When I was pregnant with my youngest daughter, my husband and I decided that we would use cloth diapers for her. The decision made sense for us. Cloth diapering is good for the baby, the earth, and the wallet. Our family has made a concerted effort to use fewer disposable goods, and we knew from our experience using disposable diapers with our first daughter that disposables are insanely expensive and can be irritating to a baby’s sensitive skin. So, after a lot of research and many emails back and forth with the owner of this store*, we took the cloth diaper plunge. And we loved it.
After our daughter outgrew Round 1 of cloth diapers, we decided we would try to be even more frugal. We bought another stack of prefold diapers, but decided that I would try and make the diaper cover. Why I decided that I would buy the flat, cotton, square diapers and make the synthetic, stretchy, gusseted, fitted covers is beyond me. But that’s what I did. I bought the fabric, bought a pattern, and….
Fast forward a few months. That’s right, months. I have been sewing for several years now. I’m not a professional by any means, but I can find my way through most patterns, cuts and stitches. This one, though…good grief. I will not mention which pattern I used, because I don’t like to speak ill of anyone’s honest efforts. I will say, though, that this pattern is not good. It gives super clear instructions on things like how to attach a safety pin to a piece of elastic. (Cause we all need instructions and illustrations on how to do that, right?) Then it leaves minor details, like attaching elastic gussets, completely to the imagination. At one point, even my engineer husband was stumped. (I go to him when I am stuck on a sewing problem. As far as I know, he hasn’t made one stitch in his life, but his problem-solving skills are stellar.) It was a frustrating experience. But we kept at it, and now I am proud to introduce you to my first functional diaper cover.
I tried to get some action shots, but…well, yeah, the kid moves a little too fast.
Now that I’ve muddled my way through The Terrible Pattern, I think I have some good ideas on how to do it differently next time. Which would be tonight/this weekend, since one diaper cover is not adequate, and my Bug is now way too big for her old diaper covers. Stay tuned.
*This, by the way, is where you should buy your cloth diapering/natural parenting goods. They are simply the best.
Nice!
That’s a lot of work. Looks good though….much better than what I would have done.