BrambleStitches

Well, the time has come for me to rejoin the world of writing. For several years now I’ve worked for Backwoods Home Magazine in the capacity of editor and layout artist only, but years ago I used to write, too. So to get back into the swing of things, I’m putting together a whiz-bang article about cloth diapers and how to sew your own. Of course one of the best parts about the article is the free pattern that will be included, which I’m in the process of drafting now. Here’s the first test-version of the new diaper, made with flannel and terry cloth. I think it looks pretty good!

Part of my aim with this article is to make cloth-diaper-sewing accessible to everyone. You don’t need any special tools, serger, snap-press, or hard-to-find materials to make these. The diaper pictured is made with a serger, but the finished pattern will only need a regular sewing machine.

Here’s the inside view, next to a clean load of diaper laundry. We’ve been cloth diapering for over three years, now, since the day we brought Miss O home. When you do something every day for that long, you get a pretty good handle on what’s important and what’s not. And what’s important in diapers is that they’re easy to thoroughly wash and dry. That’s why these are aren’t too thick, with three layers of flannel and only one layer of toweling inside. The extra absorbency comes from a lay-in doubler–an additional piece of toweling or absorbent cloth that folds up and sets inside the diaper. Just this simple modification makes diapers like these a zillion times easier to wash, and drastically reduces the drying time. I remember the very first diapers I ever made took THREE HOURS in the dryer. Nobody can afford that kind of utility bill every month, not to mention the backed up laundry it caused. These can dry in a regular cycle with no problem, and in just a few hours on the laundry line.

Cloth Diapers