Cloth Nappy Making #5

[Tanya]

This is a thread for those who sew their own nappies to discuss techniques and materials and share hints and tips.


Your moderating/admin team for this forum are:

Astrolady -
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Tanya -

For basic cloth nappy information, please checkout the Cloth Nappy Information sticky.

Previous thread HERE

[Nelle]

Were you going to close the old thread Tan? :P

I'm with you on the motivation, cutting material's the hardest part for me, booooring. But once everything's set up, your material's ready and you have some time to yourself with some music playing, it's good fun!

[Gigi]

Tanya - are you an experienced sewer with new machines?
or a newbie with new machines?

i'm a newbie
if that is you too, i would suggest, you get an old flannelette sheet, cut up liners and practise overlocking on liners - i do double layer - great for nappy rash times, and now we use them for day time fitteds - but i digress, i found overlocking loads of liners has refined my crap overlocking skills heaps - i can even do acceptable curves now!

if you already know what you're doing, well - i got nothing - cos the possibilities are endless!!! but MCN fabric is not cheap, so i'd prioritise according to what your baby actually needs.

[Tanya]

Thanx Nelle... I am really dumb lately!!

Gigi... I have made a few things with the machines.... but yeah, I am just a beginner

I have recently come to realise that most of my cloth nappies are irritating Bonnie's thighs! The nappies that don't are all pockets.. so I guess that's what I need to be making.

Does anyone have a pattern? Maz

Tanya

ETA... Do I have to use PUL... can fleece work?
ETAM... I see they have a couple of patterns on the Nappy Network... has anyone used them? Are they any good?

[melbel]

apparently the wee weka one is quite good..sized a bit large so you may need to adjust the size but otherwise has had good reports.

[Gigi]

I have recently come to realise that most of my cloth nappies are irritating Bonnie's thighs! The nappies that don't are all pockets.. so I guess that's what I need to be making.

Does anyone have a pattern?

Some kids react to FOE
Fold
Over
Elastic
That's the stuff that looks a bit like bias binding, that is used to edge the leg holes and waist of PUL covers and and some PUL AIO's.

examples would be baby beehinds covers (PUL and wool).

You don't have to necessarily give up on covers if that is the issue.
Just use covers that DON"T use FOE e.g fleece covers.
Hand knit woollies have no leg elastic at all to irriate baby's thighs - great for long wears, like over night especially.
Fleece covers have hidden elastic.

You don't have to give up on AIO's either.
Just choose PUL AIO's that DON"T have the FOE (if that indeed is what is irritating your bub). I haven't seen any fleece AIO's that have FOE.

I have tried the weewaka side snapper pocket pattern on the Nappy network, i made the smaller size (supposedly from birth to 12 kg). My 10 kg bub is on the smallest snaps for that, so i think it's a generously sized pattern. The front wings go quite a way round her back, so i shortened them the 2nd time i made it.

so my message is, don't cut out HEAPS of some pattern you are trying for the first time. Cut ONE out, preferably out of material you won't mind if it's a dud, try it on your bub, IF it's a great fit and you're happy, THEN cut out a gazillion of them.

[Tanya]

Thanx Gigi...

Bonnie seems to react to all BBH lately. She used to react to ittibitti d'lish, but not so much now. It's funny because she really smells when she wears them too... I had her in Sposies to get rid of a persistent bit of NR and as soon as I put her in a bamboo BBH, in the morning she had 3 blisters!! The magicalls really chafe her, she is all rough and dry in the whole of the nappy area.
Last night I put her in a pocket that I think someone has made and she looks much better.

It's weird really.

Tanya

[jgal]

You don't need to use FOE on your covers if it irritates bub's legs. Try doing two layers of microfleece (or similar lightweight soft fabric) with a layer of PUL in between, turned and topstitched. It's just like making a nappy but without all the bulk (although use a nappy cover pattern with extra added around the edges to allow for seams and turning to make sure you get good coverage over the nappy). It makes a fantastic leakproof cover (we use ours for nights when DS's handknitted wollies are all in the wash), and if your bub is not a super wetter like mine, you may be able to get away without the PUL at all and just use fleece. We tried that though and he soaked through so I guess it depends on bubs. I did my fleece/PUL covers with side snaps and they have lasted AAAAAAGES! And nice and gentle - especially through the night while he sleeps.

[SunnyRain]

A quick question.

Are the material prices at Nappies Covered reasonable and competitive? They have a good range (when they're stocked, that is).

I hope I don't tread on any toes. If this is someone's online business, I mean no disrespect. I just stumbled on it and I'm a big fat newbie.

[~Raven~]

I think they are well priced. The nappy supply stores are quite competitive so usually are similar in cost.
To make it worth your while in postage I'd say to get everything you need at one store and only pay one lot of postage.

[Salsa]

Hi, just introducing myself.
I used kooshies on DS and sold them when we moved house.
Now Im having #2, and cloth nappies seem to have changed alot in whats popular and materials etc since DS was using them.
A friend has said to make my own, so I`m gonna try it out...but wondering if it is really all worth it? I have a sewing machine, overlocker and think i will buy a snap press. Im guessing from what i have read its cheaper to buy the right materials from online shops, is that right?
....oh, so much new terms and info to learn about nappies since our lovely days with our old naps.
Im hoping to get ones that are 1 size fits all. the ones we used to have lasted 2mths -12mths then 12mths -24mths.
I have heard wee weka is a great pattern too.

oh, and when people talk about hook and loop - what is that? is that velcro?

[~Kim~]

Hi girls,
I've never ventured into here, but with #2 on the way I thought I might have another go at making my own. I have a couple of questions though.

1. Which do you find better - turned and top stitched or overlocked (I do have an O/L but it's a love/hate r'ship)
2. I'm undecided about whether or not to get a snaps machine so can snaps be added when nappies are already made? (figured for a littlie I'd use snappies).

THanks in advance....

[~Raven~]

Salsa hook & loop is the same as velcro. Velcro is a commercial brand though and there is H&L that is better than it.
I puchesed both the honeyboy and very baby patterns and also drafted my own using a few elements from my fav nappies. I didn't get around to using the free ones for a silly reason - my printer broke and I decided to buy a pattern instead of buying a new one

Kim I prefer turned and top stiched cos my overlocking seems to go crazy when it's going to be out on display, though I should persist as I need the practice

On the snaps machine I would say that depending on how many nappies you want to make will determine if it's worthwhile. I chose not to and use H&L or borrow one that I had use of (I bought my own snaps) but I will be getting one soon.
If you're using a snappi you need to make it from a fabric that the snappy can grip to so a terry type fabric is best.

[Salsa]

Yes, I found snappys to work well - but only on the right material - something with grip factor like terry towelling. Otherwise they are useless.



I have found a whole heap of merino in my fabric box, so I thought I could make some wraps/covers with it. I`ll need to lanolise it wont i? And has anyone else tried using merino ? is it effective as a cover?

I read that wool is popular for covers now, but have never tried it.

[~Kim~]

cool thanks...so if I use flanallette for the outers the snappie won't work?

[Salsa]

flannel/brushed cotton does not work - however the type of material used to make flannels (faceclothes) does

Im not sure what else would work -

[~Raven~]

The fabric needs to have a loopy texture so the little grabs on the snappi can hold onto it so flanelette is no good for snappis. You can use pins or the tie on snibs for flanelette.
Terry towelling or french terry would work. Even micro terry. They sell all of this stuff at SL.
You could get away with only using a terry type fabric on the areas the snappy needs to be but it would create a bit of work adding them on I would imagine.

[~Kim~]

nope buggar that. I'm not a fan of terry at all so I guess it'll be h/l or DH will have to fork out for a snap machine.
Sam my overlocking isn't fantabulous on show either. THat's what I like about dressmaking - you can't see it lol.
These are just so much more fiddly.....I have had a got before and my covers are OK...it's just the nappies.