Cloth diaper sew along

I was requested to post a cloth diaper sew along so that people could see. But because I am very pregnant and lazy ...er I mean busy, yea thats it busy, I am going to post the sew along I made 3 years ago. This is a sew along to show you how to make cloth diapers out of t-shirts. Also all I had at the time is a terrible digicam so the pics are awful. When I get a chance, I will create a new sew along that has good pics and more updated detail. I have changed a few things in the way I make my own diapers since then. Anyway, here it is:

Diaper from t-shirts Sew-along:

Pick your pattern and t-shirts. You can either pick two coordinating shirts where one will be the inside of the dipe and one will be the outside of the dipe by putting the shirts right sides together like this.


Or you can use the same shirt for the inside and outside of the dipe by turning that shirt inside out. Make sure they are smooth with no wrinkles and lay pattern on top. Often times, the tabs of my pattern extend over a seem to the sleeves
like this . That is OK and will not be a problem. Pin it if necessary. I never pin mine anymore. Now mark around the pattern (I used a marker) and then remove pattern. DO NOT CUT IT OUT. I don't cut it until after I have sewn it. It is just so much easier that way because of the stretch of the t-shirts. Now you will start sewing where indicated by the dot and sew around the pattern line. Stop where indicated by other dot. After that, cut it out leaving seem allowance.




Elastic.

I use lastin that I got from one stop diaper shop. However, the dipes I made with cheap walmart elastic are still going strong after 15mths. I don't know how well regular cheap elastic will hold up going through many children but when you are only paying less than a buck per diaper, who cares if the elastic only lasts 2 or 3 years? I just use a zig-zag stitch and sew elastic on across the top and down the sides. (elastic placement is indicated by the black lines above pic) I used to sew elastic all the way across the back but it tends to leave elastic marks on baby when dipe is snug. So now I only sew it on the part that is directly in back. You can do whatever works best for you.

After sewing elastic, I turn and topstich all the way around. When you are topstitching at the elastic, keep the elastic stretched and come away from the edge far enough that you do not catch the elastic in the stitching like this.




Fasteners
Now that I have the dipe sewn, I add touch tape or velcro just do not get the kind that comes with the self stick stuff on the back. It will gunk up your machine before you get through the first piece of velcro. Ask me how I know. :) Touch tape can be ordered on line and tends to be cheaper than velcro(it is basically the same stuff) When you buy touch tape, it comes in hook or loop seperately. Generally you use 3 times as much loop as you do hook so that way, you only have to buy a 3rd the amount of hook. I always add laundry tabs to keep everything from sticking together in the wash. That basically means when I sew the hook on, I also sew some loop on the tab so I can stick the tab to itself when not in use. It helps prevent having a long continuous chain of diapers all stuck together in the washing matching. I do that on both tabs, then I sew a strip of loop touch tape across the front of the diaper. At this point, I also add one extra piece of loop on the outside of one of the tabs like this. It only takes a minute and it makes the diaper so much more adjustable for whatever size you need.

~ 2pics here (I can not find the pics from 3 years ago for this. I hope that doesn't ruin it for anyone. Don't know how in the world I could have "lost" pics of diapers from 3 years ago)

Doubler

For those of you that don't know, a doubler is basically a square of extra soak ability in your dipes. Ok now get your scraps or sleeves if you used a long sleeve shirt, or whatever fabric you want to make the doubler from. I usually make the longest doubler I can with the scraps I have left, which could be anywhere from 14-20 inches long and 5-6inches wide(this is for my 15mth old a smaller baby would need less). I make this doubler by stacking the right sides of the two of the scraps together and then add two more layers. So the doubler will be 4 layers thick. The doubler is extra long because it gets folded in half so it seems more like 2 doublers.

You can use a pattern for your doubler if you like. When I first started, I used a pattern for doublers but I no longer need one. So I sew around my square (rectangle really) and then I turn and topstitch. Your doubler should look something like this.


Ok, now you can fold this doubler in half and lay in the diaper when using the diaper but I always sew mine in to keep them from getting lost. When I sew it in, it looks like this.


Now I have 12 layers in my wet zone, yet it dries as fast as a 4 layer diaper.







Notes:

This is not an AIO(all in one) and does require a cover to keep clothes dry, however, this diaper is so thick and absorbent that when at home, I never use a cover. I only use a cover if my daughter will be in the diaper a longer amount of time while we are out and about.

You can make this diaper an AIO(all in one that doesn't need a cover) simply by adding a layer of pul(polyurethane laminate) or fleece right side toward the best coordinating shirt, in the first step. I prefer fitteds instead of AIO because, like I said, they don't really require a cover at home and they dry much faster than AIOs.

Sometimes, I will use a remnant of fabric that I like for the outer print by placing it right side toward the best coordinating shirt in the first step. It doesn't matter what it is made of so long as it isn't bulky since I only add this for looks.

**Pattern NOTE**You can find free patterns online, or use something you already have to start with. Then tweak it to make it just right for your baby. I had to do a lot of "tweaking" to get the pattern that I like and works well for my baby.