Cloth Nappy Making #3

Can you tell im pg.....I just forget were IM at
I dont make nappies...its takes a brain to make them which I so dont have, I make fleecie covers and am trying to get my act into gear and make prefold. I have 4 100L boxes full of polar and micro fleece sitting here crying that it wants to be used.

WOw thats a lot of fleece Maz!

I just finished making my first pocket napppy. It didnt go so well on the elastic bit around the legs, but I now I know how NOT to to do that part, so hopefully I cant get it better next time!

Karina - practise makes perfect mate. You should have seen my first covers...OMG they were hidious.
I made 4 orders in a matter of a week and a half from Snaps Australia...I kept forgetting to order certain colours, then the wrong parts turned up..ahhh Jed bought me one of those huge tool box things with smaller compartments in it for them all. SOme much easier especially when you order 500 at a time

LOL Maz, my first nappy looks pretty bad, plus its too big as well! I think it might be one of those ones I'll only use in an "emergency". I have since made a second one and it turned out much better. Claire actually wore it today for a few hours and it did quite well with the wee and poo containment, although she was sleeping for half the time she wore it. Not sure how its going to go when she is moving about more. Only time will tell! I used white PUL and thought it looked way too boring, so I drew pictures on it to make it prettier!

I got to SL today. 9 meters of Cotton rich (sherpa) & another metre of microfleece.
I had the 9 meters on layby as I got it for $3 a metre so I grabbed a heap then. Im gonna make some NB nappies with it.

What a bargain Fiona...hmm me thinks me might have to go to SP>...no no have to much to do here today.
Karina - Id love to see your art work ;) pop a pic up in the gallery

It was a little while back that I got it so cheap which is why I layby'd it. I was even talking to the girl & she said she was told to get rid of it so she marked it right down & away it went (right into my shopping trolley LOL). I got little additions at $5 /m too.

Oooh bargain with the fleece!

I just made another nappy. It came out ok, not fabulous. Its currently being tested!
Its fleece and very soft. Still having issues with the leg elastic though . I think I am just not good with elastic! If its no good, I think I might unpick the elastic and do it a different way. How do you ladies do the elastic bit around the legs?

I put a picture in the gallery.

When I do the elastic I tack down one end by doing a zig zag back & forth. Then I switch my stitch to a triple zigzag & pull the elastic nice & tight as I sew it down. Then go back to a normal zig & tack down the end.
I turn & top stich my nappies so once I do that I then go around & do my top stitch & when I get to the leg elastic I move the nappy so my stich (which I put back to the widest tripple zigzag) and go along the side, but as you do this make sure your not catching any of the elastic or seam edge (thats inside the nappy) other wise it will stuff you up & you'll need to unpick it.
I will do a photo of each stage of how I do mine later tonight. Been menaing to do that for ages.

Hi everyone.
I have been researching about making my own MCNs and looking in this thread/forum. but have a few q's. I was going to make fitted ones. (with the booster inside)

I have about 3 doz terry flats. could i make these into MCNs.? useing them as the inner layer. MIL brought them so I feel bad not using them.

I also have about 3 meters of printed flannelette, could i use that on the outside or is it not absorbent enough.

I also have a couple of meters of polar fleece which i have cut some up and used as liners with the cloth squares.
Can you use old towels as the boosters inside?
How many layers for the boosters is best?
Will velcro be as effective as the snaps, as this is a trial at the moment to see how I go.

I have got a pattern online from ottobre designs, which seems to be okay. I also brought a couple of fitted terry nappies from K mart which seem to work well and fit ok, so i could use them as a pattern also.

and the last question, when sewing the elastic, is it better to sew it to the inner layer or both layers?

Sorry if these sound like silly questions to you 'experts' but i am a newbie and keen to give it a go.

Also FJ, I saw on your blog u are a ABA counsellor. do you go to the meetups? (is that you on the list of counsellors)i have not long joined and am planning on going to the next one.

TIA everyone.

Thanks FionaJill! I do the triple zig zag thing over the elastic too... not sure where I am going wrong. Maybe I'm not pulling the elastic tight enough. Do you pull the elastic as tight as it goes then zig zag over it? I might try the tripple zig zag top stitch. I hadnt thought of doing something like that. ooh looking forward to seeing your photos of each stage. Dont just do it for me though, lol.

Hi Blueflower. This nappy making is addictive! I have been using Velcro (but I have only made three nappies so far). I much prefer snaps to Velcro, to be honest. The velcro is nice for a wiggly baby, but I think the snaps hold on better and look nicer.

Hi BlueFlower.
Yep if thats a Hawkesbury/Nepan ABA bulletin then thats me on the list of COunsellors.
Not sure if I will make it to the next meeting, Im in the process of moving house atm.

Yes you could use your terry flats to make your MCN. I would make your booster bit out of at least 7 layers of the terry toweling.
Yes you could use your printed flannel as your outter layer ( see the dimond pattern nappies on my blog? thats flannel.
You could use polar fleece as your inners.

Velcro will work fine. OR you could do it so you use some of your terry as your outter layer & then use a snappi to fasten your nappy. If you didn't want anything flashy, thats would I would be doing. Or if you get creative you could cut out squares to put where a snappi would go. Would take a few goes to get your placement just right but be worth messing around with I think.
You could use old towels
I will do this photo thing this evening & let you know when its on my blog. That will show you how I do the elastic.
Yep, I pull the elastic as tight as it goes. Make sure you hold the other end as you sew it though so you can guide it through the machine.

I am by no means an expert, its just how I do mine. But I think it works well for beginers.

ok, go look on my blog

Thanks for your help FJ and Karina.
I am really eager to get started!
I am sure that I will have a few questions along the way!!!

I have just looked at your blog now FJ and it is great!!! the instructions are very good and so are the piccies! it is very easy to understand. I think that has helped with my questions! Thankyou so much!
Now I will decide what to makew it with- will duck up to spotty tomorrow and get some elastic and prob velcro- although I have eaons of snappies that i should use!!

I would use the snappies if you have them.
What I would do if you want to use something pretty on the outter is.. hangon I will do a pic & post in on my blog, be easier to explain.

eta - ok have alook at what I mean.

Fiona!! Thanks so much for posting your nappy instructions. They are great. I made mine pretty much the same way, except that my elastic bit around the legs just turns out crappy for some reason. The elastic at the back comes out well though. It looks like you have sewn the elastic onto all the layers.. is that right? Do you buy a special type of elastic or just the plain old braided stuff? I sewed my elastic (stretched) on using the triple zig zag stitch, but for some reason the elastic doesnt unstretch.. do you get that problem at all?

I think I just need to perfect my elastic sewing skills.. or not use such a thick fleece. I used microfleece - its thin, but its very dense.

Do you use PUL or fleece as your waterproof layer?
Is polar fleece really truly waterproof???
I still think of polar fleece as being soft and cuddly and absorbant, rather than waterproof!

Yeah Ijust use the braided stuff from Spotlight.
hmmmm not sure why your elastic is doing that. Maybe try using a different stitch, im not sure what its called but I have one on my machine that rather then zigzagging it does 1 straight then jumps across then does one straigh then jumps back to the other side. this isi also a good elastic stitch. You tack down the elastic as normal & then stretch it as you sew but you don't actually sew the elastic just on either side of it so its in a tunnel KWIM? then keeping it stretched out, tack down at the end. That might work better for you.
I wouldn't think that the Spotlight polar fleece would be too thick. Mayeb you need a wider/better quality elastic?

I don't make any with a waterproof layer. I like a fitted nappy with some cute longies/shorties as my covers. But I do have some Malden Mills fleece here.

Polar fleece, isn't 100% waterproof, because its polyester its not absorbent. Fleece is what they call hydrophobic so it repels the water but if you squish it the water will go through it. which is why its best to use two layers of teh spotlight fleece. Its prone to compression leaks. Malden Mills fleece is a much tighter woven fleece, so you only need 1 layer with that but I still add a 2nd layer to the wet zone.

Thanks again FJ.
that is what i had in mind. i saw it on an american website so thought i would adapt it here.
what i was thinking was:
inner - fleece
middle - terry towelling
outer - flannel with terry bits on it
booster- flannell and terry.
What do you think?

If this works, i might try and get some pul and make all in ones. Is there something else we can use instead that is waterproof at SL as the outerlayer?