) Update-For quicker drying time don’t sew your soaker pad into the diaper. Look at other quick dry diapers for ideas. Etrernal trifold soakers are great for quick drying. (Not shown or described here.)

Diaper Body-
Print your pattern and tape it together.
Cut three diaper bodies with the grain of the fabric going up and down, or front to back on your diaper. Choose the cutest piece of flannel for the outside. You can use recycled flannel for the middle piece if you’d like, or for all of it. OR cut diaper bodies out of an old t-shirt, or other cotton recycled fabric. Your creativity and budget are the only limits. Old knit or flannel jammies or sheets. Be creative.

Center the soaker and sew it on-
Attatch the soaker to the layer that you have chosen for the middle of your diaper. You can either zig zag or straight stitch it on. Be sure to center it in the center of the diaper. Center it front to back and side to side. (You will be folding the front of the diaper and the back of the diaper down for the smaller settings. You’ll be happier with your diaper if it is well centered.)

Layering the fabric and sewing-
The center piece of the diaper body should be the top layer. Then your 2 outer fabric layers need to be right sides together, so that when you turn the diaper the outside fabrics will show their right sides.
Pin the diaper together around the edges. Then sew 5/8 of an inch from the edge almost all the way around. Remember to leave one of the ends open in the center about 5 1/2 to 6 iches, so that you can turn the diaper body after the elastic is in the legs.

Sewing the outside edges and putting elastic in the legs-

Sew around the edges with a straight stitch and 5/8 inch seam allowance. Leave an opening at one end of 5-6 inches.

Elastic-
In the picture my left hand is stretching the elastc as I sew, my right hand is ussually holding the diaper guiding it through as I sew. But, someone had to take the picture.

(Stretch it firmly as you sew, but don’t overstretch it.)

Start the elastic at your marked dot. I use either 1/2 inch or 3/8 inch white woven elastic. Sew the elastic on with the broken zig zag stitch. (You’ll be sewing the elastic to the seam allowance.) Be sure to firmly tack both ends of the elastic. When you reach your second dot cut the elastic after you tack it down. Do both legs.

Clip and turn

Trim the corners of your diaper prior to turning it. Don’t make the mistake of trimming too close to the stitch line. Turn the diaper and push your corners out neatly.

Top stitching- (I prefer the broken zig zag around the elastic in the legs.) After you turn the diaper top stitch the opening closed and continue topstitching around the diaper. When you come to the elastic in the legs, be sure to stay well away from the elastic. If you stitch too close to the elastic you can kill your stretch.

Note-
I have gotten lots of emails from moms who want to make all in ones. This pattern is best suited for use with a pull on style cover and not as an AIO. I use Gerber covers and the like. This pattern is intended for Moms who are looking for something basic and easy. It is a spin on a prefold.

This pattern and instructions are also available here:

http://www.geocities.com/myfreediaperpattern/

Diaper Sewing is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0

Do you have patterns to add?

If you’d like to have me add a diaper pattern to this list, it must to be under the creative commons license. Meaning they can’t copy the patterns to sell copies of your patterns, but they can create diapers etc. for sale. Including derivative works . They only must have the creative commons logo and a link here when selling the diapers.If you’re okay with that, I’ll approve you and add your patterns to the site. I’m not adding links to other free patterns. You can get those here.

Diaper Doublers/soakers

Diaper Doublers

What is a diaper doubler? Well, basically it’s like using an extra diaper without the bulk. They can be cut in whatever size works best for you but I’ve found that for my uses a 5″ by 12″ rectangle works great. It can be used as an actual diaper for a newborn and can be used to double the absorbency for an older baby. There is also no end to the possibilities of fabric combinations you can use so have fun! Every baby is different … my baby is a heavy wetter so I made mine with either 8 layers of flannel or 2 layers flannel and 2 layers terry cloth. Another great idea would be to add a layer of polar fleece on one side of the outer. Fleece draws wetness away from baby and helps keep the skin healthy and dry.

Procedure -

* Cut a 5″ by 12″ rectangle of your fabric of choice (or plain paper will do too) to use for a pattern.
* Using this piece as a guide, cut your desired number of layers for your doubler. I recommend either 8 layers of flannel or two layers of flannel with two layers of towel terry inside.
* Stack all layers together and straight stitch about 1/4″ from the edge.
* Trim edges even if needed and then zigzag or serge the edges encasing them.

On a more frugal note, this is a great place to use those towels and receiving blankets again. A good washcloth folded into thirds makes a nice liner – catches lots of poopies. Washcloths also are wonderful reusable wipes for bottoms, faces, and whatever you can think of. I got mine from Walmart in a 12-pack for a little over $3. What a deal!! Another cool way to use the doublers is as newborn diapers. As you can see from the picture, they fit perfectly in a newborn sized diaper wrap making a nice trim fit for your little one.

Diaper Sewing is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0

DIY Wool Soakers for Baby

Wool Soakers:

No knit or crochet version:
Go to your closet, local thrift store, or garage sale and pick up a wool sweater. The bigger the better because we are going to then wash it in HOT water and dry it in the dryer to make it shrink, or felt.

Measure your child’s hips and cut an equal sided triangle to that measurement. Use the sweater waistband as the soaker waistband. Then fold diaper style and stitch halfway down the sides to form leg holes. Cut the sleeve ribbing off and stitch in place around the leg holes to form cuffs. That’s it …you’re done!!

Ok so what if your diapers are beautifully sewn and you have them covered with a wonderful fleece or wool diaper cover. What if they just aren’t absorbent enough or your baby is still getting a rash? Then you just read a little further and learn how to make diaper doublers and fleece stay dry liners, that’s what!

DIY Prefold Diapers

Prefold diapers:

Prefolds are my favorite type of diaper out there. They are so versatile and there is something to be said for that feeling you get when you are pinning that dipe … like millions of women throughout time have done this before you. Silly I know but that’s the feeling I get … sort of empowering ). Wanna make your own? Great!!

Procedure -
* Wash and dry all fabric to be used. One yard of 45″wide flannel will make approximately 2 regular sized diapers.

* Cutting -
Cut 2 rectangles in the following measurements for the diaper:
11 1/2″ by 14 1/2″ for newborn to 6 months
13 1/2″ by 18 1/2″ for 6 months to 2 years
15 1/2″ by 21 1/2″ for toddler size

Cut six pieces in the following measurements for the soaker pad:
4″ by 13 1/2″ for newborn to 6 months
5″ by 17 1/2″ for 6 months to 2 years
6″ by 20 1/2″ for toddler size

Preparing the soaker pad:
Stack all the layers of the soaker pad together and straight stitch about 1/4″ from the edge all the way around. Then go around the outside again using a zigzag stitch and encasing the raw edges.

* Attaching the soaker pad to the diaper:
Center and pin each soaker pad to the wrong side of one piece of flannel. Stitch down each side of the pad to secure it.

Sewing the diaper -
Put the two layers of diaper right sides together and stitch all the way around, leaving open between markings for turning. Clip corners and turn right side out, pressing corners out well. Topstitch around the entire diaper. When you get to the opening, just tuck the edges inside and keep right on sewing. Then stitch the soaker pad again on the same lines you used before to secure through all thicknesses and give a finished look.

So do you REALLY need newborn prefolds? Well, yes and no. There’s nothing worse than trying to make a huge diaper fit a tiny newborn. Making the special sized diapers might not seem like a great idea at first but later on, they can be folded into thirds and used as diaper doublers for your older baby overnight.

DIY Nursing Pads

Nursing pads

You will need just a small amount of flannel in your choice of color. My preference is using gently used receiving blankets. As long as your nursing bra isn’t see-through, it doesn’t really matter whether you have cute little duckies or bears on your nursing pads, right?

You will need a minimum of 8 circles for each pair of pads. Be sure you wash any fabrics before cutting or else you are going to end up with little flannel coasters for your child’s tea set!! Once you’ve washed and dried your fabric cut your circles approximately 5″ in diameter. You can trace a bowl or cup to make it really easy ).

Layer 4 circles together and straight stitch about 1/4″ from the edge. Then trim the edges even and zigzag around the very edge being sure to catch ALL the edges to prevent raveling.
Make another to match the first and … voila, you have a pair of nursing pads!

Contributed by Sue

Diaper Sewing is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0

How to Make a Hat for Baby

You will need a piece of jersey knit (tee shirt) material, 14 inches by 18 inches.  (One of Daddy’s old tee shirts will make at least three baby hats, and a fourth can be made from the sleeves of the tee shirt.) 

If you are using a sewing machine, set your machine to zigzag stitch.  The stitches need to be narrow and tight, 10-12 stitches per inch, and 1/6 to 1/4 inch wide.  If you are using a serger, set your machine up for three-thread overlock stitch, 10 stitches per inch, and 1/6 to 1/8 inch wide/deep. 

 

Fold your material in half, “wrong side” out, making a 7-inch by 18-inch rectangle, and sew up the long edge.

 

Turn half of the inside of the “tube” out, so that you have a double layer tube, 9-inches by about 6-7 inches, with the stitching on the inside of the folded tube. 

 

Lay the tube out flat, and with the cut edge at the top, draw (with a washable crayon) two triangles, 3 inches across and 4 inches down, the top side being that cut edge. 

 

Cut out the triangles (all layers) and discard.  Re-fold the tube 1 1/2 inches over, so that two of the edges are aligned, and sew those two edges (four layers of cloth) together.  Repeat, folding and sewing, and with the last edge you sew, continue sewing about an inch over the top, to close any remaining hole. 

 

Turn the hat so that the stitching is on the inside. 

 

TA DAH!!  Once you get started, you will be able to make a dozen of these in about an hour.   

Corrine Flatt, midwife, Las Vegas NV

http://nevadamidwife.com/sewingprojects/diapers.html

 

Diaper Sewing is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0

How to Make Diapers for Baby

There are many, many patterns for baby diapers out there in the world, and most of them are better than mine.  My pattern is a quick and easy diaper pattern for pinnable diapers that you will need to use with plastic pants or a diaper wrap.  Please feel free to modify this basic pattern with Velcro or snap closures, waterproof layers, and gussets.

 

You will need 1 disposable diaper that fits your baby, flannel, and some towel material.  Optional—but really nice, so try it on this first diaper—two six inch pieces of elastic, 1/4 to 1/8 inch wide.  I use all manner of old cloth for baby diapers.  I have used old tee shirts, old jeans (the BEST diaper material), flannel shirts, and anything else about to go in the trash or recycle bin.  I use old and ratty towels—what my family calls “dog towels”—for the inner/soaker layers.  Those waterproof mattress covers or vinyl/flannel tablecloths can be cut up for a waterproof layer.  Elastic can sometimes be recycled from old underwear. 

 

Take a disposable diaper that fits your baby and lay it out on three thicknesses of flannel and trace around it with a washable crayon.  Cut out that shape.  Reserve one piece of the three for your new pattern, pin a 3×5 card to it, and make notes and adjustments on it for your next diapers.  Cut out two (or more) pieces of toweling, 4 inches wide, and three inches shorter than the length of your diaper. 

 

Set your sewing machine for straight stitch with nice long stitches, like 4 per inch.  Place both pieces of toweling in the center of (the wrong side of) one of your flannel pieces and just stitch it down around all four sides. 

 

Now place this sewed piece atop the other piece of flannel, so that their “right sides” are together and the toweling is on top.  Pin six inches of the elastic along the leg opening edges.

 

If you are using a sewing machine, set your machine to zigzag stitch.  The stitches need to be narrow and tight, 10-12 stitches per inch, and 1/6 to 1/4 inch wide.  If you are using a serger, set your machine up for three-thread overlock stitch, 10 stitches per inch, and 1/6 to 1/8 inch wide/deep. 

 

Starting in the back, and leaving the center 4 inches open, begin sewing around the edge, taking care to sew in the elastic (without cutting it up with the serger).  Sew all around, leaving the center 4 inches open.  Take the diaper out and turn it to “right sides” through the hole you left in the back. 

 

Set your sewing machine back to straight stitch, 10-12 stitches per inch. 

 

Fold the open edges of the diaper inside, and sew it shut.  Now sew around the entire diaper again, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch inside the edge. 

 

The side with the rectangle stitching is the “inside”, or the side that goes next to the baby.  When you try one with a waterproof layer, the waterproof material will go just inside of the “outside” piece. 

 

TA DAH!!  After your first few, you will be able to make a dozen of these diapers in about 2 hours. 

 

How to Pin a Diaper Without Sticking Baby OR Mommy!

 

Get a bar of soap, leaving the wrapper on, and use it as your diaper-pin cushion—just trust me on this one!

 

Place diaper around baby, wrap the side-of-the-back over the side-of-the-front, place a finger under both layers and then “pinch” this fabric piece together from the front.  Remove your finger from the underside, and push a pin (from the soap bar) through the pinched material, safely away from baby and your fingers. 

 

Put your finger inside the diaper by the underside of the pin when removing the pin, learning how to not scrape the point across your finger.

Diaper Sewing is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0

Corrine Flatt, midwife, Las Vegas NV

http://nevadamidwife.com/sewingprojects/diapers.html