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
Hi
Can you tell me how to make this diaper using fold over elastic at the legs?
Can you use snaps or velcro with this pattern, also I don’t like any type of vynal around babies I think it is uncomforible. I am a
grandma now. amd I really don’t like the plastic pants from gerber.
Can you make wool soakers for the outside.
can you use snaps or velcro. Also can you use wool soaker for the cover of diaper I don’t like the plastic or vinyl as it is hot. I am a
grandmother now. I have always used cloth diapers on my kids.
You can use snaps or velcro, but it would limit the sizes and you would have to play around. I used dipes with pins until my dd began crawling away at changes, then i switched to velcro dipes. I hope this pattern will last #2 until training pants. Absolutely use any kind of cover you want. Wool is my favorite, and I think any kind of pull-on cover would keep the bulk down.
For: Lisa McClure
I totally agree about the plastic pants! Do you have any free patterns for crocheting wool diaper covers or wool longies/pants? I’ve made a few wool diaper cover wraps, but would like to make pull on ones and pants!
Thanks!
-Melissa
I clicked on the drawing of the diaper pattern, got the adobe print out…BUT…all the instructions below, have NO illustrations…just a square box with a tiny X in the upper left corner of each box, which should show an illustration.
I don’t see any where to “click” to get the photos..boo hoo…
arrrgh!! The pic links are not working!
i can not able to see the pictures
Frances,
If you want to use FOE, here is how I would do it.
1. Cut your 2 body pieces.
2. Sew in your internal soaker (if you like one). I like to make mine as pockets, so I would hem the top of the inside layer, which would be the top of the inside pocket area. Hope that makes sense!
3. Lay your diaper pieces together, WRONG SIDES TOGETHER. (Just like the diaper will appear when finished.)
4. Start sewing your FOE. Go all around the diaper, stretching the FOE anywhere you want gathers. I like to gather the legs and also the back.
5. IF YOU WANT A POCKET – When you reach the area where you want the pocket to begin, scootch down the inner fabric so you are only catching the outer layer in the FOE. Stretch the FOE if you want the back gathered. When you reach the end of the pocket area, scootch the inner layer back up so you are gathering both layers again.
That’s it. No need to topstich and turn. Hope this helps!
Cheers,
Sarah L
sorry about the no pictures problem, I had to buy more webspace. Should be all fixed now!
[...] have about six diapers I made for Wally from this pattern. I love it, but I think I’ll like the Rita’s Rump one better, if you’re looking [...]
[...] Diaper Sewing – One size diaper [...]
On my printer, I enlarged the pattern image 166% and that got the box to be 1″ square. I love this pattern as a prefold holder. I fold a premium prefold in half twice and lay it inside this diaper and pin it up. I so far only have one and need to make more!