Question About Cloth

[Moana]

okay, I've recently taken to learning how to sew and make my own things.

So my question is this. I keep hearing of people who make there own diapers and they line them with something to make them absorbent and reusable.

What are these things!?! I know I want cotton cloth, but I don't know what this absorbent and re-usable material and where is the best place to get it?

[TDL]

i think that they're called "disposable boosters" :

[loopy]

Or are you talking about terry towels? Thats what cloths diapers are usually made of, and they're absorbent as well. I think most who make their own use this....

[Bettypooh]

okay, I've recently taken to learning how to sew and make my own things.

So my question is this. I keep hearing of people who make there own diapers and they line them with something to make them absorbent and reusable.

What are these things!?! I know I want cotton cloth, but I don't know what this absorbent and re-usable material and where is the best place to get it?

My home-sewn cloth daytime weight diapers are made from a single inner and single outer layer of pre-made Birdseye cotton diaper squares with a rectangular multi-layer terrycloth soaker panel sewn in between them The terrycloth comes from worn toweling and/or cheap new toweling, the Birdseye squares were from Ebay seller "Granitesmith" who may still sell these at auction by the dozen occasionally- they didn't always list them like this when I last bought or looked there, it was a sometimes thing which I waited for The birdseye feels good against the skin and is durable while the terrycloth liner does almost all the work. By varying the number of terrycloth layers you get different absorbencies I made some with 3 and 4 layers of birdseye to see if they were better for side sleeping and if I flooded they were better but only for that particular situation. For all other uses it seems that two layers of Birdseye is fine With patience, some careful bidding, luck and some easy machine sewing you can end up with six excellent diapers for under $10 each Other cheap soaker materials to consider might be cotton(old t-shirts) or fleece (blankets and jackets) or you can buy any new material you like at a fabric store.

One thing to remember is that high absorbency and tight stitching means a lot longer drying time. One "super-weight" diaper I made was still slightly damp after 2 hours in a good clothes dryer so I cut the stitches, reused the materials, and never made that mistake again The same thing can be had by simply wearing two day-weight diapers which will dry in an hour and this also gives great side-sleeping protection at night. I ended up with 6 great cloth diapers for well under $10 each (not counting my sewing time) and I'm sure you can do as well or better than I did

Bettypooh

[Moana]

My home-sewn cloth daytime weight diapers are made from a single inner and single outer layer of pre-made Birdseye cotton diaper squares with a rectangular multi-layer terrycloth soaker panel sewn in between them The terrycloth comes from worn toweling and/or cheap new toweling, the Birdseye squares were from Ebay seller "Granitesmith" who may still sell these at auction by the dozen occasionally- they didn't always list them like this when I last bought or looked there, it was a sometimes thing which I waited for The birdseye feels good against the skin and is durable while the terrycloth liner does almost all the work. By varying the number of terrycloth layers you get different absorbencies I made some with 3 and 4 layers of birdseye to see if they were better for side sleeping and if I flooded they were better but only for that particular situation. For all other uses it seems that two layers of Birdseye is fine With patience, some careful bidding, luck and some easy machine sewing you can end up with six excellent diapers for under $10 each Other cheap soaker materials to consider might be cotton(old t-shirts) or fleece (blankets and jackets) or you can buy any new material you like at a fabric store.

One thing to remember is that high absorbency and tight stitching means a lot longer drying time. One "super-weight" diaper I made was still slightly damp after 2 hours in a good clothes dryer so I cut the stitches, reused the materials, and never made that mistake again The same thing can be had by simply wearing two day-weight diapers which will dry in an hour and this also gives great side-sleeping protection at night. I ended up with 6 great cloth diapers for well under $10 each (not counting my sewing time) and I'm sure you can do as well or better than I did

Bettypooh

Thank you sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo *Breath* ooooooooooooooooooo much hun. But I just have a few questions.

what do you mean by "weight" and "super-weight" diapers?

And these birdseyes/terrycloth diapers you have, how long do those take in a normal dryer?

[Bettypooh]

Thank you sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo *Breath* ooooooooooooooooooo much hun. But I just have a few questions.

what do you mean by "weight" and "super-weight" diapers?

And these birdseyes/terrycloth diapers you have, how long do those take in a normal dryer?

"Weight" means absorbency. "Day weight" is thinner because you know when to change and (hopefully) will On average this is a 3 - 6 hour timespan of average bladder output. "Night weight" absorbs at least 8 hours worth because you'll be asleep and not know you need to change I said "super weight" because that one was waaaaay over the top- 4 layers of Birdseye fully lined with 2 layers of terrycloth and a 8 layer center soaker panel well stitched. I wanted a really thick diaper and it was thick just too thick Not only did it take forever to dry it didn't want to bend and conform to my body so it wasn't comfortable. I wore it to bed exactly once and though I couldn't make it leak it was just too much. My "Day weights" have a 3 layer center panel and are comfy, my "Night weights" have 6 layers with a full-sized terrycloth liner between the Birdseye and took some getting used to The extra full sized terrycloth in the "Night weight" makes it possible for me to flood twice laying on my side without leaking though the diaper will hold one more flood+ if I lay in my back or tummy. Without the terrycloth one fast flood on my side will leak even though the diaper isn't anywhere near soaked If I feel like I need more protection than my "Night weight" diapers I wear two "Day weight" diapers and that's always been more than enough

Since you're making them you can use as few or as many layers as you want. Experiment by making one diaper and sewing each side of the soaker panel once to one square, cover that with another square, then see how they work for you If you like it then finish sewing and make more- If not add/subtract what you think you need to and try it again. You'll find what is right for you fast this way. Layering whole diapers is a lot better than making one thick one and adds versatility if the single diaper works for other less stringent purposes. I want to watch a disposable user halve a diaper like that- I could use a good:

I dry my diapers with my other whites in a mixed load on hot. An hour leaves the "day weights" so dry that an 8 hour indoor hanging sees them bone dry- "Night weights" need a 24 hour airing. Dried alone in a small load both are bone dry on hot at 70 minutes- I haven't tried less.

The feel of putting on a nice warm diaper just out of the dryer is sumptuous-luxurious-awesome-unmatchable And you can't get that from any disposable!

Bettypooh

[redneck diaper boy]

My wife has made several diapers for me. We found out that we could buy them for about what it cost to make them. If you have plenty of time and access to material, you will come out ahead but not by much.

okay, I've recently taken to learning how to sew and make my own things.

So my question is this. I keep hearing of people who make there own diapers and they line them with something to make them absorbent and reusable.

What are these things!?! I know I want cotton cloth, but I don't know what this absorbent and re-usable material and where is the best place to get it?