sewing can be such a chore...

I've been working on a project now for, ahem, quite awhile and am SO excited that it's done. I'm quite giddy over having it finished actually. Have you ever been in the middle of a project you really wished you hadn't started, but once you get on it you HAD to finish it because it's needed?

I had the bright idea to make some more cloth diapers. Scratch that, actually this girl I know had the bright idea, and apparently the desire, to make cloth diapers for her soon to be arriving baby. And, as if I didn't already have enough to do, I thought, "hey I could use some more diapers, too, why don't I make some?"

Now, I love my cloth diapers. Even after yesterday's incident which involved a baby wriggling the velcro free and making a really nasty mess on the dining room floor in front of the older children who, bless their hearts, were trying to eat their breakfast. This mama so deserved some hazard pay for THAT one.

But Back to the diapers, I bought my friends excess PUL and microfleece and bartered on etsy for some birdscloth. And the stuff sat around in my sewing room for awhile. And then it sat some more. I figured I'd better get started on these darn things before Ian's potty trained or I'd never hear the last of it.

I think I did pretty good, and isn't he just a cutie!

I used this pattern for the prefolds and this pattern with some of my own modifications for the fitted cover. I used Aplix instead of snaps and I didn't use FOE, but instead sewed elastic onto the seam allowance and then topstiched all around, thus encasing the elastic. Which I'd be delighted to give more info on if someone needs it.

I'm so happy these are done, you have no idea! I made 10 diapers, which hopefully he'll still fit into until he's potty trained. I'm glad to have the extra diapers and so relieved I saved us like $130 or so by making my own, but I swear I WILL NEVER take this project on again! :)

cloth diaper giveaway!

I'm a big fan of cloth diapering! I wish I had done this with my older two, I had wanted to, I just didn't KNOW how to do it when they were younger. Now, cloth diapering resources are everywhere. Over at SimpleMom, they have a fabulous giveaway for some cloth diapers and tons of information if anyone is interested in learning more. Check it out!

potty talk

I mentioned before that this baby was going to be in cloth diapers. I had never used them before and so I had no idea what to expect. But I LOVE them! Just LOVE them! I wish I used them with my first, then I never would have used disposables. Yes, they are a bit bulky, esp. in the beginning. Other than that, there are no complaints.

The Bum Genius brand is what I use so I can only vouch for those, but they really hold in all the little baby mess. He's leaked a few times, but that was because I hadn't put the insert in properly. Occasionally, I use a disposable if I'm washing the diapers or if I'm out of town for the day and don't want to keep the dirty diapers in my bag (I'm not that hardcore). He has leaked a disposable so many more times and that is also when he is likely to get diaper rash. Ian does not get diaper rash in the cloth diapers.

The cleaning isn't really that big of deal at all. I just pop them in the washer. I just can't say enough about them! I didn't know I could get so excited over diapers. :)

If you're having a baby, I highly recommend switching to cloth. It's better for the baby, the environment, and the WALLET. I will not switch back to disposables that's for sure.

My diapers came in!

So, this third baby was a real surprise to us, right? Since this will be my last baby, I figured I'd better do everything I want to with this one. And one thing I've been wanting to try out was cloth diapering. I looked into it with my first and all I could find was diapering services and they cost a fortune! We just didn't have the start up funds for it. With the second one, my husband just wasn't keen on it, even though he doesn't remember it that way.

After talking with a girl at my church who cloth diapers, I was absolutely determined to use cloth with this little baby. I found these great one size diapers from Bum Genius. These diapers will grow with your baby so you only need one set of cloth diapers. They snap down for newborns and then adjust to bigger babies! How great is that! So, we bought the 12 pack to try out (free shipping and at a discount bulk price, love that), eventually if we love them I'll buy a 6 pack as well.

Now of course, these won't do me any good if they leak and fall apart. But all the reviews I've read make these out to be a great product. So once that sweet baby starts putting his tiny heiney in them, I'll let you know how they turn out!