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More diaper sewing questions  

post #1 of 8
6/25/03 at 5:40pm
Thread Starter 
What materials can I use (read recycle old clothing) to make the diapers? Flannel shirts are good right? What would I use for the soaker part? Can I use an old towel? Other flannel? What else?

TIA!

-BelovedBird
post #2 of 8
6/25/03 at 5:48pm
I think anything that's 100% cotton would work.
I used some old cotton longjohns of dh's to sew some fitteds, and love the way they are super soft, absorbent, and stretchy. I made doublers out of old t-shirts, and they work as well as any others I have! Just make sure you don't have detergent or other buildup on the fabric, or it won't be as absorbent as it could be.
post #3 of 8
6/25/03 at 5:52pm
Almost anything with a high cotton content! Old t-shirts, flannel shirts, flannel pj bottoms, knit jammies, even cotton sweat socks, lol. Towels, washcloths, and dishtowels. You can even use woven fabrics from dresses or slacks on the outside of the diapers for a cute print. If you have soft worn in old khaki pants they're usually twill & can be used too.

Anything soft & absorbent can be layered together for a soaker or a doubler. Flannels sometimes wear so that they feel more like a super soft twill than a fuzzy flannel & those are great too.

Recycled towels can fray pretty badly if you don't take care to fold the raw edges inward & stitch securely. The fraying threads ball together inside your diapers to form diaper rocks & the terry can get stiff so use only 2 or 3 layers of an old bath towel & make a lay in doubler to beef up absorbency. The less layers in the soaker pad will help reduce stiffness. I like recycling washcloths for this reason b/c the edges are already serged. No diaper rocks & some of my oldest first diapers I ever made haven't had any problems. I even bought a big pack of cheap washcloths from Wal-Fart (sp mistake intended ) & those worked really well folded into thirds.

HTH, have fun
post #4 of 8
6/25/03 at 5:54pm
p.s. it doesn't have to be 100% cotton, just mostly cotton. Nothing under 75%, I'd say. Unless you're using it for the outside of the diaper. You can use polyester knits there if you want!
post #5 of 8
6/25/03 at 6:14pm
Thread Starter 
That is so great! Thanks for answering! I had no idea that you could make diapers out of so many things!

Thanks for answering!

If I use material that probably has detergent buildup, how should I prepare it/ get rid of the build up? The same way as stipping dipes?

How hard is it to sew a dipe without a pattern? The only things I have finished so far in sewing are a skirt and vest set for me, a strip skirt for me and pj pants for my 4 year old. All of those with no pattern. So, I'm used to sewing without a pattern... I would trace a dipe that fits him well, right?
Where can I buy a honeyboy pattern?

-BelovedBird
post #6 of 8
6/25/03 at 6:48pm
I ve been sewing without a pattern..I did trace 1 diaper.. but then I had to change it a few times.. change the wings & all over sizing for my kids.. they all work tho

I think I finally got the perfect pattern's last night
post #7 of 8
6/25/03 at 10:28pm
You can buy the honeyboy pattern at SewShoppe . It's gone up in price since I bought it!!

Personally, I found the pattern to be useful because it walked me through the whole construction process step-by-step. Plus the medium made a diaper that has fit my daughter well for over 18 months, so I've definitely gotten my money's worth. But I didn't actually own any fitted diapers when I started sewing them, so I didn't really have the option of tracing one that fits well...which is what I do now.

You could always just try a few and see if you found yourself wishing for a pattern. I'd offer to send you mine but the directions have disappeared into the depths of my sewing room!:

Good luck with your sewing, I think you'll find it very rewarding!
post #8 of 8
6/26/03 at 12:46am
I hope I don't get in trouble for posting this in light of the big ol' "discussion" that happened here recently but I have found this site helpful in sewing diapers

http://www.geocities.com/gabrielbaby1/fuzzibunz.html

and also this one

http://www.poopockets.com/mfym/pocket/ppp.htm

Just a warning, diaper sewing is very fun and addictive!!!

Tawnya
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