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Friday, January 15, 2010

The Cutest Bum!

Alright ... so much for my Mantel Party post. My mantel is literally being installed tomorrow morning. But I say go check out Beth's Party and the tons of fun going on over there! It's okay, you can go without me... sob, sniffle...








Or stay here and see how I transformed a chinese prefold diaper into an instant yank-it-out-and-diaper-her-up sort of diaper. Or an "AIO" as the lingo goes in the cloth diapering world - yup, an All-In-One diaper. It's soft and absorbent on the inside, and waterproof on the outside (the best part).

Really, the bestest part is that for a small outlay of cash, I am cloth diapering my baby girl until she uses the potty faithfully. An average of $3,000.00 is what a parent will spend on disposable diapers. Yikes! I've spent less than $500.00, and I need not spend anymore. Of course, the only issue is that we (and I mean daddy too) like LOVE the cloth diapers so much that I can't ever get enough because there are soooooooooo many different ones out there. Seriously. Just Google it sometime. You'll see.

Anyway. Enter chinese prefold and some $2/yard waterproof fabric from my fav store Surplus City. Throw in some elastic and velcro and a whopping dash of sewing inexperience and let's see what we get!



Here I drew around one of the diapers that has a simplicity and shape that I like.






Broke the scissors that I've had since...   well, at least since Home Ec class in junior high ... I don't think that class even exists anymore...  dating myself here, aren't I?

Used extra prefold diaper to extend tabs.






Used new diaper template to cut out waterproof fabric. Mine has an inside white layer that is definitely pooh proof, but the fabric is still soft and flexible.



Sewed on elastic. This part needs some work, as the final diaper did not turn out to be very elastic or fitted at all. may need a wider elastic, or two bands of it? Not sure and will have to improve on this.







Sewed on velcro for tabs (not the front yet - do that after diaper sewn to the outer layer). Be sure to note the proper side of the prefold for this.



Now, sew the diaper right sides together along the leg openings, from the top of the tabs all the way down to the top of the front of the diaper. Turn diaper right side out, and then fold in the top edges of the front and back and sew.





Okay, time for the velcro on the front. Next time I will do this differently too, by fitting to baby and splitting the velcro in half and moving further over to each side.




Now for the reveal:




Like I mentioned before, not enough gather at the legs. Also, it could be a slight bit trimmer in between the legs. Personally, I don't think the elastic is needed up top on the back. And, the front velcro will be split into two pieces. Will let you know how round two goes!


5 comments:

  1. It looks like you did a great job for your first try. I wouldn't even know how to start something like that! Hope you are enjoying your weekend.

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  2. You did a super job! I look forward to seeing generation two of your diaper. We used cloth for all three of our children and loved it. The soft cotton is so much nicer against a baby's skin -- and easier on the budget. My girlfriends thought I was nuts when I requested cloth diapers, pins, and plastic pants for my first baby shower! Fancy diapers like the one you made would have been a dream...

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  3. And your little one is absolutely precious! Love those fat little thighs! She's so perfect.

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  4. So, so cute and what a fantastic idea because those diapers are expensive! Thanks also for the shout out :). Will you be joining me in Mantel Maveness this week??

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  5. Since my diaper days are far behind me I have not seen the type of diaper you are copying. I also used cloth with both of my kids. I did have a diaper service so that helped. We had the cutest little diaper covers that looked a lot like your diaper plus cover. I had not thought of diapers in years but I could use some now. I love them for dusting and staining wood, etc. Where do they sell them anymore? Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

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