When I first started making cloth diapers and other baby products, Babyville Boutique is the brand I used. I’ve had good results with their PUL, patterns, snaps, and snap pliers. See the first pocket diaper I made here.
You can read Mami’s 2 Little Monkeys’ Babyville Boutique review here. Read more about Babyville’s release of these new cute and super fun prints here!
Giveaway:
One fortunate winner will have their choice of the new boy or girl products and will receive a package of these products with a $35 ARV! This giveaway is open to US & CAN residents whom are at least 18 years of age at time of entrance and will run until Oct. 28th at 11:59pm CST. One winner will be chosen at random and notified via email, the winner will have 48 hours in which to respond to the email or a new winner will be chosen. To enter for your chance to win, simply complete as many or as few entries on the Giveaway Tools form below that you wish to do. Winning entry will be verified.
This post is courtesy of my friend Jessica, a fellow Navy wife and former Army reservist. When Jessica couldn’t find a fitted crib sheet in a Star Wars print for her son, with the help of her aunt she decided to make her own in a few simple steps. I’m planning on following her steps and trying it out, so look for another DIY tutorial post next month! -Elisebet
First my aunt and I laid the fabric over the mattress to make the darts. We pinned the fabric together in a line down each corner and then used a ruler to actually draw a straight line (we also took the pins out to draw it then replaced them along the straight line we had drawn). Then we also pinned down outside of the line so the fabric didn’t shift.
Sewing the darts on the corners
After the dart was done (we stitched twice to make sure it would last), we cut off the extra fabric on the corners. After that, we put the fabric back onto the mattress to make sure it fit before doing the other three corners.
Making sure the sheet fits.
The only problem we ran into was the fabric was a little too short on the long sides of the mattress, so it didn’t go under the mattress enough for the elastic to hold. So we had to put binding on it to give it a little extra fabric.
When sewing binding onto the fabric, one thing you want to keep in mind is that you don’t want too much fabric inside the binding. If there is too much fabric inside the binding, it makes it more difficult to get the elastic through. When you sew the binding on, don’t get nervous about the corners. Just sew them like you do on the straight parts 🙂 Make sure you don’t sew the ends of the binding closed, because you’ll thread the elastic through them later.
Once the binding is sewn to the fabric, attach a safety pin to the each end of the elastic (we used 3/4″ elastic), then to one end of the binding. On one end of the elastic, make sure it’s a large safety pin. It’s easier to grasp and thread through the binding.
Finished fitted crib sheet with binding
Use the end with the large safety pin to push the elastic through the binding. Keep the elastic flat while threading it. You don’t want it getting twisted. Once you’ve push the elastic through, pin the two ends together and run a stitch through them. Then close the binding over the elastic and run another stitch over both the elastic ends and the ends of the binding. Be sure to remove the safety pins before sewing the binding closed! Now you’re done!
Do you have any questions or comments for Jessica? Leave them below!
Last week I posted about my experiences making a pocket diaper for my son. I learned from the mistakes I made and applied them to an all-in-one diaper. If you’re unfamiliar with what exactly an all-in-one (AI1) diaper entails, read this post. This style of cloth diaper is the closest to a disposable.
The pattern was similar to the pocket diaper I sewed, but I added an attached insert. There’s still a pocket, so I can add absorbency, if I want, but the diaper can be used as is. Just snap the diaper on the baby, and he’s good to go!
Click on Photos to Enlarge
This medium-size diaper fits babies approximately 18-28 lbs.
Smallest Setting
Largest Setting
This AI1 diaper features a PUL outer and fleece inner. I upcycled a fleece blanket to make the lining.
Fleece Inner
A note on fleece: micro-fleece is wonderful for the inside layer of a diaper since it wicks moisture away from skin. However, regular fleece (blizzard, anti-pill) can do the opposite and repel moisture. Since I’d used pieces of this particular blanket before to make a stay dry insert, I was confident this piece of fabric would allow the liquid to pass through into the insert and keep the moisture off my son’s skin.
The pattern instructions called for two inserts to be stacked on top of each other and both sewn into the diaper. I think the bamboo batting I used for inside of the insert must have been much thicker than what was intended for this project, because there was no way I was getting both inserts sewn into the diaper. They were too thick. I also had difficult sewing just one insert to the lining, probably because the regular fleece I used is quite thick. I ended up attaching the insert on one of the shorter ends, instead of sewing it all the way down lengthwise.
Insert attached on one endInsert attached on one end- can be pulled out to speed drying
Besides the insert difficulties, I struggled with one of the legs. I’m not sure what happened, to be honest, but somehow it turned out twisted:
Twisted leg hole
I decided to take the top stitching out around the legs and resew. The fewer holes in PUL, the better. But with the way the leg is above, it wouldn’t maintain a waterproof seal around my son’s leg anyway, so I figured I might as well try to fix it.
It was slightly improved afterwards (but still looking jacked up):
Stitching uneven but leg elastic area less twisted
My best guess is that it has something to do with how I originally sewed the elastic onto the fabric. Next time, I’ll try be more careful while sewing the elastic on.
I decided to only put elastic on one side of the pocket, the back side of the diaper. This way if I add another insert into the diaper for extra absorbency, it will theoretically come out of the pocket on its own in the wash.
Pocket
I love how soft, squishy, and absorbent-looking this diaper is!
Tips:
PUL can be very difficult to sew with, since it doesn’t feed well through the machine. Place some tissue paper over it (or under it), and this will solve the problem.
Tissue paper makes it easier to sew with PUL
When placing snaps, always reinforce the PUL under the snap. You want this diaper to be completely waterproof. You can either glue an entire yoke of PUL fabric on the inside, before placing the snaps; or, you can just use small squares of fabric. These can be glued on as well, if you want them to lie flat.
Reinforce PUL under snaps
There you have it! Next up on my sewing agenda: a cotton-topped pocket diaper with a hidden PUL layer.
Do you sew your own diapers? Have any tips for me?
