Favorite PUL Resources?

[guestmama9911]

I am pregnant with my first child and my mother has volunteered to make me homemade cloth diapers. We ordered the Very Baby basic AIO pattern. I am wondering if you could please share with me your favorite websites for buying PUL. I would also like to know if you think it is a good deal to buy the cuts of PUL instead of by the yard. Are there alternatives to PUL that work as well but cost a little less?

The pattern has the PUL on the outside with two layers of absorbable fabric inside. If you want fun prints on the outside, it is OK to put a fleece on the outside, a layer of PUL next, and then two layers of absorbable fabric?

I know nothing about sewing and even less about cloth diapers, but I have found this forum to be very helpful. Thank you so much for your input!

:home2:

[onediaperinmama]

For PUL resources, check the fabric resource sticky thread at the top of the forum There are sites that sell just diaper cuts in there as well. Buying cuts is a toss up - it's more expensive per square inch (since it's more labor for the business owner to cut diaper cuts to size) but you do have the benefit of having multiple colored AIOs without a lot of leftover fabric. You will waste more fabric that way - since once you cut a diaper body out of a diaper cut you can't do much with what's left over, where as if you have a whole yard you can kind of puzzle piece the diaper body pieces together to maximize yardage. You always save more money by buying multiple yards but that might mean having 6 diapers of the same color. It's just what matters most - cost or color variety.

You'll almost certainly get wicking if you put a print on the outside of a Very Basic AIO because the print will roll in on the legs. If you want to make it work - remove all absorbent layers out of the shell - so all you'd have is a print, PUL, and an inner of microfleece. Then make your soaker (absorbent pad) lay in or snap in.

No, not really any alternatives to PUL unless you want to experiment with vinyl or ripstop nylon (neither are as effective). You can do heavy weight fleece or wools instead but PUL is the least expensive per yard unless you find a good deal on the others.

Hope that helps!

[guestmama9911]

Thank you! I was just wondering if there were any other resources besides those listed. It seems strange that there are so few places to buy it! I see some diaper websites selling premade AIO's with such cute prints. Where are they getting theirs? Or do they waterproof them themselves?

Thank you for the advice about the wicking as well.

[onediaperinmama]

Sometimes retailers get prints in (we have a ton just waiting for us to get organized and send them to be waterproofed) but lots of times you'll see a regular cotton print over a plain PUL. It has to be a certain style though to minimize wicking, a serged shell with a snap in soaker works well so that none of the print is rolling in on the legs and coming into contact with the wetness.

There are co-ops too where women group together to send their fabrics in to be waterproofed, do a search on yahoo groups for diy pul