Handmade Love

AIO made from a pant leg, and a receiving blanket.

So I've been making cloth diapers.  It's a great way to pass the time, and as soon as I figure out where to buy some diaper covers, we're going to be ROCKIN'.  Until then, I'm just making them, and it seems every 2nd diaper is a step ahead of the one before.  I started with the simple 2pc pocket diaper.  The 3rd diaper had a plastic liner, but still had a pocket for the soaker.  I did make an AIO diaper for a friend, which worked out better than I'd expected.  And I've made a (too small) hidden gusset diaper with a pocket.

Hidden gusset, pocket diaper.

Now I'm working on figuring out how to make an AIO with hidden gusset.  I've found the hidden gusset is kind of a pain in the ass, and it makes the outside material bunch up when you're trying to sew it...I'm telling you, I've never sworn this much.  LOL


I'm also going to be moving on to other things.  Simple things.  Things that can be done in a matter of minutes, since I do enjoy getting immediate results.  I'm talking about making baby leg warmers.  Oh yes.  They look so freakin simple, and after this whole gusset thing, simple sounds just wonderful.

There is a blog with the best tutorial I could ever ask for when it comes to making these.  You can see it HERE.

You can find this blog BY CLICKING HERE.

It's nice to be able to make diapers for my little one.  She deserves only the very best, and if I can make her some nice soft diapers and leg warmers, I'm going to do it.  And the whole thing is inspiring.  If I can make a cloth diaper, I can definitely make her some dresses.  And with the selection at the store downtown, I can make her some warm ones that are going to be WAY cuter than the ones I could buy for her.  And making my own means that I can match her diapers to her dress!  : )  No need for a diaper cover, the diapers are darn cute already!!

This one fit!  Hidden gusset, pocket diaper.

I'm going to go and buy some different materials tomorrow, and see what I can come up with for dresses and diapers.  Then I'm going to stop by the dollar store and buy some socks.  When I'm done, I'm going to have the best dressed baby in town.  LOL  My mother thinks I should be making diapers and selling them...but I'm going to have to figure out how much it would cost me to make them first.  Honestly, with the amount of people making them out there, I'm going to have some serious competition.  And I do have three kids I'd rather spend time with than be stuck behind a sewing machine making diapers on a deadline.  I want to make every one of them with love.  I think the best way to do that is keeping it to one at a time, for my daughter, or for friends who are in need of some homemade diapers.

How To Make An All-In-One Cloth Diaper

First I cut three identical pieces of material.

There are three large layers to the AIO diaper, and one small layer.

The pink layer is a waterproof material.  It's a shower curtain!  You can pick them up for $1 at the Dollar Store, and it'll make at least a dozen diapers!!!

The dark layer is denim from a pair of jeans that are too big for me now.

The light layer is cut from a flannel receiving blanket.

On the other side.

As you can see, on the other side of the materials, I sewed this microfiber towel.  (This is the fourth, small layer.)  You can also pick them up a the Dollar Store.  On this one, because of the length of the towel, I folded it down as a place for extra absorbency.  Because this diaper will be used by a little boy, that area is in the front of the diaper.  It had to be sewn ONLY to the layer of material that is going to be the inside (closest to the butt) layer of the diaper before doing anything else.  Once it was sewn on, the materials were put in order, and pinned together.

**When you buy a brand new microfiber towel or face cloth, they have to be washed a few times before they are absorbent.  Don't use fabric softener on it, or it messes with the absorbency.**

The layers were, from top to bottom:  1.Shower curtain.  2.Outer material (in this case it was the denim).  3.Flannel  4.Microfiber pad.

Remember to fold over and sew an area along the back area
so you'll have an open area to pull the material right side out.
(Just like you would on the pocket diapers.)

Sew all the way around the diaper. (I use a straight stitch.)
Don't sew the back opening closed!

This is what it looks like when you've sewn all the way around it.

 I forgot to take a photo of when I was sewing the elastic leg bands on it.  But if you can sew them just outside the stitch you just put in (all the way around the diaper), it'll make less bulk on the legs.  And by "outside the stitch", I mean try to sew it between the stitch and the outer rim of the diaper.  You have to stretch the elastic as tight as you can while sewing.  I use a zig-zag stitch for the elastic.

Once the elastic is in, turn the diaper right side out.
Sew around the outside of the entire diaper. 
BE CAREFUL not to sew over the elastic bands.
(You'll have to go out and around them.)

Once it's been turned right side out, you can go all the way around it with a straight stitch, and you can sew the back opening closed.

Finished except for the velcro.

My machine freaks me out now, ever since it's snapped 3 needles in the last week.  So I sew the velcro on with a needle and thread by hand.

So, that's it.  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.  I'm not sure if I explained it very well, and I can't upload video to the Internet unless I want to wait 7 hours for it to be uploaded.  (I don't.)

When you wash your diaper, keep in mind that there is a plastic piece in it.  Wash it in less than 30 degree water, and hang to dry.  When it's about 90% dry, throw it in the dryer for 10-15 mins to soften it up.  Again, fabric softener will make it less absorbent.

Have fun!