Should I get the DD pattern? Or VB?

[rebeccalizzie]

I'm really nervous. This is my current stash, for babe due in August:

12 KL 0's
50 KL wipes
6 NB Dappi pull on covers
6 small Dappi pull on covers
5 size small mamabird fitteds
3 NB mamabird
6 or 8 bikini cut cuddlebuns
1 side-snap cover, deluxe diaper cover pattern (yes I'm going to make more covers--waiting on my PUL co-op order)

My current plan is to continue making cuddlebuns for most of my stash. Quite often, I have just too little fabric left for another cb, and then I make a small mamabird. If cb's don't fit as a newborn, I'm just going to supplement my kl's with sposies for a few weeks (I know...but I'm trying to make my life easy for the first few weeks). My DD was 8 lbs at birth, as is almost every baby in my family. So it's doubtful I'd need nb's for more than a few weeks.

The problem here is that *everyone* here seems to totally love their VB's and DD's! My nerves are totally shot because I'm positive I'm going to sew up the "wrong" kind of diaper, and they aren't going to work, and I'm going to end up either sewing frantically or buying a ton when my baby is a month old!

Someone either reassure me or tell me why I should get another pattern and make a bunch of size small VB's or DD's...I'm feeling very high maintanance tonight

[JLav]

It looks like you have a great stash going on. It's hard to know what pattern is going to fit your babe best, so I'm all for having variety until you get things figured out. If you want to buy a pattern you really can't go wrong with either of those, imo. If you don't want to spend more money there are other good free patterns out there. Did you see the link for weeweka? Those are getting great reviews. The lady who owns Darling Diapers gave out a free newborn pattern awhile back, I'm sure it's still floating around here...it's similar to the KL0.

[Amari's Mama]

I really like the DD AIO pattern, especially because it includes separate patterns for front closure and side closure, and markings on each for aplix or snaps. The instructions are great, very friendly, lots of pictures. Amber is lovely, too. The price for the pattern (esp if you buy 3 of her patterns for $20) is great.

I don't like the VB AIO pattern as well as the DD AIO pattern, but only b/c I have to modify it to made it into a side closure.

So, part of the reason I like the DD AIO pattern better is because Amari is very tall for her age, and rather lightweight for her age (34" tall (~95%) and 22 lbs (~20%) at 18 months) - and I think side-snapping (where you can make the legs fit tighter than the waist or vice-versa) works better for kids that are mismatched on the percentiles like that. With front closure, I always find that the waist is too tight in order to get a good fit around the thighs.

Since you have another child already, you'll have at least a guess what this DC will be shaped like (based on your family history)...

I do think that having a variety of styles of dipes is very helpful. I started CDing Amari at 17 months and was confident that I wanted to use CPFs and BSWW covers. I found I really don't like prefolds and that front-closure covers like BSWW don't fit Amari well at all. Now that I am learning to sew, I am so glad to have the flexibility to make exactly what will fit her (and at each stage).

You may find that one kind of dipe will fit well at one stage and a different one will fit well at a different stage. Either way, hang in there and don't stress about it. You could always sell (for materials costs) what you don't like/use or participate in a swap for something that you are ISO.

Enough of my rambling... it's way past my bedtime!!

[amberthesugarcat]

Sounds like you have have a great stash. I have only used the Darling Diaper pattern, but it is an excellent pattern and it would not hurt to own it since you can make diapers until your baby is PT with it. There are also so many free patterns out there, but they were not as easy for me as the Darling Diaper pattern.

[Jayneysews]

The free ones at the nappy network(N>Zealand) are great,but I love the DD pocket!

[rebeccalizzie]

Sigh...y'all are not helping. Why am I stressing about this??? It really shouldn't be that big of a deal!

I just really like the idea of mastering one pattern and being done with it, and having all my diapers basically the same thing. I messed with the cb pattern a bit because I didn't like some things about it, but I can't really comment on the shape of the diaper. I like the changes I made, and I'm pretty comfortable with the pattern, but I'm worried that the shape will be wrong for this child.

Okay, maybe I'll get DD, since I love the "print it out" option. I can always make a few and see how I like them...I'm going to both websites to see if I can figure out the construction details, like the whole hidden elastic thing. It would be nice to be working with a slightly easier pattern...

[boscopup]

I think DD stuff is usually pretty easy to make. She has great instructions in the PDF file she sends, plus COLOR pictures, which VB doesn't have. I had to re-read the VB instructions a few times to figure out how to do the back elastic. It was just weird. Great results, but very different. The color pictures of DD are just so nice! I only have the training pants pattern so far, but plan to get the AIO pattern once I get really ramped up on making newborn diapers (need a first!).

[ThreeTimesAMama]

What I am doing (since babe is not here yet) is making just a few DD newborn and smalls to supplement the rest of my stash (and you do have a lovely stash already). I'm doing a couple of variations and have redrawn the DD pattern to be a merge of the DD and Wee Weka. The point is, until you can try the particular size on your particular babe, you won't know what will fit best and what will function well. I don't think it is a good idea to make a huge stash of all one thing before the baby is born. That being said, how on earth are we gonna get the time to do a bunch of sewing AFTER baby arrives??? That is the major pitfall of my plan!!!

[twouglyducks]

I really like the DD pattern. The VB aio's don't fit my kids at all. The DD have fit well from birth. The free newborn pattern was great, fit for a long time, too. The DD fitted was so easy to make, too.

[rebeccalizzie]

Originally Posted by ThreeTimesAMama

. The point is, until you can try the particular size on your particular babe, you won't know what will fit best and what will function well. I don't think it is a good idea to make a huge stash of all one thing before the baby is born. That being said, how on earth are we gonna get the time to do a bunch of sewing AFTER baby arrives??? That is the major pitfall of my plan!!!

Sigh...that's exactly the problem. I have plenty of time to sew now, but I don't know exactly what to sew. Once babe is here, I'm going to have very little time, but I'll know exactly what I want! What a catch 22...

I think I'm going to get the DD pattern. I'll just see how many I get done--if I end up with too many I'll sell the extras for my materials cost, or donate them to the Miracle Diaper thing. I'm mostly using inexpensive materials (no organic sherpa or hemp here) so at least financially making extras shouldn't be too painful. Ideally I think I'm thinking 16 cb's and 16 DD's/mamabirds. That should be more than enough, and I'll have two kinds in case I hate one of them, at least I won't have to sew up an *entire* new stash.

Does this make sense to anyone but me?

[BirthFree]

Makes sense to me, and I'm going to be doing the same type of thing so maybe if we find one that works (and they are opposite) we can trade. Either way, I am in the same boat (almost the same due date too) and trying to construct a stash. My boys have been opposite body types (one long/lean, one short, chubby) but as newborns they are pretty much the same (heavy wetters, needing the size-up diaper b/c otherwise pooped out of diapers). Guess I'll plan on big thighs and small buns (so far it's how it's been).

It'll be fun none the less.
~Julie

[boscopup]

Originally Posted by boscopup

I only have the training pants pattern so far, but plan to get the AIO pattern once I get really ramped up on making newborn diapers (need a first!).

Funny how I typed this this morning, then within an hour, decided to actually take a test today and got a !!!!!

So I guess I'll be getting the DD pattern REAL soon. Need to buildup my PP a bit first, and then I can get it. I already have VB AIO, plus I have my own pattern. I plan to make a little bit of everything so I have a varied stash. I have prefolds and covers from the newborn period with DS, but I remember him out-peeing everything VERY quickly, and I couldn't size up because he was too small! But if this one goes full term, I hopefully won't have quite that problem. I'm going to make some newborn size - enough to be able to use fitteds at least half the time and prefolds the rest, then I'll make a stash of smalls as well. I figure by time we're outgrowing smalls, I should be able to sew up some mediums. I remember sewing stuff while holding DS in a sling.

[rebeccalizzie]

Yay bosco!!! Congrats!

[amberthesugarcat]

Congrats Boscopup!!! You lucky girl!!!

[JLav]

Congratulations Vera! That's so exciting!

[cathiasplace]

Congrats Vera!!!! :

[judybean]

funny thing.... i was reading your first post about wanting a positive test... but then i'm looking at your sig and thinking ... 'hm... that's odd ... ' (i'd do the scratchy head thing, but my dial-up is too slow sometimes... and with nak.. this is good enough)

but... i remember this code: !!!!!!!!!!!

[rebeccalizzie]

Okay, not to steal my thread back or anything (and I'm still thrilled for you, Vera!) but I got my DD pattern, and also the bib and moccasin pattern definitely looks like I got a good buy--I agree with others, I *love* the color pictures! The little bitty grainy black and white pictures on my cb pattern are useless, thank goodness I already knew how to sew. But these pics are so nice for showing how the elastic needs to go on to make the PUL roll in.

Great pattern!

[amberthesugarcat]

Post pics after you sew some diapers!!! That reminds me, I have to sew up some bibs, the ones I have are useless...