New thread time - finally! Sorry it took so long.

Last thread:

http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/forums/ind...5748&st=420

Woo Hoo! GOLD!

Does it mean anything... or just that I am spending way too much time on EB....

I'm waiting for my parcel from Greenbeans . I might spend some time today working on tidying my studio so I have some space to sew once it does arrive (we just moved house).

SILVER!!

I'm also waiting on a parcel, but from Nappies Covered working on some medium AI2's for DS3 atm

Bronze

Haven't been able to sew (or be on comp for that matter) for quite a while due to a family tragedy.

Have been thinking about making a OSFM - who has before and what pattern do you use? I have the DDU...

Just a sidebar to sewing - anyone come across a denim nappy that doesn't leak. I have two and both wick in a big way very very quickly

ETA - Was in the city a few weeks ago and got ot go to Lincraft. How happy was I to get 1 metre of Minky for $7. Bargain!!

i might repost my question in this new thread.
can i ask what kind of bamboo people use? i want to use the same bamboo as can be found in itti bitti boosters...what is this called? is it bamboo velour?

Vicotira I'm not sure what itti bitti nappies use, you could always email them and ask. It looks like bamboo fleece but I could be wrong. You can buy bamboo fleece online from places like Nappies Covered, Snaps Australia, Green Beans, Fairy Fabrics. I use bamboo fleece in the nappies I make. Microfibre is another soaker fabric, it sucks in wetness quickly but you can't have it directly against a babies skin as it can dry their skin out.

Skip to my Lou sorry to hear there has been a family tragedy, I hope you and your family are ok. I haven't sewed a OSFM nor had any denim nappies so not much help there. I have though saved the kids old jeans that have worn out in the knees with the aim to one day try and use the denim to sew a nappy hehe! Bargain on the minky too well done!

thanks rj. i wouldn't use microfibre anyhow, i dont like it. apparently bamboo fleece is what i'm after too

My parcel from Greenbeans still hasn't turned up *waiting impatiently*
I did get 1m of Minky from Lincraft on the weekend, and I bought the DDU pattern yesterday.
Is anyone else playing nappies at the moment?

I've been sewing some small and medium pocket nappies for #3, who is currently 6 days overdue...

Just wondering who has used FOE (fold over elastic)??

Is it easy to use?? or will normal elastic in the position according to the pattern do with bias binding, or other form of binding over the top be ok??

and how much do you need for say a small nappy?

ednaboo 6 days over, at least you know it's not long now best of luck with bub's arrival!

GreenGrass I have used FOE several times, I am not that good at sewing it though. It's quite easy to sew until you have to turn a corner, that is what I find the hardest. I have only used it on nappy covers, not actual nappies. I found it was easier to sew on using a straight stitch rather than zig zag, the ones I made with zig zag are a bit wonky! There are some tutorials on youtube to help! I think you might find that bias binding will wick and cause nappy leaks whereas the FOE is a lot thicker so will give a bit better protection from leaks and is a lot softer too. You could always try a nappy with bias binding and see how you go but I would opt for FOE. 1m of FOE should be enough to make one nappy but as I am not that good at it I tend to use a little bit more than 1m.

Jay_1965vw don't you hate when you are ready to sew and are just waiting for that package of fabric to arrive! My nappies covered order arrived yesterday though I wasn't home so picked it up from the post office today I hope your parcel turns up tomorrow!

Oooh, Ednaboo - good luck! Can't be long now!

GreenGrass - as RJ said, the bias binding would wick (it has a large cotton component, whereas FOE is synthetic). You could get some FOE at lincraft or spotlight to play with. I haven't used it on nappies, but I've used it on necklines (just starting my nappy making journey), it is a bit awkward to use, but easier with practise. Could you do a turned nappy instead with elastic in a casing?

RJ My parcel from GreenBeans turned up yesterday afternoon. I think even worse than waiting for fabric to arrive is waiting for it to dry!! I gave it all a wash at 40degrees to pre shrink, I know hemp needs more than that to make it absorbant, but I figure once it is shrunk I can make up boosters and get the absorbancy right by just washing a few times in my normal wash with other things. Not like I am in a hurry to actually use these nappies!

I spent the evening cutting out DDU patterns and gluing them to card so I can trace round easily.

Today I am planning to make a NB cover - PUL outside, suedecloth inside. It sounds lke most people recommend flats or prefolds for newborns. Better get on with it rather than haunting EB

Thanks for the replies girls.. I was planning on getting it for nappy covers, not just a nappy! i've ordered some and will give it a go..

GreenGrass: FOE is actually pretty easy to use! You don't pin it on, (except maybe to start) just have all the areas that need to be elasticated marked, so you know when to stretch the FOE. When going around curves, you can stretch it just a little so it sits nicely. When you get to a point that is elasticated, like the legs, I usually grab my fabric marker pen and mark the halfway point on the elastic, (so half the leghole measurement) then pull the elastic tightly so the halfway mark comes to the end of the leghole. Otherwise, I find it hard to know how much to stretch the elastic - this way I have a guide.

When you get to the end fold it over to the back and stitch it down a few times to secure.

i want to do some cotton print outers on some fitteds i'm making..is a fat quarter big enough to do an outer for 1 large or osfm nappy? i want to buy some cute stuff off etsy but i'm not sure if i should get fat quarters or half yards etc...

Fat quarters are a similar size to a nappy cut. Most nappy cuts seem to be 50x50cm, some are 50x70cm. A fat quarter is usually 50x55cm or 46x56cm depending on whether its cut from a yard or meter of fabric or where you buy it from. I have used fat quarters to make med nappies, with both cotton and flannelette fabric. The flannel fabric shrank a lot with prewashing and I wouldn't have been able to make a med or OSFM out of it because of this, but small size was fine. I would check the dimensions of the nappy pattern you are using and then compare to the fat quarter you are looking to make sure it will fit and allow for prewash shrinkage if necessary.

thanks rj. i don't actually have a pattern, i was going to make up my own pattern i do that for everything else i make so why stop now? i think i'll get half yards or more just in case, i can use the scraps for quilting. (oh and these are actually for night nappies, so it sounds like a fat quarter won't do it after all)

I've made my first nappy!! And it is TINY! I used the DDU Newborn size, thinking I could use it as a cover with flats or prefolds, but I forgot that covers use FOE so they are a bit bigger. Oops. Oh well, I guess I will be making a booster for it so it is usable. Looks good apart from the size, maybe I just don't realise how tiny those NB babies are!

Ok, here it is... Ripstop outside, hidden PUL and suedecloth inner.

Jay_1965vw: looks good. Can I give you some tips? Is the ripstop poly or cotton? If it's cotton, it will wick wee to the outside (in spite of the PUL layer). Is there a reason why you added ripstop, rather than just using PUL as the outer? You could save time (and money) by just using PUL for your outer.

If you want a small cover pattern, try this one: Wee Weka cover with gussets. I've made lots of these in small (didn't bother with NB size) and they are great. I just use a layer of PUL and FOE to bind. I save my suedecloth for pocket nappies!

Thanks Ednaboo, I'm very happy to hear from MCN experts!

The ripstop is out of my stash (free!). I don't like the feel of PUL so I wanted an outside layer. I was making an assumption that it was poly, but I'll burn a bit to make sure... I agree that it will definitely wick if it is cotton.

Thanks for the link to the WeeWeka pattern. I'll try that one too.

We will be starting TTC in May (after my arthritis drugs are out of my system) so there's no hurry, I'm experimenting...

ETA I just burnt a bit of the ripstop, and it is definitely poly, not cotton. Pheww!!

snap presses - hand held okay for making nappies at home? it's not like i want to go into production!!! or is it really hard and will my hands ache after putting snaps on just one nappy?

Greengrass, I made quite a few covers and pockets with FOE. I found 1m was not quit enough for a nappy with gussets., but I wasn't really frugal with it, till I realised I didn't have enough to go all the way around!!!

I'm not sure about others, but I don't think there are patterns for nappies with gussets that aren't FOE...

Jay - looks good

Vicotira - I only have the hand snap one, and I find it OK. I'm sure if I had a big session I wouldn't be too happy, but for snaps on one nappy at a time it's fine.

Well I've made a night nappy out of flanelette to trial a fitted pattern which is OK so I'll make a few more with a microfibre layer in between so I can retire my BBH fitted that are thread bare now from toxic pee... Also made a couple of newborn/small pockets for friends who are interested in cloth nappies and having their first. Will have to get some pics up! I was planning on sewing on patches or something, but ended up putting on pretty buttons and really like the effect.
Also got to replace my entire stash of bamboo trifolds as they are all going threadbare and the fleece is "pilling" and filling up the corners with hard bits

Ahh well, never enough time!

stalking for ednaboo's baby news, wonder if she has had her wee one yet?

babybec I tried to make a non FOE nappy with gussets, it was a flop! I need to unpick it now, it's been sitting in my pile of things to do for a few weeks now. I've tried before which was also a flop so don't know why I thought this time would be any different you'll have to take some pics of your nappies to show us

Vicotira I haven't used a hand press for snaps, just the big snap press so can't answer your question. Though I do suffer from lots of cramps in my hands which is why I thought I'd be better off buying a snap press instead of the hand held one.

Jay_1965vw great job on your first nappy! With not liking the feel of PUL, I have found that PUL can feel different depending on supplier and on fabric type. I like polyester PUL better than cotton PUL, but there seems to be a lot more prints available in cotton PUL. I have some plain coloured PUL here that is quite plasticy sounding and other that is really soft.

AFM I need to start on my girlfriend's newborn stash asap or I'm worried I will run out of time. Have another friend that is due next week that popped around recently to get some MCN advice She is going to use covers and prefolds to start with but I might make her a couple of nappies as a new baby gift.

Ooh, it's quiet in here! My mum and Step Dad have been staying for a week, so I haven't done any more nappy sewing (I have covered two lounge chairs and made a whole lot of cushion covers though!). I have bought a few more fabrics for my stash, and mum brought me some left over fabrics from a quilt she is making for me that I will be using to trim, so I'll be back into it soon.

I was also wondering about Ednaboo... or ?

Vicotira, I personally wouldn't want to use the plier type snap press, but I have arthritis in my hands. There are a lot of snaps on each nappy!

Babybec - the pretty buttons sound great - piccies please!

~rj~ - thanks for the tip about PUL feeling different depending on the supplier, I'll try getting some from somewhere else (or I may just keep covering it up... I'm not in any hurry, so I can spend very gradually on my fabric stash). Sounds like you will be very busy nappy making for the next little while!!

Has anyone used the coral fleece from Spotlight on MCNs? looks like minky on the outside, but it's fleecy on the reverse. SOOO soft, and very cute prints.

*waves*

Jay

So I have all I need now to make my first nappy cover. Will attempt it over the next few days and post a picture.

This isn't a nappy question, but wondering if anyone might be able to help me out.

Do you think I could use PUL as the water proof layer of a cot mattress protector? I'm planning on making my own.

who konws where to get PUL that feels like bambooty or thirsties cover pul? it's nuce and soft feeling and i'd like to use that i think.

I've been making patterns for night nappies and making muslins of them for fit. i made 1 night nappy based on a fluffy bub and its massive and works well, but takes forever to dry. i might unpick it and reuse the fabric i used on the shell, since its 2 layers of bamboo, with an extra 2 layers through the wetzone. ive just finished another pattern for a front snap pocket with a super high rise and it fits well, so now i'm just waiting for my nice quilting cotton to arrive so i can make up a real one!

So here it is. My first cover. I'm not entirely happy with it. Perhaps it will look better sitting on a nappy? It is a small but looks huge for a new born. How do I know what size to make? I want to use flats for the new born stage, so now I need covers.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34208407@N02/5623609790/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34208407@N02/5623022381/

Can anyone tell me how to put up the picture, rather than the link to the picture?

GreenGrass - Hello there! It looks great. I love the colour. I have only bought boring plain PUL, which was rather silly of me. And I bought a LOT, so I cant really justify buying more. As you know, we don't know the sexes, so I have just bought gender neutral colours. Ive already bought some covers, so whatever I make will just pad my stash out a bit more. What pattern did you use for your cover? I'm planning on starting some covers next week and over Easter while DP is away camping. Can you email me the link when you get a chance? Thanks.

Mum drove through Bendigo yesterday so she stopped and got me some wool so she and I can ATTEMPT to knit some wool soakers. I'm not seeing her til mid May though, so I wont get it for a while.

~rj~: check out my sig!

I really wish I'd made a few more NB size covers, as I have found prefolds the best for holding everything in! My plan was to use some disposables for the first few weeks, but they keep leaking! I had made some small pockets, but they are a bit leaky too.

GreenGrass: yes, you can use PUL to make a mattress protector, but it can get a bit $$$. I ended up buying some that have a PUL layer - I have two made by Snugfit, one by Jason and have also seen ones sold by Target and Kmart that state they have a Polyurethane layer, and a cotton terry top.

Congratulations ednaboo!

Hope you sort out the nappy situation soon.

ednaboo congratulations on the birth of your son! Slightly envious of your water birth too, I would have loved to have had a water birth but wasn't to be. Great size bub too!

puddycat what sort of nappies are you making? If you are using FOE you could do that in a different colour or even with printed FOE to contrast your solid PUL colour. That is what I am doing for a GF who doesn't know the gender either.

greengrass that looks fab for a first cover what are you not happy with about it? Looks far far better than my first attempt, actually my several first attempts To post a pic directly to your post instead of a link - click on the "insert image" icon above the text box, then add in the url of the pic from flickr or wherever you have your photo uploaded. I use photobucket. There are better instructions HERE.

Vicotira I have a Thirsties pocket nappy, it seems to be Polyester PUL. Nappies Covered sell different colours of Poly PUL which is soft and has a nice stretch to it as well. I don't know if it's exactly the same as Thirsties covers though, you could email some of the fabric stores and ask them? The first lot of MCN's I made were a bit too thick and too forever to dry so I unpicked them and started again! Hmm, if only I had a dollar for every minute I have spent unpicking I would be rich by now

Jay_1965vw covering lounge chairs, very talented! I shudder at the thought, in my way too hard basket! I remember my mum recovered our whole lounge suite many years ago, she did a fab job too, don't think I'd even attempt it! I've seen the coral fleece too but haven't used it.

AFM - my gf dropped off the flannel she picked out so I will get started on her newborn nappy stash, have about 6weeks to get it done for her! I have also just finised off a couple of blankets and taggie things for a friend's order. What do you all do with your fabric scraps? I know some people sew bands on the front or back of the nappy to use up fabric and minimise wastage. I had a lot of scraps laying about and I read a story in our local newsletter for our suburb about a lady that is making quilts through a SIDS and kids program, for baby's that don't get to stay on this earth, and she was sourcing fabric scraps so she can make the quilts. So I gave her a call and passed on all the bits of fabric I had laying about as my intentions to use them for something one day will probably never come about anyway! At least they are going to a great cause.

Hi ladies... quick question for you... i am interested in making fleece nappy covers both short and long... can i use the fleece from spotlight for this, or do i have to get special fleece fabric. Or do you know of any WAHM who make these?

cheer

has anyone used the greenbeans brand PUL? is it nice and soft on the outside?

This is pretty much all I use these days - I prefer it - being 1mil PUL it is thinner/ less stiff than 2 mil but just as waterproof. They also have really cheap seconds which usually just have a small mark that you can cut around.

thanks ednaboo! greenbeans seems to be the cheapest place to buy everything!

So over the last week and a bit, I've made 7 small pocket mcn's and 4 and a half new born covers (didn't have enough FOE to finish one, so only got 3 completed hence the half!). Here they are.

and more

last ones.. I must say I'm not a real fan of velcro on nappies, although it seems stronger it was a PITA to sew!

those look great greengrass!

so everyone...where do you buy your minky / fleece/ PUL for interesting fabrics?
patterned pul, non dot minky ( so cant get it at spotlight or lincraft) and malden mills fleece?
also where else can i buy bamboo besides greenbeans, nappies covered and snaps australia? i got some at greenbeans for $13 a metre not so long ago, and now it's $20! hoping to find it cheaper somewhere else.

hi all, well tested out my night nappy and all good so have made the other one up, finally time to get back on here and to post some pics!

greengrass-Love your nappies, love the big spot PUL and the blue patterns on your first one. Where did you get all your patterned PUL from? did you just buy nappy cuts of different ones? I've go that paw print FOE, been tring to find something to put it sith. I only have red PUL at the moment and tryingto decide what to do with the FOE. I was thinking minky or something to cover the red pul, but maybe I'll just find a nice poly print...

Puddycat, go the same problem, I bought a heap of red PUL, and now a lot of stuff doesn't go with it. But could you just use it as the sandwich layer between other fabric ?

Gift for a friends new born, with a couple of lay in trifold bamboo boosters, I like making the stay dry layer a really obvious colour!



night nappy- fitted 4 layers of flannelette with a microfibre towel folded up and sewn in between the layers



gotta go!

night nappy pocket i made a tested this last night. that's a link to my blog, i couldn't get it to insert my picture. well i could have but the picture was massive and too hard to resize.

Hi all

DH and I are expecting our first child in August and we're planning on starting out with a mix of terry squares, flannelette squares and prefolds with covers.

I have a couple of questions. Firstly, do you think it's cost effective to make my own prefolds (and if so, can you suggest a good fabric/supplier of said fabric) or will I just do my head in? I can sew competently.

Secondly, can you recommend a good cover pattern (likewise, fabrics/suppliers)? GreenGrass, yours look really good - did you use an online pattern?

Finally, is it worth paying for someone to attach snaps to the covers or should I just use velcro?

Obviously I've no idea what size or shape this bub will be when it emerges, so am feeling a bit stuck!

I personally love snaps you can get hand pliers but really you'd want a snap press. I got one before I even started MCN and I have made one MCN and needed to add something like 16 snaps to it. You can buy them from snaps australia and green beans (can't remember who is cheapest)

I am hoping to make prefolds once I am sure I will use them. They are pretty basic so its just determining the size and composition you want for them.

Again the above places sell Bamboo, if you want them to be put on with snappi's then you need the outside part to be the terry bamboo. Other places to buy from are nappies covered, fairy fabrics, I think Bamboo Australia? Have a look in the thread about prefolds by someone else here someone mentioned the most popular places.

As for covers there are a few patterns around the "darling Diapers" is very popular (has very good instructions apparently) I haven't got that far yet!

Hi ruthlet. Sure you can make your own prefolds but TBH I didn't bother, as when I did the sums I didn't think it was cost effective. This is in contrast to DIY pockets, fitted or AIO nappies, where it saves you a lot to DIY. We have used a mix of unbleached Chinese prefolds (very cheaper to buy) and bamboo prefolds by iishfly (not cheap but lovely fabric and colours!). We don't use flanelette flats as you can't use a Snappi.

If you make your own covers that will save quite a bit - depending where you buy your PUL and FOE you could easily DIY covers for $4-5 each (possibly less), whereas to buy they are at least $12 and up. I use this pattern: Nappy Network nb-sm cover pattern. I only make it in small as I don't have tiny babies

I buy most of my fabric at Green Beanz Aus orGreen Beans NZ. They often have some very cheap seconds for about half price, which are usually in excellent condition (perhaps just a mark or pull that you can cut around). Another I buy from is Nappies Covered, who have great prints.

ETA: like the PP, I prefer snaps as they last forever, whereas velcro will deteriorate over time. The exception to this is covers, where I only use velcro! Although a snap press is $$$, they hold their value and I have seen them sell second hand for close to original cost!

Hi ruthlet, I used flannelette flats in covers for the first few months, I found if you do a kite fold I think it's called, but this shows it called scottish fold?
nappy folds

You end up with lots of absorbency in centre and not around the edges, but it held everything in too! I didn't use a snappi or anything, just folded it around her, then wrapped the cover over to hold it on. Now I have a 8 month old I know why people snappi them on first as she wriggles so much, but fine for a newborn!

I never tried prefolds, I looked into it too, but not that cheap if you use good fabric, and flannelette flats worked for me so I didn't bother.

The pattern ednaboo put up is similar to one I used, and I agree, velcro for covers is best in my house too!

WildMum, ednaboo and babybec - thank you so much for such long replies - you're great! It's very much appreciated.

I've been busily making bibs which all need snaps so I went ahead and bought a snap press this afternoon...I fear this may be a slippery slope!

ednaboo - can I ask where you got the cheap Chinese prefolds from? There are so many options.

Thanks again - no doubt I'll be back once my experimenting starts in earnest.

You will love your snap press - I use mine for bibs and have also snapped a number of doona covers! I got the prefolds at Little Koalas. I am using them now on my 4wo bub with covers made from that pattern I linked. I will then use them as pocket nappy inserts when he is in size large (this is what I did with my DD).

Im planning on making some NB fitteds for our October bubba and was wondering about the composition of the nappy.

I am using the fattycakes pattern

I was thinking BV inner and outer and a trifold made from 1 layer BF and 1 layer BV does this seem like it will be enough?

Also the pattern calls for doind blind enastic which I hate hate with a passion so I was thinking that maybe I could just OL inside out and then put the elastic on the inside and turn and top stich. Is there any reason you can't do this on a fitted? Im not sure Ive seen any made this way so Im not sure if its okay

tess11 Yes you could overlock, turn & topstitch or you alternatively instead of overlock you could straight stitch or zigzag stitch. I am not sure what the fattycakes pattern is like but if it's one that you overlock around the outside edges of the nappy, if you turn and topstitch instead then your nappy will be slightly smaller. Your layers of fabric should be plenty. For the newborn nappies I made they had a total of 6 layers of bamboo fleece and that was heaps. Didn't need more than that until my bub started sleeping for longer period and was a few months old.

hook & loop vs snaps, I agree with what has been said, snaps seem to last longer than H&L. Our H&L nappies look a bit tatty these days from lots of use and discoloured too. We have a couple of nappies with snaps where the snap has either fallen off or ripped through the fabric but otherwise the snaps are in better condition than the H&L.
ruthlet you wont regret your snap press purchase.

Hi ladies, thought I would repost.. where do you buy fleece for covers? Or is it ok to use the fleece found at spotlight?