Making your own diapers?

[turtlemamameg]

I bought a bunch of organic cotton flannel...found a few patterns online for prefolds, which seem a bit more straightforward. I am just curious if anyone who has done this in the past has any advice for me. Someone mentioned that I should skip the newborn size and go straight to 0-3 mo b/c they grow out of the newborn ones so quickly. Also, I was reading on one site that you can use old t-shirts for extra absorption in a few of the inside layers. How many layers thick should they be ideally? Lots of questions, I know. I want to get started and thought there might be some experienced mamas who would toss some advice my way.

[confustication]

I made stuffable contours with flannel a while ago, they pin better than snappi (though a snappi will work- if you are pin phobic) and they were really great- they flew together in about 15 mins each including elastic around the legs and waist (in back). I left the ends open and stuffed them with inserts depending on what we were doing at that time, and they worked really well. I don't know that I'd sew my own prefolds- only because really prefolds are pretty cheap....

Here are a couple of the flannel ones I made-
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...tion/001-4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...tion/011-1.jpg

I also made a flannel/minkee combination that worked really well
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...cation/004.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...tion/008-1.jpg

I used the whole bunch under various recycled longies sets like this one-
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...cation/012.jpg

made from thrift shop wool sweater finds- this is the perfect time of year to snag some if you want to consider making some- they're really cheap mid-summer. I found that I liked the elastic gathers in the legs and at the small of the back for newborn poo- if I was using a prefold I would use a PUL diaper cover instead of wool, so the contours gave me greater flexibility.

[turtlemamameg]

Wow, awesome diapers, confustication! Did you use a pattern or did you just make it up yourself. I love the vivid colors! And they didn't look that hard to make. I wish I had just one to model after....maybe I should buy one diaper to use as a pattern for size, etc...

And it is so funny about the sweater pants because I have a friend who did this last year and today, on my way home from the coop, I stopped at a yard sale and picked up a couple of sweaters to try it with. I am so exited.

Thanks for your input!

[StrongFeather]

Wow, awesome diapers! I am really thinking that I will pick up a used sewing machine and try this myself. I love colors and patterns you picked, so cute!

[confustication]

I used my own pattern- modeled after some fitted dipes I had with a wide size range. For the itty bitty stage we used prefolds, but at about 8 weeks he was into a size that made sewing bigger dipes a good idea. The dipes I made then still fit him now at about 25lbs. If you don't fuss with velcro or snaps they fly together in no time at all, and if you don't want to bother with sewing inserts, you can go to the automotive department and buy microfiber towels to fold and slip in.

I'm off to get some flannel in the next couple weeks, I can toss a couple dipes together to mail out if anyone wants one as a pattern (just pm me the address.) I can also toss in a simple piece of flannel to use as a template for cutting more. Dipes can be expensive, it's really nice to be able to sew your own in colors that appeal to you.

[annettemarie]

Moving to the diaper-making forum, as per the DDC Guidelines