Cloth Diapers

So we decided to take the plunge into the wide world of cloth diapers!

We bought some covers here and rather than purchase the diapers, I chose to sew them myself. I followed this general pattern, and made a few alterations.

I started by creating my pattern.

I used this pattern to cut out two pieces of flannel. I made the soaker out of 5 layers of terry cloth. Matthew gave me a serger for Valentines day which made it a breeze. I've found that 3 layers of micro-fiber cloth (the kind you use to dry your car) are equally absorbent and significantly less bulky. They also dry faster.

Next I sewed the soaker onto the wrong side of the flannel (that will be on the inside of the diaper). Then I sewed in elastic on the legs and the back. Each piece was 4 inches long. It helps to make corresponding marks on both pieces of flannel so when you so them together you can stretch the elastic and easily match things up.

On the right side of the outside flannel, I sewed a piece of velcro (the loop/fuzzy part) using a zig zag stitch. I sewed a scrap piece of flannel on the back at the same time for added strength.

With right sides together, I sewed the two pieces of flannel, turned it right side out and top stitched the opening. Top stitching the whole thing adds some strength and makes a nice finish, though it's not necessary. Finally, I sewed on the hook part of the velcro, as well as a square of the loop side to create fold over tabs.

And voilà, a homemade cloth diaper.

Once I got the kinks in my pattern worked out (it took 3 different proto-types), I was able to put together a diaper in about an hour.