I have a beautiful 24 year old daughter with a neuromuscular disability. She is the joy of our lives. She will finish her graduate degree in May and wants to live by herself in a larger city. Scary thought for Mom! Even though she has lived in an apartment for the last few years, she has many college chums nearby and I live only an hour away.
On to my reason for joining this board. My daughter has always had minor problems with incontinence which we were able to manage with pads and quick cleanups. Recently, she began taking a wonderful muscle relaxer for rigid muscles, but it has a side effect of more incontinence. She is having much more frequent accidents which a pad will not contain and other medications won't help. The problem is that the adult disposable products are way too big and bulky (she is very petite) and difficult for her to put on and dispose. They are also ugly! And very expensive. The washable varieties are also too big, expensive, and very ugly for a vivacious young lady.
I sew many of her clothes; I have even made bras and panties from leftover fabrics. Remembering reading about the new options in cloth diapers on the sewing forum I belong to, I began to read about the patterns, fabrics, and styles of diapers and AIOs available online. So I have a few questions to ask:
1. I want to sew an decorative outer panty in a nice fabric like Malden Mills PowerDry because it breathes and looks like a silk jersey. It also washes and dries quickly which is a huge priority. I've sewn exercise wear out of PowerDry and love it. Does it sound ok to use this?
2. I am using a KwikSew pattern that has a low cut leg and will use an elastic casing. Should I use the panty fabric (which wicks moisture away from body) to make a self-casing or use something else that won't wick to make a binding for the elastic?
3. I will stitch a contoured soaker pad to the inside of the panty. I will have to experiment with size and shape to meet her needs. I was planning on using a layer of Power Dry or microfleece as the first layer closest to her body and Wazoodles barrier fabric as the outermost layer of the pad. She wants to be able to handwash and hang to drip dry. Which of the available absorbent layer fabrics are the quickest to dry?
4. I have decided to make a detachable soaker pad for sleep and times when she knows she might be more likely to have an accident. Will the soft loop side of the "other" brand of velcro feel comfortable against her skin when she doesn't wear the extra soaker pad? Or do I need to make separate heavy duty panties?
She is so embarrassed about her new problem, I would like to just hand over a stack of these panties so she won't have to worry about any more inopportune accidents. I am proud of her extreme independence-- she is very resistant to hiring personal attendants, so I spend alot of my time creating solutions to make her life easier. Thanks for any input you can offer. I know I will probably have to make several pairs before I get the fit and materials right, but I am hoping you can at least help me narrow down the options.
Thanks again,
Elizabeth
On to my reason for joining this board. My daughter has always had minor problems with incontinence which we were able to manage with pads and quick cleanups. Recently, she began taking a wonderful muscle relaxer for rigid muscles, but it has a side effect of more incontinence. She is having much more frequent accidents which a pad will not contain and other medications won't help. The problem is that the adult disposable products are way too big and bulky (she is very petite) and difficult for her to put on and dispose. They are also ugly! And very expensive. The washable varieties are also too big, expensive, and very ugly for a vivacious young lady.
I sew many of her clothes; I have even made bras and panties from leftover fabrics. Remembering reading about the new options in cloth diapers on the sewing forum I belong to, I began to read about the patterns, fabrics, and styles of diapers and AIOs available online. So I have a few questions to ask:
1. I want to sew an decorative outer panty in a nice fabric like Malden Mills PowerDry because it breathes and looks like a silk jersey. It also washes and dries quickly which is a huge priority. I've sewn exercise wear out of PowerDry and love it. Does it sound ok to use this?
2. I am using a KwikSew pattern that has a low cut leg and will use an elastic casing. Should I use the panty fabric (which wicks moisture away from body) to make a self-casing or use something else that won't wick to make a binding for the elastic?
3. I will stitch a contoured soaker pad to the inside of the panty. I will have to experiment with size and shape to meet her needs. I was planning on using a layer of Power Dry or microfleece as the first layer closest to her body and Wazoodles barrier fabric as the outermost layer of the pad. She wants to be able to handwash and hang to drip dry. Which of the available absorbent layer fabrics are the quickest to dry?
4. I have decided to make a detachable soaker pad for sleep and times when she knows she might be more likely to have an accident. Will the soft loop side of the "other" brand of velcro feel comfortable against her skin when she doesn't wear the extra soaker pad? Or do I need to make separate heavy duty panties?
She is so embarrassed about her new problem, I would like to just hand over a stack of these panties so she won't have to worry about any more inopportune accidents. I am proud of her extreme independence-- she is very resistant to hiring personal attendants, so I spend alot of my time creating solutions to make her life easier. Thanks for any input you can offer. I know I will probably have to make several pairs before I get the fit and materials right, but I am hoping you can at least help me narrow down the options.
Thanks again,
Elizabeth
. Be sure to post pictures when you're done! 
