15 replies to this topic

[Wetdl]

I have recently got a machine and have started to sew my own, very early in both the design stage as well as the learning to sew. I'm learning a lot, both through experience (errors are great teachers) and reading on the web. Would love to hear from others as to their attempts or successes.

Current prototype is still a few days away from completion, it is mainly to check sizing and learn how not to do things. It was based on a Swancy brand cloth velco I had, and it appears I have probably tried to make it too thick. Then again, the Swancy was too thin, and it will be just for special weekends ect.

Don't mind the sewing as I like to learn any skill I can, costs aren't bad, using thrift store flannel sheets for fabric.
Will post final results.

[Christine Daryleanne]

Actually, until recently, 60 years, which is not that long in real terms, most diapers were homemade some hints here

1. If you are using a conventional design then 28 x 40 will do for 70% of persons
2. Avoid diapers with built-in fasteners, velcro gums up after awhile for one thing and snap fasteners do not allow for an exact fit. Also, pin on allow for double or triple diapering
3. You do not need to have thick diapers, just use multiple thinner ones
4. Soaker pads: No, it is better to have 4 layers of material for the whole diaper than 2x6 or 2x8. If you have more material in the center, it takes longer for the wet to soak through it which means that the wet is held closer to your body that much longer. Rubber panties are a game-changer because with fewer layers in the center. the wet gets through much faster and reaches the inside of your panties. Sonce there is no place left to go then it spreads. Since liquids "seek their own level". the wetness will spread along the outermost layer of the diaper both by nature and by wicking. The result is that the diaper wets from the outside in. With a soaker pad the inside center is still quite wet; and irritating, while the outside is only damp or fairly dry.

With really usable adult diapers starting at about $15 apiece, you can probably do this at half the cost each

Then, there is my design (well not mine actually but it is what I wear and lasts me a long time 8-13 hours) SEE

[beallucanb]

Being a in between size for all of my life I learned to sew by trial and error, I miss having a machine back a long time ago when sleepers were hard to find, that fit me, I had to make the smaller ones work for me.

Sewing is a skill, once you learn the basics you just need practice and patience to make your projects come out nice.

Good luck with your projects.

[Creepymouse]

I've made many for myself and a few for others. I've actually taken to making pocket diapers, an hourglass shaped 'shell' with a sleeve down the center that can be stuffed anywhere from daytime weight to several inches of thickness. Honestly, the biggest trouble I've had is finding durable panties that I like and pins that are quick and easy to use. Mommy wants to learn how to pin diapers (after nearly 4 years of trying) but she's always afraid she's gonna stab one of us.

I want to make an update to my pocket diaper pattern to include leg gathers for increased resistance to 'blow out' as well as allowing secure pinning while not making the diaper too tight in the crotch.

BTW: I've found that flannel sheets are a GREAT choice in my opinion. I've actually used twin size sheets without modification, the flannel is much thicker and softer than what I've typically found in fabric stores, and already fully finished, AND in nice prints too! Winter "holiday" print sheets are great when they're on sale after the holidays.

[AutieAB]

I'm getting increasingly into making my own. I made my own diaper cover not too long ago (PUL outer, fleece lined). I think I posted a pic of it on here, I'll see if I can dig it up...



It's royal blue and bright red (colour balance in the photo is screwy), hand-sewn and by no means great but as a prototype, I'm quite happy with it. It's certainly very comfy if a bit warm for summer nights. I used a pattern for cloth bedwetting pants I bought for a couple of bucks on the net that went up to size 16. I'm skinny so they fit perfectly

Once the stepkids are back at school and I've got a few free days with the house to myself, I'm gonna have another go and make some training pants if I can get some cuter material off the internet somewhere.

[babymaggie]

While I don't sew diapers, my husband does and while he has patterns he goes by trial and error as well as making improvements in the design. He makes my special cloth diaper bloomers for over my dosposable diaper at bedtime.

[willnotwill]

I pretty much cornered the market on all the birdseye diaper fabric in the area and my wife made me a few dozen diapers with a double layer for most but four or six layers in the center.

[Bettypooh]

I sew my own using 36X36 birdseye diaper squares from Ebayer "granitesmith", who sometimes has a sale on these You have to watch for the sales As a soaker I use terrycloth toweling* in a rectangle from end to end, which goes between two squares for a 2X4 daytime or 2X6 nighttime weight. I sew these inside out, then leave a small hole to invert them through, tucking the last couple inches in with 2 more rows of stitching around afterward It makes for a nicely finished edge, fairly fast drying, and around $6 each is something I can afford They seem to last well; my oldest ones are showing wear from pinning but ought to go several months longer. I've made some thicker ones but find that they can take 3 days to air dry I plan to expand the soaker area in one the next time I get around to sewing to see how effective that is, as my night-times are marginal for me That will also add to the side thickness- something I've always wanted in a diaper but haven't found. As long as I don't add more layers, the drying time should remain the same. The nicest thing about sewing your own is that you can make them fit you perfectly- no more compromising!

*It seems that terrycloth is a popular diaper and training pant material in Britain, though having it against the skin directly doesn't appeal to me now. It's cheap (you can use old towels to cut costs even more) and highly absorbent. I got my start in towel-diapers which is how I discovered the great absorbency of terrycloth As long as it's covered I think it's the best soaker there is

Bettypooh

[miss marcia]

I Sew all my own stuff here in the UK and will help anyone who wants to have a go themselves. We are not not big on prefolds over here and tend to just us terry squares. I have made the odd one or two and left the soaker just sewed at one waist band so that it can be folded out of the main nappy for drying. It's fine for you lucky guys in sunny places but prefolds take a lot of drying on damp winter days.

Marcia

[Wetdl]

Well I finished what I call "D1". Not really happy with end result, but it was made just to learn. Will snap a few photos when I have the chance. Will also test when I get the chance, but as its rather thick I'll have to wait until I have a bit of time.
Final dry weight was 2.1 lbs, that's without a pop-in soaker or the tunnel stuffer. It will take a long time to dry.
This was mainly a test for my pattern, and even though I made it larger than the commercial diaper I used for a pattern, its just a hair small, and a bit "stiff" for the elastics to work as I wanted. All in all, its one hell of diaper, maybe it will form fit better after wearing and washing.
This one will probably get disassembled and used for parts for "D2".

[poopy_dipes]

Before it was easy to find adult sized cloth diapers (back in the pre-internet days of the 1980s) my wife would sew them for me. I'd buy a package of the largest, thickest, most absorbant cloth toddler diapers and she'd then sew them together--three at a time--and make big ones for me. But now that it's easy to find them online (also now that we have kids in the house) that's more trouble than it's worth.

[LILJIM]

Talking years ago to one guy he said "I learned at the start to prewash & shrink the fabric before sewing it together." He showed me a diaper he had sewn then when washed it twisted up from shrinking.

[BabyJune]

I make my own waterproof pants from PUL (polyurethane laminate). Great stuff. Some people find it tricky to sew, but it works okay for me. If you have a nylon presser foot on your sewing machine, it slides under the feed dogs much better. I also recently started making my own babygirl clothes and homemade patterns. Not too bad, and I'm correcting my mistakes as I go along. If anyone wants to order fabric online, try fabric.com. That's where I get all mine.

[Christine Daryleanne]

I have been led to understand that during World War II many mothers made waterproof panties for their babies as DIY projects and, since rubber was at a premium, they started using vinyl sheeting. Good vinyl sheeting is at a premium today but even when I was 6 it was all over the place and so was rubber sheeting which you cannot find much of today and for that they charge an arm, a leg, your first-born and your favorite tiara.

[Vickie]

I can sew and have made a few myself. As a pre-teen and as a teen I would use anything I could find. Tea towels, small bath towels, etc. For rubber pants I would put a large piece of plastic into a regular pair of underpants. We lived in the suburbs and it was before the internet. For the time that was great. Even now I do it once and a while to revive old memories.
However mentally nothing beats the real thing. For me it is a mental thing. It was made and sold as a diaper. No matter how good a job I do at making one it is not "real".

[Buster]

I have tried sewing my own and I love them. I use the old style curity gauze diapers and sew them together so that they resemble a pre fold diaper but with the pinked edges. They are incredibly soft and comfortable.