i dont get it...

[AinNJ]

my local fabric store has birdseye fabric for $2.99/yard (27"wide). diapershop.com has 45" for $3/yard and hancockfabrics.com has 36" for $2.69/yd (plus shipping)

but i can buy a dozen 27x27" flats locally for about $11.95/doz. that's about $1 each. they're even cheaper than that through co-ops and wholesale orders.

so if my math is right, 27" is 3/4 yard, right. so it works out to be cheaper to buy flats to make diapers than to buy the fabric?

[cyncyn]

Yep, I noticed that too. You can hardly make a flat for less than the cost to buy one. As for using the fabric, you may be a little limited due to the square size so you might be able to fit more pattern pieces on the yardage so cost might be reduced slightly.

[auntieM]

Is the quality of the fabric different?

[AinNJ]

i wanted the birdseye to make soakers for my AIO shells. so the 27" sqs are pretty much exactly what i needed.

but let me think about this... my large diaper pattern uses 18x19" cut. if it cut my 18x19" diaper piece, that would leave 2 rectangle "scraps". one would be 8x27" and one 9x19.

if i cut them both to 8x19" to make them even, then fold lengthwise in half, i'd have 4 layers 4"x19" long for the soaker pad. if i made a 2 layer body (using 2 flats) that would make 2 soaker pads 4 layers each.

did i do that right??? for 2 bucks i would have a 2 layer diaper with a 4x19" soaker pad of 8 layers for a total of 10 layers in the soaker area. talk about CHEAP!

now i'm going to have to do it to see how it works! LOL!! HA! i've got a new project for the weekend! LOL!!

edited to add:
i dont know about the quality... i haven't ordered the birdseye from diapershop.com or hancockfabrics.com. but the flats i have seem to be the same quality as the birdseye i found locally.

[auntieM]

I should add that I use gerber birdseye flats as lay in doublers & they work well enough... at night, I use something else.

[kerc]

no comment on the qualtiy/price of birdseye. but I did recently come to the a-ha moment of: my goal in sewing diapers is cheap. I can sew two pieces of fleece together and it won't impact the performance of the diaper. I just put the smooth side of the seam out and the bumpy side in. Maybe you could do something similar with your scraps.

[whimsy]

I don't know about diapershop's birdseye, but I do know there is a world of difference between gerber birdseye and some I bought from a co-op (which I suspect would be like diaper shop's) It's is WAY better than what my gerber flats are made out of.

[onediaperinmama]

If you plan on making a lot, then the discount we offer makes them cheaper than buying flats outright. But heck, if you can buy them ready made for less, don't let us stop you