My first diaper! (pictures included)

[JennInSeattle]

http://www.PictureTrail.com/gid5728483

This took about 3 hours from start to finish but I call it my learning curve - I'd bet it will take only 2 next time.

This is a pocket fitted with a pocket in the front and back for ease of straightening. It's side applix (ok velcro) and is turned and topstitched. I made it from a thick fleecy feeling flannel and regular flannel. The outer layer is regular flannel, hidden layer is thick fleecy flannel - smooth side out and the inner layer is thick fleecy flannel - brushed side touching Nathan.

I had to use velcro from the fabric store and it didn't come wider than this so it looks a little funny! :LOL

Applix is definitely needed but this was just the diaper to "see if I could even do it"! This has fold back tabs in the style of Earth Seedlings so they may look funny to you if you're not familiar with that style. I needed to sew a little further out to the edge of the wings so I could minimize wing flair but I think just having applix would have made that less (I will be replacing the velcro with applix when it gets here).

I traced this from an existing diaper I had (I'll be buying her pattern as soon as she finishes testing - hurry up woman! ) and I think all in all it came out pretty well.

Thanks for taking a look and giving me such honest feedback about whether or not to give it a try!


By the way, I've only ever sewn two pillow cases, a vest and a dress - all back in 8th grade!

[bluey]

Looks good

I like the side aplix too...although so does dd so we don't have alot of it around right now. She likes the sound it makes, even with clothes on she pulls at the tabs :LOL

[Kari_mom]

That looks great!! How does Nathan like it, he looks pretty happy!

Did you attach the soaker insert to one end as you talked about earlier, or can you remove the whole insert? I have been thinking about making a pocket/internal soaker fitted hybrid like that, so your description caught my eye and I am wondering how you like it.

I bet you can't wait to get some Aplix!

[norcalmommy]

Wow, nice job! Before you go buying aplix, I will offer you mine! I have about 3 yds loop and 1 yd hook (white) if you'd like me to send it to you. My dreams of making my own diapers ended after my first few attempts! PM me if you're interested.

[rubidoux]

Rd@r@e

Awsome, Jenn! My first diaper looked nowhere near that good. lol I wish I could post pics of my recent creations, but my camera isn't working.

J.

[ryansmom02]

oh now that looks good........

[poisonedapple]

Looks great! My didnt look anywhere near that good ether!

[JennInSeattle]

Oh it's so nice to have people say something!

My husband was less than thrilled with the sewing maching going until 1:30 in the morning (I couldn't stop until it was done or I knew it would never be completed) and my mother lives 6000 miles away (she really encouraged me to give this a try).

Oh I would love to see some of your recent creations - upon doing my homework when deciding if I'd start this I saw so many posts from you (Jayne is it?) and I can tell that you've really matured as a diaper sewer in both your patterns and skills! Oh and you asked about my pattern, again this was traced from an actual fitted but it is Darling Diapers pocket fitted with side applix - a slightly trimmer crotch and with two openings instead of one. I'm totally jealous that you have a tester pattern! I wanted to get one too but I knew I couldn't whip out a diaper in a week and report back like Amber wanted. As soon as they are for sale I'm buying one - I think this diaper could have turned out even better with her tips and true pattern.

norcalmommy - Consider yourself pm'd! Thanks!!

Kari - Nathan immediately pee'd in it.. don't they all?! It was 1:30 when I finally went to bed so I just couldn't justify doing the insert but I really wanted to! I'm doing it today - it's going to be a thinner tri-fold with the middle third being topped with the outside flannel print.

I'm going to attach with two straight stitches (I'll probably connect them like fluffymail) on just one third of the soaker (one of the far ends) at the top. Because this has a front pocket I'll pull out the tri-fold so it's flapping for lack of a better term when washing/drying and I won't have to match up a soaker.

My beef with pockets is that the soakers move so much but between the sewing at the front and the pocket in the back it should straighten easily if it gets off in one direction or another and the sewing in the front will help it not move too far back in the pocket which basically removes absorbtion from the diaper. The hidden layer will help keep the diaper from looking like it has a tri-fold in it as well but I love how clean a two layer tri-fold gets compared with a 4 layer contour.

Jaime - Well I'm hoping that by the time he thinks side applix are awesome to play with we'll be potty learned! He's had an earth seedlings side applix for about 4 months and hasn't discovered the fun to be had yet so I guess I'm hopeful. Worst case scenario I can always convert them in to side snapping and take off the applix - I'll just send them off to one of the WAHM snappers!


Thanks guys! You really make a newbie feel at home here!

[rubidoux]

[QUOTE=JennInSeattle]
My husband was less than thrilled with the sewing maching going until 1:30 in the morning (I couldn't stop until it was done or I knew it would never be completed) and my mother lives 6000 miles away (she really encouraged me to give this a try).

Oh I would love to see some of your recent creations - upon doing my homework when deciding if I'd start this I saw so many posts from you (Jayne is it?) and I can tell that you've really matured as a diaper sewer in both your patterns and skills! Oh and you asked about my pattern, again this was traced from an actual fitted but it is Darling Diapers pocket fitted with side applix - a slightly trimmer crotch and with two openings instead of one. I'm totally jealous that you have a tester pattern! I wanted to get one too but I knew I couldn't whip out a diaper in a week and report back like Amber wanted. As soon as they are for sale I'm buying one - I think this diaper could have turned out even better with her tips and true pattern.

Thanks!

I was up until almost two finising a diaper a couple of nights ago, too. It is so hard to work in sewing time around a toddler. I end up feeling guilty if I do too much while he's awake. I try to do a little cutting here and there during the day so that when he falls asleep at night i'm ready to start sewing. It doesn't help that milo will not nap unless he's in my lap. He's napping right now and not only would i like to be sewing, but i'm STARVING. lol

I think amber will put that pattern up any day now. When i tested it, it seemed pretty much ready to go. I am really surprised at how much I like these diapers. I think, even with my little sewing flaws, I like them better than any I have bought. Of course, I had never bought one from amber, I spose i would've probably been in some sort of diaper extasy then. lol At any rate, I'd say it's a great pattern.

I also just realized another plus side to making my own stash. Dh has never been able (or should i say willing?) to figure out how to use our diapers since there are only a couple of each type, but once i get a few more of these sewn up, i'm going to start selling off my old stash and switch totally to mamma-made, so there'll be no excuses.

Jayne.

[JennInSeattle]

Yeah, I had decided that I wanted to wait until after Nathan went to bed because others had said their chilren "know" when they need to focus and keep them from doing so! I thought I'd save myself that headache! :LOL

How frustrating that Milo won't nap except in your lap! Nathan was that way for the first few months but thankfully he's not any more. You are a good mom, that takes a lot of patience!

Yeah, I've had a good number of diapers it seems from Amber - she just always has great products that work well for us. As long as I like a print she has instock I buy whatever I find there about 90% of the time and love it! I'm thrilled that she's putting out the pattern! I just ordered some sherpa, double napped flannel and velour online so I can make two more diapers as soon as I get her pattern!

Are you really going to sell your old stash in favor of your new stash? That's so brave! I don't think I could do it! You have to get a picture up of your stuff! Just take a regular picture, get it developed and have them or yourself scan it to a disk. I'll help from there! Really, I want to see! :LOL

[wendymc]

Looks fab! I love the fabric you chose, too.

[TOmomma]

Jenn, that's awesome!! You should see my first attempt - it's embarassing.

What kind of elastic did you use? Regular or Lastin? Do you have the fance 3-step zig-zag? I can't get my lastin to sew in properly, so I may have to switch to regular.

Excellent work!!!

[JennInSeattle]

Oh thanks guys!

I used regular braided elastic. My machine wouldn't zig zag so I hand zig zagged it with a straight stitch! :LOL Hey, whatever works right? I pulled the braided (3/8 inch) as tight as I possibly could when sewing it on and I think that helped.

[rubidoux]

Wow! You hand zig-zag! What a pita! You might want to try to experiment with straight stitching it. I have never tried it, but I was just looking at the inside of a happy hempy last night and the elastic was straight stitched.

I'm gonna pick up a new card for my camera today. I hope it works. I do have to show off. :LOL I just wish I knew why the old card wasn't working. :

I'm afraid the fabric bug may have gotten you, Jenn. I started knitting so I wouldn't have to spend money on soakers (and I never did buy one!) and then I bought my machine so I wouldn't spend money on dipes. But I know that I have spent way more than I would've. <<sigh>> Of course, I'm making clothes for both of us now, too, but still. Once you start ordering sherpa and velour, it's all over. :LOL

J.

[JennInSeattle]

Jayne - Well I did do a straight stitch initially but the elastic curled in half really just at the stitch line so I went for the hand zig zag so I wouldn't deal with curling issues.

Yay!! You're going to get me pictures!!! I can't wait! Please don't ask me why I'm so excited to see your homemade diapers, I truly have no clue but I really am!

Well I am trying to be reasonable with the fabric thing. $10 worth of fabric will make two diapers not including whatever cute knits I pick up at the fabric store. I'll probably end up spending a total of $15 for two diapers. If I bought two pocket fitteds plus their inserts (my total above includes the sherpa inserts) my cost would be $38 prior to shipping. Now is my time (4-6 hours) worth more than $4 an hour? Of course but there's a fun factor to it and I get exactly what I want (a trimmer crotch and soaker attached with a double pocket) in a print that I can pick out. So right now I'm in the justifying phase! Next month I'll be fainting at my fabric costs! :LOL

[TOmomma]

Isn't sherpa great? I just experienced it for the first time and I am in love.

[JennInSeattle]

Lise - It absolutely is! I don't have stink issues with sherpa for the most part and I just think it comes cleaner.

[TrishWSU]

Oh, that looks great! I love the side velcro. Maybe dd won't take that off. Can you explain how it works? So I don't sound like a total idiot- is the hook part on the front tabs? Fold back laundry tabs? I'm trying to envision it, so I can try it when I make some dipes. MIL is getting me a sewing machine for x-mas, so in the meantime I'm (impatiently) gathering ideas for dipe making.

I've hand sewed two dipes (after the first one, I said never doing that again, but I got really bored!) They turned out ok, but took forever, and hand sewing elastic is definetly not on my top ten list of favorite things to do. I'm hoping that I'll be able to make some pretty cool ones when I get my machine. If they turn out decent, I plan on making some for a friend who's having twins(!) and plans to cd.

Whew- that was a ramble. Please, please, please tell me how you did the side elastic.

[rubidoux]

My camera is finally working! There was something wrong with the card and they told me at the camera shop that they'd *never* seen a card die like that. Just my luck. :

Anyhow, here they are! The pictures aren't great, but I was rushing around doing other stuff and had to get them in before dark b/c once the sun goes down they really start looking fuzzy, even with the flash. Of course, I realized once I sat down to upload them that I should've taken pics of the non-diaper sewing I did while the camera was dead. I also made two piece fleece pajamas (that are working great over the dipe) and a fleece hoodie. But the dipes are the most fun anyway.

J.

[Sophiasmomma]

great job jenn!!! i love it!! i have only made 1 myself and now find that i am addicted to buying fabric already!!!