Replacing Elastic in Bum Genius Diapers - Cloth Diapers on a Budget

One of our favorite money-saving strategies has been cloth diapering our babies. We've saved even more money by buying some of our diapers second hand. But we're on our third baby now and some of our diapers... aren't looking so hot anymore. And worse, aren't working so hot.

As any cloth diaper parent will tell you, elastic wears out over time. It becomes more and more relaxed until it doesn't have any stretch left at all. It's just kind of there. When our diapers started losing there zing, boy #2 was big enough we could still get by. He didn't need much elastic around those big legs. But with baby #3 on the way, I knew something would have to give. Tiny baby legs need good elastic to cinch up and keep the mess in.

So we faced a dilemma: buy new diapers, or try to save the ones we have. I started by looking them over and, apart from the elastic, most of them were still in pretty good shape. I tossed a couple that had torn or peeling PUL (waterproof layer). But I decided to take a swing at replacing the elastic on the rest. Here's a little before/after action:

I feel like it doesn't look super different in pictures, but it made a huge difference in use.

And this is when Bum Genius really became one of my favorite diapers. The elastic was so simple to replace! I ended up scrapping some other brands of diapers because the elastic was sewn all the way through and I could not. get. it. out. But these guys were pretty much a piece of cake. Here's how to do it:

Stroller Friendly Diaper Bag {free pattern & tutorial}

Ok, peeps. Get ready. We're about to make the sweetest, most versatile, storage-packed diaper bag in all of time and space. And the best part? It's totally stroller friendly!

That's right. All the storage & organization you need attaches securely to the handles of a standard stroller.

 

With just a few snaps it converts to a convenient messenger style diaper bag. Haul those baby stuffs in style, mommas!

And back again to a hands-free stroller bag!

If you're planning any summer outings you won't want to leave home without this. It's great for anytime you'll be doing lots of walking and don't want to lug a bag around. In fact these pics are from our trip to the zoo on Big Brother's birthday! Plus with it securely snapped on the handles, the under-stroller basket is open for lunch boxes, jackets, or baby carriers.

The shoulder strap is permanently attached on one end so you can't lose it. When you're ready to wear your bag, just snap the shoulder strap on at the other end and you're ready to go.

Want to put it back on the stroller? Snap the stroller straps and tuck the shoulder strap inside the bag or into one of the back pockets. It will be there when you need it later!

The water bottle pockets on the side are perfect if you don't have cup holders on your stroller.

And did I mention tons of storage? The finished size is 16.5" wide, 11.5" tall, and 4" deep with twelve pockets! Let's take a closer look. The front flap has a zipper pocket built in.

 The flap also has a clip for when you want it to stay closed. Big Brother has decided his personal mission is to keep it clipped at all times.

There are water bottle pockets on each end (with elastic tops to keep your drinks snug).

When you lift the flap there are two smaller zipper pockets on the front.

Baby Brother not included.

On the back there are two open pockets - perfect for keeping a burp rag handy!

Under the flap there is also a zipper closure. Flaps are super convenient when you need to be in and out (and when it's hanging on the stroller!), but we all know nothing is worse than a diaper bag tipping over and spilling EVERYWHERE. One zip and you know your stuff isn't going anywhere. Problem solved.

And inside that zipper? So. Much. Room. For all the stuffs. This is a pack-it-in-the-morning-and-go-all-day kind of bag. We fit everything we needed for an entire day at the zoo!

And you can keep it all organized with a whole mess of pockets. Two open pockets on the front, another zipper pocket on the back, and two more elastic water bottle pockets on the sides. Be still my organizing heart.

This is what I had in my bag today: baby toys, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, bug repellant, coconut oil (great for diaper rashes!), disposable diaper bags, wallet, pen, jackets for the brothers, back-up pants & undies for big brother, full backup outfit for baby brother, three double-stuffed cloth diapers, wipes, extra socks, roll-up grocery bag, water bottle, sunglasses, and burp rags. For serious, you guys, this bag is in it to win it.

Flannel Wipes {tutorial}

Well guys, the good news is I was in a nesting frenzy before Baby A was born and pulled off quite a few projects in my last few weeks as a pregnancy tornado. Including some things I've been planning to do for the past two years... like make some flannel wipes! I used baby washcloths for B (a great option if you don't sew), but I never had enough and always ended up using disposable wipes half the time. Which doesn't make a lot of sense when you're cloth diapering and cloth wipes can be thrown right in with the diapers. So I finally put some of my flannel stash to work and whipped up these bad boys:

Supplies:

• flannel (you need two 8 1/2" squares for each wipe. I've also seen wipes that are flannel on one side and cotton terry on the other!)
• matching thread

Cloth Diapers - Newborn Style

You guys probably missed me talking about cloth diapers, huh? ;)  Well today I'm tackling what I think goes into cloth diapering a newborn!

You may remember that for B we used disposable for the first couple months until he finally fit into his one-size diapers (you can read all about our cloth diapering adventures here, here, here, and here). This time I'm trying to build up a stash of newborn & small sized diapers to get us through until baby #2 can fit into B's old diapers. I'm doing it as cheaply as I know how, buying mostly second hand diapers, and I think we'll still come out ahead of disposables because diapers have a pretty good resale value so I should be able to make back most of what I've paid when we're done.

Now, let the record show that I've never done this before so I don't really know what we'll like or how many we'll need, so I'm just trying to prepare with a mix of things. At least we'll have a better idea if we need to do something different next time! So let's take a look at all the tiny baby cuteness....

Twice is Nice

Remember when I made this super cute dinosaur diaper? Good. You may also remember I based my diaper on the Cloth Revolution pattern, but modified it to be one size and snap on the front (instead of on the sides). Well, after using it for a while I found a few more areas I though I could improve, so I altered my pattern some more. The biggest change was definitely the wings. I switched to a singe row of snaps instead of a double (I didn't feel like the double was doing anything a single couldn't do, plus it allowed me to add a second snap closer to the hip to keep things snug for a smaller baby). A single row also meant I could make crossover tabs!

The main benefit of crossover tabs is that it lets you make the waist of the diaper even smaller. The pic below shows both diapers on their smallest waist setting. See how much tighter the green one gets? If you remember Baby B trying on the dino diaper, I was worried that he was only on the second smallest size setting (meaning it wouldn't work for babies much smaller than him, although he had plenty of room to grow!) and this totally fixed that issue.

The other pattern change was just making it a little trimmer and narrower through... the.... crotch. *shudder* Does anyone else feel embarrassed saying that word? No? Me neither. Okay, that was a lie. If you know an alternative title I would very happily hear it. Anyway.... I just thought trimming things down a little would give Baby B a better fit, and especially any babies smaller than him that would have been swimming in the original size. And so far I am really happy with this new style and plan to stick with it a while unless any other problems show up. :)

But I didn't stop there! Well, I did with that diaper pattern. But you may remember this sneak peek from a couple weeks ago - pretty new fabric, pretty new snaps....

Ta-da! I've also been practicing with my newborn fitted diaper pattern (the Darling Diaper pattern). And I'm LOVING how these ones turned out. So cute and fluffy! The only thing I'm still working on (for both these and the one-size diapers) is making lay-in-soakers. I have the supplies, but I cannot for the life of me figure out the tension settings on my new/first ever serger. I think a long and intense you-tube session is in order. Or maybe a trip to grandma's to see if she can help me. :)

And on the subject of baby related sewing.... I've been making more baby carriers! Okay, they aren't in the picture. But the two Mei Tais I've made for myself are on the right. I also have some fabric to try making a stretchy wrap (like the one in the middle) and I'm looking for fabric to try a woven like the one on the left.

So yes, I'm making several things I don't need - but I actually have a reason this time! Due to a surprising number of fees (this was the big one, we weren't selling enough to make all the fees worth it), lack of visibility, and general over-crowdedness, my sister and I bid Etsy farewell a few months ago in favor of a new store front. And after some sewing, jewelry making, and general craftiness, we are proud to present....

Twice is Nice! Our new headquarters on on HyenaCart, a site dedicate to unique handmade and eco friendly shopping. The store is still a little bare, but we're hoping to get some more items up soon. It's a work in progress. But we are too excited to wait any longer! :) For now we have put a lot of our old merchandise into a clearance section and marked it WAY down. Everything is at least 50% off! Check it out!

The End.

But not really, because if you made it this far you will be rewarded with... more Baby B! First, a background story for these pics. I bought a Little's CarryAll from 31 Bags for Baby B thinking it would be nice for little toys and a sippy cup to keep him entertained in the car. But I underestimated how much he would like it. As soon as we got it I showed him how to put his sippy in and he started carrying it around... and getting our shoes out. Apparently he's realized when we pack our bags we go places. So he packed his up, got out shoes for everyone, and headed for the door.

 He is appalled that I stopped to take pictures when we are supposed to be going outside. Come on, mom. Stay focused.

Annnndddd... he's outta here.

Anything you'd love to see in our new store?

What I've Been Sewing - One-Size Diaper

Like I mentioned yesterday, I made a few little newborn fitted diapers to practice my diaper-sewing techniques. But after I got a few newborn diapers under my belt (even though none of them turned out perfect) I decided to dive right into into my real goal - a one-size waterproof diaper for Baby B!

One-Size Diaper

So I grabbed all my fancy supplies like PUL (the waterproof fabric) and snaps, and hoped for the best! The good news is by trying everything new at once I was able to find all my problems and mistakes in one fell swoop. Ha ha.  :) This was my first attempt. I based it on the Cloth Revolution size large pattern, but I modified the design to be front-snapping instead of side-snapping (just my personal preference) and added rise snaps to make it an adjustable one-size diaper (also my preference).

The dinosaur PUL if from Hobby Lobby (with a 40% off coupon!) and the snaps are from kamsnaps.com.

Now I just need someone to test it out....Oooh, a perfect candidate!

As I finished sewing it, I thought it looked it wouldn't fit at all just because it was kind of different than my other diapers. But it actually fit surprisingly well! He's on the second rise setting, which is the same setting he uses on out other diapers so I think I got that sizing right on. He is only up one step on the waist, though, so I need to find a way to make that more adjustable for smaller sizes. But he has plenty of room to grow!

I also may try making the whole thing a little narrower through the seat next time. It just seems a little wider than what we normally use. I found a few other things to try to improve on next time as well. For one thing, I think I'll have a better idea of how to keep my lines straight and neat with all these different fabrics, but I also plan to improve my elastic technique, add more snapping size options, and adjust the snap placement (they were WAY to close to the edge of the diaper in some places so I could hardly sew around them!).

I used the PUL outer layer, a layer of hemp french terry, and a layer of organic bamboo velour to make the body of the diaper. So it has a fair amount of absorbency, but I think it needs a little more. So far I've mostly used pocket diapers and I've liked them, but I recently won a Grovia diaper and my eyes were opened. The Grovia system has a sewn-in soaker (and an extra snap-in soaker if you need more absorbancy) so all the pieces stay attached in the washer. No more pocket-stuffing. It is SO nice to pull that diaper out of the dryer and put it straight on! For now I'm just laying-in a bamboo insert from my pocket diapers, but I'm definitely planning to try the whole sewn-in-soaker thing!

 Baby B doesn't have huge legs (anymore. ha!) and he still got a great fit around the legs. I was afraid he was going to be swimming in it. :)

 So far we are both really happy with how this one turned out, and with the cutesy dino print! And I'm excited to give it another try and work on perfecting my updates to the original pattern. Hopefully I'll have a stock of homemade dipes for Benji soon, and maybe even some up for sale in our new HyenaCart Shop (more details on that soon)! :)

This is my last diaper-sewing post... for now. ;) But tomorrow I'll have a set of pretty clutch purses I made for my brother-in-laws up-coming wedding, so stay tuned! :)

What I've Been Sewing - Fitted Diapers

There was a tragedy with my sewing machine. I'm not sure what I did exactly, but I broke a needle and now it makes a horrible thumping sound. I'm hoping it can be fixed, you know, because I love it, but in the mean time I'm breaking in the back-up sewing machine I bought at a yard sale for $10. It's an older machine and it doesn't have the nice features my regular machine has, and it has some quirks I'm still figuring out, but for $10 it's doing the job pretty darn well.

And if it fails, I'll break out the even older back-up to my back-up sewing machine. It's in the old sewing table I use as a nightstand in our guest room, but the lady who gave it to me said it worked the last time she used it. :)

But anyway, over the next couple days I'll be posting everything I've been sewing the last few weeks with my new/old machine...

Newborn Fitted Cloth Diapers
I've been giving cloth diapers another go. It's not going as well as I hoped. Ha ha. My hopes do tend to be a little high. Anyway, I decided to start practicing with newborn diapers. Not because I need them yet, mom. ;) But because they use less fabric (so I'm not out as much if I mess up) and because I'll want newborn fitteds with covers anyway so I can make these without using the more expensive waterproof fabric until I know what I'm doing. This is the outside of my first attempt:

The outside is just a cute cotton knit from Joanne Fabric. For a tiny newborn the front snaps down below the belly button . Nifty.

 The inside is organic bamboo velour, and there is an extra soaker layer made of hemp french terry sewn in the middle. I may need to make a lay-in soaker to add more absorbancy because now I'm doubting my little layer-and-a-half will be enough!

I actually tried a couple different patterns out to see which I like best. Unfortunately none of them turned out awesome, but part of that was my sewing machine & sewing skills failing me. Ha. The two on the left are two different sizes of the free Newborn Darling Diaper pattern. While it's free, it's a pattern only with no instructions. They want you to pay for those. Um.... no thanks, I think I'll fly by the seat of my pants instead! For the one on the left I used the double row of snaps and the middle one uses just a single row (which seems like plenty for such a small diaper). I did the elastic on the left one wrong and it turned out stiff and weird, but the one in the middle turned out nice and fluffy (if a little uneven)!

The diaper on the right is from the free Cloth Revolution pattern. This one is definitely my least favorite so far, but it may not all be the diaper's fault. The biggest problem is that the leg holes are HUGE! And I think the tabs look goofy, but to be fair it was supposed to be a side-snapping diaper and I switched it to the regular snap layout. This pattern did include directions, but they were not well organized so I just winged it again. :) Overall, though I wasn't as happy with this pattern. I probably won't give it another try. But I might give this free pattern from the Nappy Network a try, you know, just to see ALL my options. :)

That's enough practice, don't you think? Tomorrow I'll recap how I dove in head-first to make a one-size, water-proof diaper!

MORE Diapers?!?

"Really, mom? You're talking about my diapers AGAIN?"

I got new diapers. Again. Yes. I have a problem. And I'm sure you want to know all about them. So here you go! 

Wool Cover - I got this used for only $3. I don't know all the details about care yet, but I'll share more once I get it figured out an start using it. It's basically a waterproof cover that is supposed to be great for nighttime because it SO good. :)

Flats - These are just big squares of fabric that you fold (and can "pin" with a snappi) and cover with a waterproof cover (or wool cover!). The left one is a Dippee Dypee bamboo flat ($5), and the right is a flour sack towel from dollar tree($1). So far the bamboo one is pretty big and bulky (but more absorbent) and the other is much trimmer and absorbent enough for me! And seeing as it's from Dollar Tree, it's probably the single cheapest way to cloth diaper a baby.

 Extended Tab Prefolds - also from Dippee Dypees. :) These were on sale so I decided to give them a try (I think they were like $5-8 depending on the size. I follow her facebook page to find the special deals and sales!). I bought one in each size and for now the medium sized ones are just right for Baby B. I like them so far! They are easy to put on (I had the snaps added so I wouldn't have to use a snappi), seem absorbent, and they came in my favorite robot print! The top picture shows how the go on and the bottom shows one opened all the way up. They are not water proof and require a cover, but they are a lot cheaper than most diapers and the tabs make them more convenient than a standard prefold. It seems like a good balance of cheap & easy!

Newborn Fitteds - No, no newborn on the horizon, but I found these on a local used diaper site for a STEAL ($5.50 each) so I'll just be stashing them in the closet until they are called into action. These are made of organic cotton and ohmygoodness they are so itty bitty! I forgot babies could be so small! They will need a waterproof cover for serious use, but will make some doggone cute naked baby pictures without one!

Last but not least....

Grovia All-in-One - Fun story, I participated in the Great Cloth Diaper Change earlier this year (something about setting a world record for most cloth diapers changed at once, but let's face it, I only went for the prizes) and my friend (who swears by Grovia and uses them almost exclusively) told me that the first 1000 to submit a picture of their baby wearing a Grovia at the event would win a free diaper! My friend very graciously lent me one of hers for the change and, sure enough, I got this guy! ROBOTS. I'm in love. This is different than any of my other diapers because it is an all-in-one, meaning that it doesn't require stuffing inserts because all the pieces are attached together. So we'll see how it goes!

You are, once again, up to speed on all things diaper. You're welcome. My husband hopes it will be a good while before I have even more diapers to talk about. :) Speaking of said husband....

After reading the Hunger Games, we decided to try out another series by Suzanne Collins called Gregor the Overlander. Has anybody read these? We just checked out the first one from the library. It was a fun read, really different from the hunger games. :)

And seriously, does anybody NOT want a baby to cloth diaper after you see how cute these are?!