I started a to-do list when I was pregnant with Isaac. Then we moved and I never got to really sew him anything up. But now I get to do it all over again. :) I have a lot to sew up this time. I really want some nb, and smalls instead of just prefolds. I loved using the prefold, and I got a good deal on them, since I couldn't sew my own with moving and fixing up the repo.
To-Do for Joel 1. Finish 2T/3T trainers
To-Do for Isaac 1. Fix elastic on all the BG's.
To-Do for New Baby 1. NB QSFW -6 5 2. NB EZ-Dipe - 6 3. NB La-Di-Da -6 4. NB Fattycakes -4 5. NB diaper cuts - 3 5. Finish small fattycakes I startetd for Isaac, then he outgrew. 5. Small QSFW -6 6. Small EZ-Dipe - 6 7 Small La-Di-Da -6 8. NB Upcycled Wool Soakers -3 9. NB Fleece Soakers - 3 10. NB PUL Cover DDNB - 1 11. Small PUL Cover DD- 1 10. Small Upcycled Wool Soakers -3 11. Small Fleece Soakers - 3
To-Do for Mommy 1. Family Cloth 2. Post Partum Pads -6
To-Do Misc.
I'll add to this list and cross off as I get things done. Sounds busy. Now if only I wasn't so tired when the kids were sleeping, I might have time to get some started.
I love making my own diapers, but I came across on kissaluv's facebook page that you can win free diapers from them. All I had to do was write about their diapers on my blog or tweet. To me, free cloth is better than sewing your own. Though I still find myself pulling the ones I made first before any bought ones. :)
Another off topic sewing project. Anybody with babies and toddlers know that carseats are required for the first 6 years of their life. Good weather or bad. But in the cold weather months we bundle our children in coats that are thick and bulky. They make carseats potentially not safe if left on. But when it's blizzard-like outside, you don't really want to take the time to get that coat off. I found myself waiting until the latest I could to put coats on my children. All the while wondering what outsiders are thinking of me and my parenting skills. Walking in with them wearing sweatshirts and no winter coats... I found somewhere a poncho made for carseats and thought, that is just what I need. So I made one for Isaac. This is just two layers of fleece and then a hood sewn to the layers.
I got the pattern from diaper swappers, here. I just left the bottom layers unfinished for now. Fleece doesn't need to be finished, so I'm happy with it. I kept this real long. This year it won't matter much since Isaac won't be walking. Plus it doubles as a blanket for him. And I'm hoping it will still fit him next winter, as well.
Don't mind the sour face. He'd just woke up from his nap and did not like something thrown over his face. When trying it on before the hood, he loved it. Laid right down and snuggled up into it like a blanket. :)
Not too long ago I tested the La-Di-Da Diaper Pattern. I loved making these diapers up. They were quick and easy and Jennifer has done an amazing job writing directions easy enough for beginners but great for experienced seamstresses as well. There are some ideas for sewing that I hadn't thought of myself that makes sewing snapping pocket diapers easier and quicker. With my two kids I was able to test the small, medium and large diapers. It is a hip snapping diaper. This has been my favorite style of snapping diapers easy to snap and get nice and tight. I find with side snaps they are too far on the side to snap easily. The front snaps are nice, but is hard sometimes to get nice and snug. The La-Di-Da diapers are trim fitting with a scooped belly fit, yet the rise is very generous. The medium fit both my 8 month old baby (17lbs) and my 2.5 year old 27 lb son, comfortably. The diaper fits below the belly and "hugs" the hips. I wouldn't put pants on my baby when he was in these diapers just because they are so cute. They still are the ones I grab first in my diaper stash. And it's been almost four months since I've tested these diapers.
Small-Medium-Large Comparison
The medium on my baby...
And then on my toddler...
La-Di-Da Diapers pattern is $8.50. You will be able to download it right away for instant gratification. All who purchase the pattern through October 29th will be entered into their drawing to win some prizes. If you would like to hear more about their Grand opening, or to purchase this pattern, visit here for more details.
I have made my own cloth wipes. With Joel I just used plain water with them. But I didn't like how it didn't "glide" and clean as well as with other solutions. With Isaac I tried using baby oil and baby wash, but his skin was too sensitive. I decided to try one more solution, and we have yet to get a bright red rash for his skin yet!
Ingredients: 4 cups HOT water 2 chamomile tea bags 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1/8 cup Baby Bath (just used Parents Choice brand) 5 drops tea tree oil
Mix all together. I left the tea bags in until I replaced, but you don't have to. I just pour my wipes solution onto some cloth wipes in a wipes container.
Chamomile Tea has some amazing benefits including helping with skin problems or diaper rash. Tea tree oil is a disinfectant and deodorant. We started using this also in our diaper pail and it has help with stink issues. Extra Virgin olive oil is a moisturizer. And the baby bath is a mild cleaner that also helps the olive oil mix with the water so everything is oily and greasy.
One thing I did find when making this is that it is best to let it all sit awhile. The first time I used it, the wipes were a little oilier, but the next time, it was all mixed really well. So make it up a day or two before you need it, then it'll be ready to go.
I bought a trainers pattern for Joel. Since our potty learning has been good, but he likes to pee for some reason at home all over everything, I wanted to start having him wear some thicker undies.
The problem??? He refuses to wear these. :( Not sure why he doesn't care for them. All he wants are pants. He did put a pair of shorts on later and call them undies.. Maybe I need to buy the ditto daddy boxer pattern??
This is the second pair I made. The first one was made like my EZDipe I have listed on my etsy account with brown waist band.
Here is a pair of fleece shorties I sewn up. I meant to make them pants, but got confused and measured from the top instead of the waist for the inseam...so shorties they became. Not sure if I'm going to list these on etsy or not. What do you think?
I finally decided to open me an Etsy store. My plans are for cloth diapers wool soakers and mama pads. Maybe a few other accessories like baby wipes. I've also listed a few crocheted baby items I have made. Come check it out. familyclothdesigns.etsy.com
The name was fun to decide on. I thought about doing something with treehugger since my oldest son LOVES to go around and hug all the trees he can. But...I couldn't think of anything that I liked. My mom and grandma used to make porcelin dolls when I was a kid, and their business name was Family Designs. So since I'm going to sell cloth for the whole family, Family Cloth Designs was born.
Just recently found out the Diaper Sewing Divas is not allowing new members at this time. The pattern for the quick snap flap wrap can be found here. And the soaker here. If you need a picture tutorial, you can find that here.
I have been busy sewing up some diapers from a tester pattern. And am loving it, so haven't made these recently. I have found quite a few new patterns lately, and so am looking forward to finding the time to sew more. It's getting easier as Isaac is getting older and entertaining himself a lot more.
Here's my 5 month old, 16.5?? lb baby wearing the medium with the extra rise. This is my favorite QSFW that I have made yet. Not quite as quick. I added blind elastic to the legs and back. I used woven flannel receiving blanket. This is 2 layers. The fit on Isaac is really nice. I folded the flaps down. A must with adding elastic. If you had a girl, you wouldn't have to fold them all the way, like I did. Keeping the absorbancy in the middle. Then with leftover pieces of the blanket I made a 4 layer rectangle soaker. So, 12 layers in the front for my boy. But washing it's only 2. I think it's neat the way the elastic went into the legs. In the front it is rolled (where the flaps fold in), and in the back it ruffles. By the way, I didn't add the middle snaps. I figured with the woven I wouldn't need them, and I was right. Isaac fits on the smallest setting, so room to grow in this diaper! yay!
These diapers are so much fun to make. Here is one I used an old flannel receiving blanket. All the other diapers were fitting loose, so I made this one in small and didn't use the extra at the top. Well...the rise is good. But the woven flannel doesn't stretch and this thing barely fit. So I added one snap on each side. This is taken before that. With the two snaps, it fits much better, but not for long. Isaac gave me a BM in this diaper as well, and no leaks. It wasn't his first one that day, but enough to give me a clue as to the hold up on these. The "catchier" the fabric, the better, I'm sure. These diapers are making me very happy. They seem trimmer than a disposable diaper, yet absorb better than some of my microfiber inserts. Maybe I'm changing more often? I don't know.
Katrina's Soaker.
This one is a medium in the fleece pattern. It fits good, slow to get on, but fits perfect on. Love to make these things. So easy, and they fit over these trim fitted diapers so much. Yes, this one is purple. I have lots of pink and purple fleece. I won't be using the pink for Isaac, but maybe something for me.
My son is pretty much potty trained. We actually don't use any underwear yet, but I wanted to make some for him while we are waiting the 3 months out. These ones I used the Katrina's Quick Sew Pattern for diaper covers. I used a medium, thinking the waist measurements were going to work for if he had a diaper on underneath. I was wrong. They fit him snug. I doubt he can get them on and off himself now. Which is too bad, because they turned out SOO cute. I used an old tee for this project. I think I'll try out the XL next and see if they fit good or if those are too big. But at least then he'd grow into them.
Once again, I found a pattern tutorial at Diaper Sewing Divas. This one is the Snap Flap Wet Bag. I cut a piece approximately 20x13, to end up with a bag 10x13. In this picture is 3 medium swaddlebees diapers(yes, I buy diapers too) stuffed with infant prefolds. I wanted to find a piece of fabric and found this one in my bag of give away fabric because it was too small for me to use. . Funny. It was the perfect size...Only a small excess from the strap.
Came across a new, very simple diaper pattern the other day. You can find it at Diaper Sewing Divas. It is the Quick Snap Flap Wrap. These diapers do not have snaps in the photo. The white diaper, I put snaps on before Isaac used it. The green I used a snappi. It is sherpa, so the snappi works well. The pattern uses no elastic. But, I think I'm going to add elastic to it on the inside before you fold the flaps over to help with containment.
So I found this video on You Tube for folding flat diapers.
I have been trying to figure this fold out since Joel was a baby. Got it figured out and tried it on Isaac. And now I'm in search of all my old flannel receiving blankets to use as flats. They work so well. I just snappi them on. It doesn't work great with flannel, but with a nice cover, it holds in place. I roll the diaper up around Isaac's thighs, and done. I like this way better than anything else so far. I haven't had the test of a poopy in one yet, but maybe today since I've finally found enough blankets for several changes.
For those who wonder how to make these, easy. If you have receiving blankets, they likely are the right size, about 30x30. 27x27 is good to if it's preshrunk. So you don't have to do anything. Otherwise, prewash your fabric and cut to size that you desire (either above will work) and then serge around the edge.
Do you have any idea how nice and clean these things are going to get without any elastic or folds to catch? Or multiple layers to try to rinse out? And then drying...how fast do you think these things would take out on the line?
So many who cloth diaper are in it for environmental reasons or it's the "stylish" this to do. I do it for those reasons too, but I am just too cheap to get the stylish, $30+ diapers that are out there. So I am finding myself more and more old school the more I cloth diaper. Though...I still like my snappy and PUL covers more than pins and vinyl plastic panties.
I was reading my friend's blog and she took a crunchy test...I was nursing, and so I figured, why not. The original quiz was here.
1. Do you have a homebirth? No - alternative birthing method(birth center, CNM in hospital, hypnobirthing, hospital birth, ALL natural without any drugs of ANY kind)
My answer, but I have considered it in the past, and will definitely keep it an option in the future.
2. Will you circumcise? No Yes
I didn't know what to put here. We had Joel circumsized, and plan on Isaac, but just tonight we were thinking against it. I put yes, because we have and are not 100% opposed to it.
3. Do you use cloth diapers? Yes - wash and make own diapers
4. Do you observe your fertility signals using; Natural Family Planning/Fertility Awareness and use that for birth control? Yes - observe and use for birth control/TTC; or you use ecological breastfeeding/lactational amenorrhea
5. Do you co-sleep? No - but room in with baby. Baby has own bed in your room
Not opposed to it, and if Isaac did not sleep at night like Joel, would be in bed with us as well.
6. Do you use a baby sling/soft carrier? Yes - make and use your own slings
7. Do you breastfeed exclusively for the first 6+ months? Yes - including exclusively pumping moms
8. Do you believe in/practice child-led weaning; even if that means breastfeeding for several years? Yes - up to 3 years
This is what I put, though I believe each child's circumstance may be different. I weaned Joel at 16 months or so, but he only asked once or twice afterwards.
9. Do you tandem nurse/nurse during your pregnancy? Yes - nurse during pregnancy, but wean before birth
No opposed to tandem, and even considered it myself, but chose not to for my and the pregnancies health (physically and emotionally)
10. Would you/have you ever breastfed/fed someone else's baby or have someone else breastfeed your child? Maybe
If circumstances were to benefit someone else's baby, it might seem weird, but I'd do it for the baby's health.
11. Do you eat organic/whole/natural foods and limit your meat? Thinking about it
I agree with my friend about organic being very "hype" but I also believe there is some importance to limiting things like preservatives. Limit meat? Nope.
12. Do you use herbal/homeopathic remedies? Yes - but use a doctor occasionally
13. Do you homeschool? Yes - currently homeschool
My kids technically aren't old enough, but we will be, so I answered yes.
14. What's your take on childhood vaccinations? Delayed vaccinations, seperate vaccinations, or selectively vaccinate
I answered this way because we seriously considered this, but will probably be on schedule.
15. Do you use cloth/re-usable products for mom? (Sea Sponge, Diva Cup, etc etc) Yes - make and use own
16. Do you wear make-up? No never
17. Do you shave? Sometimes/Rarely - some parts, like armpits but not legs or vice versa
Ok...I do shave both armpits and legs, but rarely because I just don't need to. :)
18. What is your shoe style? Give me my socks and shoes please
19. Do you use natural cleaning products/etc? No
Not usually, but sometimes I'll clean with vinegar or baking soda.
I finally got something to update. I made this diaper several months ago. And have onlu used it 2 or 3 times. This will be the last time Isaac will wear it as well. This is the dd newborn pattern. Made turn and topstitched. It also was not made with stretchy fabric, so I would suppose this makes it a true newborn sizing, as Isaac is approximately 11.5 pounds.
I'm a Christian wife and a mom to my 2 sons and 1 daughter.My oldest is starting Kindergarten in the fall and we will begin our adventure in Homeschooling!
