I finally got some time to make a homemade Fuzzi Bunz diaper tonight! I couldn't believe how easy they are to make! If only I had known about making these a few years ago! I found some free diaper patterns and instructions online here, but I found using a disposable diaper to trace my own pattern was easiest for me. Because I didn't know what I was doing, it took and hour and a half. But once I get the hang of these I can whip these babies out in no time! First I'd like to see how they work on Baby Jer and whether or not they leak. If they work out really well, I'm going to buy a bunch more PUL (a special water-proof fabric for the outer layer) from A Cut Above Fabrics online and make more! This green piece of PUL cost $3 plus shipping and handling. All the other materials necessary for it were things I already had in my fabric or rag stash.
Because this is my first, it's definitely NOT perfect. I realized at the end that I should have put the fastener elastic further down on the diaper. Because I didn't, I had to put a couple of snaps just above the leg to help lock those side tabs down. But, the plus side of this is that I've never done snaps before but because I needed them, I was forced to learn! All you need is a hammer and they are as easy as pie to do! Now that I know how to use snaps in my sewing I can make so many more things....... Don't ya just love learning new skills?
I'll keep you all posted on how the diaper works for my "now-very-crunchy" baby! The nice thing about these homemade ones is you can tailor-make them to fit your baby's body. That's why I added elastic around the top front, for extra leakage protection. My baby has a very skinny (almost non-existant) bum, so I may need to make some adjustments on the next one depending on how this one fits.
I'm excited because one of my friends has been ordered by her doctor to use cloth diapers and she doesn't know where to start. Her son keeps getting infections down there. So, now that I know how to make these, I'll be able to help her out and save her $20 per diaper (what Fuzzi Bunz cost online!)
Update:
My diaper was a bit too small for Jer, and I wish I'd done the tabs like the instructions showed so they would stretch further and not rub on his skin. My snaps didn't snap because the diaper was too small. However, it still works okay and with a little tweaking it will definitely be usable, if not for Jer, then for my friend's smaller baby. It worked VERY WELL at containing leaks and keeping him dry, wicking the moisture away from his skin. I'm going to take the tips in the comments section and order some more PUL and get busy sewing more!
Nice job! They look great!
ReplyDeletecheck out greenacredesign.com and onestopdiapershop.com for inexpensive diaper fabric - you can get enough PUL for 3 or 4 diapers (depending on the size) for about the same price as a diaper cut. and colored fleece for inners - so much fun!!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite place to purchase the fabric is from the green acres site (her shipping is much less expensive, too!)
I've been making diapers for my 3 youngest for about 9 or 10 months. I love it! I actually cut out 3 last night ~ I have to finish my other sewing projects so I can start making the SHOES you posted about a few months ago :-) I haven't let myself buy a pattern yet, cause I know I'll neglect my other projects....
sorry - that would be greenacredesigns.com - click on the cloth diaper fabric & notions tab
ReplyDeleteblessings ~ Tracy
Thanks Tracey! I will do that! I can't believe you use cloth diapers on 3 little ones! You must have twins?
ReplyDeleteOnce you start on shoes...you'll be an addict!
Wow! thank you for the resources for patterns and fabric. I had been wondering for a while how to go about making this yourself. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteMercedes
Tracey, I just got done ordering a bunch of PUL off of www.greenacredesigns.org! It is a bit cheaper than A Cut Above Fabrics. I got enough PUL for about 6 diapers and one large wet-diaper bag for $17 (including shipping). Not bad at all! Since I have lots of old receiving blankets and fleece, I won't need to purchase anything other than snaps to make more diapers. I'm going to use snaps instead of elastic on the next ones I make (simple and they don't get caught on clothes in the wash!
ReplyDeleteI have one more question. How much do you expect to spend per diaper. Now with the new resource for PUL and even if you do not have to buy the fleece?
ReplyDeleteno twins ~ When I was pregnant with #7, my two little guys (1 1/2 & almost 3) were showing no signs of being ready to potty train. I got to calculating how much money I would be spending to diaper THREE. About that time I found Crystal's blog & she mentioned FuzzyBunz. My hubby had said, "NO!" to cloth diapering, but after looking into FB, I thought he just might be willing to let me give it a whirl. He was, but not at that price! (He was thinking the boys would be potty-trained just any day.....) So, I made my own; I had to tweak my pattern a few times till we got it right. I did purchase a professional snap press, cause I just don't care for velcro. I figure snaps add about a dollar to the cost of the diaper (I use more snaps than FB, for a more customizable fit & to combat wing-droop) but velcro isn't free either... I'd planned to just sell the snap press on E-bay when I finished ~ but, I've determined I'll probably never be finished with it; won't be long and I'll be making dypes (and shoes:-) for grandbabies....
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to report that the baby is 7 months old & both boys are pretty-well trained (but not before I had to make a stash of X-larges for the bigger one) the 2 yr old still wears diapers when we are out and about & both wear dypes for sleeping....
We absolutely love 'our' fuzzy bunz! I couldn't imagine going back to paper diapers!
I figured I wouldn't be able to excercise self-discipline with the shoes once I had pattern in hand, but I an sure chomping at the bit to order it! Maybe I'll get those diapers sewn up tomorrow....
Tracy
Tracey,
ReplyDeleteCan't believe you have 7 kids and can still find time to blog! Good for you; please share your wisdom! You must be the most patient lady.
Moneycommonsense,
Now that I've found a new source I plan to spend about $2 per homemade Fuzzi Bunz diaper. That includes the snaps (which are the basic metal kind) instead of using velcro. That is a really good deal compared to $20! I have so much cloth to use up (old receiving blankets, flannel shirts, odds and ends from other sewing projects) that will be great for the soaker pad inserts and lining.
ha ha
ReplyDeleteI don't personally have a blog; I have a few blogs I check out regularly (I periodically evaluate if the blessing / encouragement / wisdom I'm receiving from a particular blog is worth the time I spend to read it...) and, of course, I follow the Frugal Friday links that appeal to me ~ your Robeez shoes & this FB one appealed to me :-) (Incidently, where did you find all the different colors of leather? I'm having a hard time building a collection!)
Patience? ahh, God is still working on me there! People often say, "seven kids? how do you do it?" My answer is always, "God gives 'em to me one at a time."
Truthfully, seven doesn't seem like a lot to me (except for when I'm feeding them!)
Have fun when your pkg from GAD comes :-)
Tracy
Tracey,
ReplyDeleteIf you ever start a blog, I'd love to read it! I'd love to have that many kids someday but I think 2 is hard right now!
Where do I get my leather for the shoes? I started off finding leather at thrift stores in the form of jackets and old purses. I cut them up to use for shoes, since the thrift store items here are so cheap ($3 for a whole leather jacket). I was VERY limited in color. Then our church secretary found a grocery bag of leather scraps in the church shed leftover from VBS projects in the past. There were many different colors! I was ecstatic! Since she knows I make lots of shoes (she's one of my best friends) she let me have the bag and I just donated some money to the youth fund. In one grocery bag of scraps there was enough to do at least 20 pairs of shoes, if not more. I also found some really neat leather at Hobby Lobby when I was in a city shopping. It was $3 a bag for some scraps. You have to be sure to get thinner leather though as some of these scrap bags contain really thick leather. I've never had pink leather. I've been needing some more girly colors. A lady from church was in a big city and found a leatherworks store that sells scraps including pink! She picked up a whole grocery bag for around $20.
It's hard to find decent stuff online. However, I have seen some leather scrapbooking pages somewhere online that have really neat, artsy designs in all different colors. It's $5 a sheet, which would probably do you one pair of shoes (size 3 or 4 or smaller). I've never tried ordering from them but if I was going to make an especially fancy pair I would try this. Just do a search on leather scrapbook pages.
Also, go to www.makethemyourself.com where Misty gives you tons of tips on finding leather and if you are really having trouble finding it, she even sells some scrap assortments too.
Get your family/friend involved in searching for leather items at yard sales/thrift shops/craft stores, etc. and I'm sure you'll build up a collection.
Thanks for sharing the idea! I will probably need more diapers in the future for additional little ones, so I will definitely keep this idea in mind!
ReplyDelete