Diapers

I've been meaning to do some diaper sewing for a while now, but finally got some time and motivation to sit down and do it.

Last week, I sewed up an aplix pocket diaper, since we could still use a few more to send to Noob's sitter. I used the Darling Diapers Unlimited pattern, with a PUL outer (purchased from Joann's) and a suedecloth inner (butter suedecloth from Hancock Fabrics).

It turned out OK. It's usable, and cute! But the pocket is so narrow that it is very hard to stuff. I want to try again. The pattern has the option for a "nighttime diaper" that is a little wider, so I think that will work better.

But in the meantime, I wanted to create an entry for the Cloth Diaper Foundation's Sew a Diaper contest. I used an old jersey cotton sheet set with a Texas flag print on it. These used to be our everyday sheets, but we haven't used them in years. Hubby found them in our bedroom closet a few months ago and was about to throw them out, but I snagged them, thinking they'd make great diapers. And they do!

Interior with snap-in soaker:

I made a medium. Noob is right in the middle of the listed weight range, but the pattern warns that stretchy fabrics (like the jersey cotton I used) will fit longer. Indeed, Noob was on the smallest snap settings, and the diaper was just a tad bit bigger than I would like. Not that it matters, since I wasn't planning to keep the diaper anyway!

The diaper turned out well, but I'm not thrilled with the La Di Da pattern. It's very good, but I find the Darling Diapers Unlimited pattern easier to follow, and it has tons more options. I think it fits Noob better, too.

As long as I was sending off this diaper, I decided to throw in a few more diapers that I've sewed in the past and ended up not using. I made this one prior to Noob's arrival, when we didn't know that he was a boy. It's made from the free Rita's Rump Pocket pattern. The material is flannel from two receiving blankets that we used with Littles. The RRP pattern doesn't include closures; you use diaper pins or a Snappi to secure the diaper. One nifty thing is that this makes the diaper fully reversible, so you can put either side facing out:

I also sent some newborn sized wool longies (pants). Wool makes a great diaper cover! You use it directly over a non-waterproof diaper, like a fitted or prefold. It absorbs up to 30% of its weight in liquid. Also, the lanolin in wool neutralizes urine, so you can use wool over and over and over again and it doesn't stink! I loved wool on Littles, so I sewed a ton of it when I was pregnant with Noob, but I found that I didn't like it as much for him as a newborn. Hence why these longies went unused. They are all made out of old sweaters that I bought at a thrift store:

I've started liking wool again on Noob. I've got a huge box of old sweaters that I want to turn into longies. So many potential projects, so little time :)

All of this stuff will be auctioned off at the Cloth Diaper Foundation's Hyena Cart site, starting next week!