First Diapers! I did it! (Pics!)

[happeeevraftr]

Alrighty, I actually did it. I made two diapers.

I just spent the last hour trying to get my pictures on the web somewhere so I could show you. I finally decided to create a blog through this free site... anyway, pictures are here: http://happilyevraftr.blogspot.com/

Now honestly, I'm only proud of myself because I actually made something that resembles a diaper. : Seriously, this is like my 3rd sewing project in my LIFE. (My first was a baby blanket--how hard is that?!) So you'll probably all look at it and think, "she's proud of that? But it's okay. I welcome any advice!! Seriously, I know you gals are amazing seamstresses and I would love to hear what any of you have to say.

My main goal in this was to make a very trim diaper. I also had to play with the sizing to get it right for my daughter. I'm still trying to come up with the perfect pattern.

[425lisamarie]

I think they look great for your first try

[imgr8ful]

wow - i am so totally impressed an inspired! thanks for sharing those pics - they look awesome for your first diapers ever and your second sewing projects ever!

i really really want to make some now - thanks for the inspiration!

[Bitter Green]

I'm new to diaper making as well. Those look great so far. A bit more tweaking on the pattern and you'll be set.

[scrapadoozer]

I am new to sewing and diaper making, too!
Those dipes look great considering you are still learning!

[TrishWSU]

Those look great! Especially for your first dipes. I'm too embarassed to show my first tries. Keep playing with the design, you'll get exactly how you want it.

[Jillbob]

Those look really great!

[momof2tadpoles0104]

good job!!!

[stampingmom]

Those diapers look great! You did a really good job. I hope mine come out as good when I start to make some. I'm very new at sewing as well.

I also liked the pics of your little model.

[onediaperinmama]

You have to let me know how they work with the stride narrowed, will there be enough room for poop? They look really good though, you did so much better than I did on my first ones, I don't know how grandma gets them so perfect

[happeeevraftr]

Thank you all so much. I'm a little more confident that I'll be able to make a nice diaper one of these days. I think I'm going to hold off for now until I can borrow my SIL's serger. I think that will make them nicer.

Jessica, about the stride, I really narrowed it in the second one and I'm going to make it a little wider from the middle to the back (so no cheeks are showing!) I kind of patterned them after my Daisy Doodles, which are very narrow. I had to make my pattern bigger though, b/c my DD are mediums and she needs a large. I think that's where I went wrong--I made the extented section too skinny.

As for holding in poop, well, the Daisy Doodles worked fine for that--but Sariah's older and her poop is pretty solid. I don't know how well they would work for bf poo! I also don't think the design would be the best for a young baby because they poop so much, you'd have to wash the shell every time.

But I manage to get in plenty of absorbency to last 3-4 hours (if necessary) during the day. The Daisy Doodles inserts are just 3 layers of microfiber, and since they are so skinny, that's really not enough. But I made some doublers for them and they work well. I think I'll make my soakers with 5 layers of microfiber. It will fit in there just fine b/c it's skinny, the stuff is super cheap, and I'm just going to sew 2 ends together so they dry faster.

That's the plan anyway. We'll see how it goes. I get really frustrated when my cutting or sewing doesn't look good. And I'm not very good at it, so that happens pretty often! Hopefully I'll learn to do it better before I'm ready to give up!

Thank you all for your compliments. Any suggestions would be welcome as well!!

Cathryn

[happeeevraftr]

Oh, and I forgot to mention one thing--

Since I had such a hard time with sewing the two layers together with the PUL cut wider than the suedecloth (on my first dipe), I decided not to mess with that on the second one. I was still able to get the PUL to roll in though. I just sewed the elastic to the PUL side and then I added the casing, which really helped it roll in. I like the look of the casing much better anyway. Especially with how poorly I sewed in the elastic on the first one.

For the second one, I had my husband stretch the elastic for me while I guided the diaper through the machine. I just couldn't seem to get it tight enough AND keep the diaper going through straight at the same time. He pulled as tight as it would go, but it still doesn't seem nearly as tight at the VB's I have, or any others I have for that matter. I don't know what I'm doing wrong with that!

[TrishWSU]

Are you using knit elastic or Lastin? I've noticed that with the knit I have to pull super tight for it to gather enough, but w/ the Lastin just a little stretch goes a long way! But it was a PITA to get used to sewing with the Lastin.

[happeeevraftr]

I used polybraid elastic. But I need to buy more. Would you recommend going with lastin then? Also, Joanne's had some clear elastic--not lastin brand though. Anyone know if that's any good?

Either way, good to know that it's not just me being really weak or something. How is the lastin hard to sew with?

[onediaperinmama]

Okay I always use polybraid and just stretch the heck out of it while I sew. People seem to have a love/hate relationship with Lastin, I think it can be tricky to sew with. It is nice how stretchy it is, but I had diapers with Lastin snap in areas after a few months of use. I switched to the 3/8" Lastin and never had any problems with that, but it's even stronger and stretchier so it took me a while to figure out how much to pull - I had diapers that left horrible red marks on DS's legs b/c I got them too tight.

I think polybraid is less head work, I just stretch it really tight while sewing and it comes out great

Non-Lastin clear elastics seem to break more often, ime.

[msrog]

Wow, good job! It DOES look like a string bikini, LOL. My first two diapers were really skinny in the stride, too. I didn't have a pattern; I just winged it. And I found it's hard to stuff a pocket dipe that has a skinny stride, LOL.

I've had good results with regular polybraid or knit elastic. I just bought some Lastin to try, but haven't used it yet.

[happeeevraftr]

Well, I don't think I can use lastin anyway because machine doesn't have that three step zigzag stitch. (I have a really cheapo walmart machine and I'm trying to convince hubby to go for a nicer one!)

Well, I made a third dipe, and it's just about right as far as width goes, but the sewing is awful, I won't even take a picture of it! I was having real problems with my machine, and I think the bobbin tension was messed up.

I'm really frustrated with diaper sewing now, and about to the point of giving up. Sometimes I think if I had a nicer machine, it wouldn't be so hard. But one of my biggest problems is cutting my materials evenly! I don't know what's wrong with me. I've tried cutting both pieces separately, and cutting on the fold so they are symetrical, and I've also tried drawing the whole pattern onto the fabric and cutting the two pieces together. Somehow they still end up different, and that makes the fabric bunch and wrinkle when I sew. Ugh! I was so frustrated last night! I told dh that was it, I'm selling the rest of my materials and just going to buy some diapers. The problem is, I haven't found a diaper that is exactly what I want!

Aack. Okay, I'm done venting. Thank you all for your support. Maybe I'll gain the courage to try again sometime.

[drea2447]

Are you using a mat and a rotary cutter to cut your fabric? It is much easier than trying to cut it out using scissors.

[TrishWSU]

I my rotary cutter! It really saved me from cutting stress.

Does your machine have a walking presser foot? This is pretty much the only way I can sew my diapers together. That, and feeding it so the PUL is on the bottom.

I feel your pain, though. It took me several tries to figure out how to get all the layers to feed (somewhat) evenly. I've made some UGLY diapers!

[happeeevraftr]

I do have a rotary cutter and mat (olfa brand). But it doesn't seem to cut as well as everyone says. I have a hard time cutting through 2 layers of PUL (when I cut on the fold) or a layer of PUL and suedecloth. I thought you were supposed to be able to cut through multiple layers with it, but maybe i't's this type of fabric? I don't know. But I have to push really hard and it still skips spaces, even when I'm just cutting one layer of PUL!

I don't have a walking foot, but I did buy a teflon foot. It was the only thing that would work to sew two layers of PUL together (making a pail liner). I tried the walking foot and the rolling foot and neither worked. The teflon one works great though.