Cloth Diaper Prototype

I dove into diaper making today, head first. I had some fleece that looked lonely, and I needed to figure out just how I wanted to make our new diapers. My fleece found a purpose. I didn't want to waste the precious little PUL (waterproof part of a diaper) I have on hand, so fleece is the perfect stand in. It is not waterproof, but will work in a pinch. Luckily I had enough other random fabrics on hand to make a prototype. That's one of the benefits of cloth diapering. You realize that, in a pinch, anything can be a diaper. And yes, I mean anything...

I still cannot find a pattern I like, so I made my own. I drew a diaper like shape on the inside of a cut up grocery bag to start with. It isn't glamorous, but it works. I cut out my pattern in a painfully slow manner. It will be much quicker for future versions, but figuring it out as you go along tends to take a bit longer. It would also be quicker working without help from the kiddos. Nap time is my friend.

Putting it together took a little brainpower. This seam goes here, that elastic goes through there... It's a big puzzle! Broken down into steps, it really wasn't that bad. I just have to remind myself to take it one piece at a time. It would be easier if I had 10 hands, then I could attack it from every angle. My 2 will just have to do, at least until they invent detachable robot arms that know how to sew.

I did enjoy playing with my new snap pliers. However, I will definitely be buying a press in the very near future. The pliers are certainly adequate for most purposes, but I want the heavier duty. Mostly, I just want them, but I can totally justify it.

Once I was finished playing with my toys assembling the diaper, I tried it on Britches. To my utter shock, it fit! There will be plenty of tweaking to the next generation (which is already cut out, pinned, and waiting on my cutting mat), but it is functional. I fully expected a backwards, twisted mess. Functional is a nice surprise. The fleece did wick after a while, but that is just the nature of the fabric. I can't wait until the rest of my diaper fabrics come in!

I am by no means a seamstress, but tonight's experiment was a success.