This style of pocket is more of an intermediate project. This tutorial shows an All-In-One pocket being sewn. To make a fitted diaper pocket you will follow the same instructions except you will have absorbent fabric in place of the PUL.

I use the cloth diaper pattern available at Amber Perry Patterns on Etsy. It’s great!

	Sew the front waist loop tape & size tag on first.
	On the back waist, turn under 1/4″ of the PUL, sew elastic within the fold you’ve created. Use the illustration in the Sewing Instruction sheets for where to begin & end the elastic. You will of course, trim the elastic after sewing it in.
	Now do the same for the absorbent fabric. I used flannel – so I folded down both layers of flannel and attached the elastic within that fold.
	Now you will sew the PUL and absorbent layers together. Begin just before the elastic ends and sew all the way around the diaper, finishing just after the the anchor point of the back elastic. As you sew, you will make a fold in the PUL & absorbent fabrics (see following pictures). This gives a clean finish to the pocket opening.
	This is how the folded seam looks on the PUL side.
	This is how the folded seam looks on the absorbent side. Note that the area with elastic is not sewn together – this is your elasticized pocket opening. Continue by following the Sewing Instruction sheet for adding leg elastic and hook & loop on the wings.
	Now your absorbent, back opening pocket diaper is ready to stuff.

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This is a very easy way to make a great pocket diaper. This tutorial shows an All-In-One pocket being sewn. To make a fitted diaper pocket you will follow the same instructions except you will have absorbent fabric in place of the PUL.

I use the cloth diaper pattern available at Amber Perry Patterns on Etsy.

	Sew the front waist loop tape & size tag on first.Then follow sewing instruction sheets through adding the elastic to legs & back.
	After adding elastic, I like to either zigzag or serge the entire front edge. Do NOT sew the front and back together. This step is to keep the absorbent fabric from fraying with use.
	After finishing the edge (above), fold the hem allowance (about 1/2″) down.Using a straight or zigzag stitch go all the way around the diaper waist. If you are concerned about wicking, fold the absorbent hem 3/4″ (this will make is slightly shorter than the PUL edge, keeping the absorbent fabric away from clothing).
	Continue with the sewing instructions for placement of the wing hook & loop pieces.Now your front opening, absorbent pocket diaper is ready for stuffing.

Easy Butterfly Soakers

This is a very easy way to make a very absorbent diaper. I use the cloth diaper pattern available at Amber Perry Patterns on Etsy.

	Finish the edges of the trifold soaker first (zigzag, serge, or turn & topstitch). Then fold it into thirds. You may use an iron to press the soaker this way and/or mark the crease lines with pins.
	Align the absorbent layers of the diaper (for a fitted you would align two body layers). Center the middle third of the trifold soaker where a standard soaker would be sewn. Then using a straight stitch, sew down the two creases as shown here.Then fold the trifold soaker into thirds and use a pin to secure the layers so they do not shift as you complete the diaper. Continue sewing the diaper according to the Sewing Instruction Sheet making sure that the soaker will be on the outside once you turn the diaper rightside out.
	After completing the diaper, be sure to remove the pin securing the soaker.

Painting PUL is a fun & easy way to embellish cloth diapers, diaper covers, and wet bags.  I use the cloth diaper & diaper cover patterns from Amber Perry Patterns on Etsy.

The Basics

• Wash and dry the PUL cut before painting to remove any sizing left from the manufacturing process. Skipping this step may lead to your paint adhering to the sizing and then washing off with the sizing when you wash the diaper or cover. No, the PUL will not fray, shrink, or fall apart (*this is true of the PUL I sell, I can not speak for PUL purchased anywhere else).
• I use Jacquard Paints from Dharma Trading Co. along with their Versatex “No Heat” Fixative (at the bottom of that page). These paints don’t really fade, but in the constant use/washing of diapers they do lose a little bit of their “brand spankin’ new” look.
• I have also used Folk Art paints and Folk Art Fabric Paints. With the standard Folk Art paints you must use a fabric fixative. This is set by putting the piece in the dryer for a set time after the paint is dry. You can find all of these products at your local craft store. Folk Art paints seem to fade a bit more quickly than the Jacquard paints.
• The most important thing about painting PUL is to follow the instructions/directions of your paint and fixative products to the letter. Skipping or incorrectly following any of these instructions can lead to your paint washing off in the washer.

I just finished sewing up a few new cloth diapers for my daughter. They are quick & easy to make when you use the following tips…

• I use the pattern from Amber Perry Patterns on Etsy.
• Add a cute cotton flannel print to give your diapers a little extra personality. 1 1/2 yards of flannel will give you enough to get 2 body cuts plus a tri-fold soaker and some wipes. Remember that you must wash & dry any fabric you purchase before you cut it. Otherwise it will shrink after the diaper is sewn.
• When sewing diapers it is most efficient to sew them assembly line style. To do this, sew each step on all of the diapers before moving on to the next step. Example: sew the soaker pads into all of the diapers before moving on to sewing the body layers together. This helps to streamline the process. Sewing with this method I can make 4 diapers in just over an hour.

More about the diapers above…

• The All-In-One on the upper right (white PUL with a rose print inner) features a sewn in tri-fold or butterfly soaker. These are fantastic if you have a heavy wetter! You can add extra layers for absorption and they still wash & dry quickly and thoroughly. I love these! You can find my tutorial on making them here.
• The diaper on the bottom left is a fitted diaper – that is why it has the cotton flannel with the rose print on the inside & the outside.
• The diaper on the bottom right is an All-In-One diaper with white PUL that I painted to give it a beautiful pink tie dyed/brushed look. I also love this diaper ~ can’t wait to get it washed and on her little bum. Here is a tutorial on how to paint PUL to get any look you desire!

Here are two videos about how to sew elastic into cloth diapers. I use the pattern available at Amber Perry Patterns on Etsy.
The first video is me sewing an all-in-one cloth diaper. This same method is used for sewing all-in-ones and fitted diapers that are turned and topstitched.

In this video I am sewing elastic into a fitted diaper  that will later be serged.

I have been sewing fold over elastic onto diapers for several years and am sharing my sewing tips with you! Fold over elastic (FOE) is wonderful for binding cloth diaper covers, fitted diapers and all-in-ones. I use the diaper cover pattern available at Amber Perry Patterns on Etsy.

Wondering what a wool soaker is? What are longies and shorties? And what about sleep sacks and skirties? Wonder no more! Think wool is just for cloth diaper users? Think again! Read to the end to find how wool can be a fantastic solution for naps & nighttime for disposable diaper users as well. Say goodbye to wet clothes and sheets!

Wool soakers, longies, shorties, skirties, sleep sacks, and woolies are all garments made of 100% wool (no superwash) that go over cloth diapers. The pants form (longies) can be made in any length from shorts (shorties) to capris, bloomers, pantaloons, etc. A skirtie is (usually) a wool soaker with a skirt attached.  Sleep sacks are long well, sacks, that are usually worn by newborns and very young babies. There is an opening at the bottom for easy access during diaper changes – similar to newborn gowns.

Wool is wonderfully breathable and keeps baby’s skin at a good temperature. Babies who are prone to diaper rash seem to do much better with cotton cloth diapers and woolies. Wool will absorb up to 30% of its weight in moisture before it begins to feel damp. The only challenge you might have is what’s called compression wicking. This is when additional clothing is put on over woolies. The pressing of the additional clothing against the wool can cause the wool to become damp prematurely. I have always felt though that if you’re going to knit (or purchase) wonderfully made woolies – why in the world would you want to cover them up! Show your wool proudly! Wool is great choice, and of course, can be incredibly cute. It’s especially a favorite amongst cloth diaperers for nighttime. Wool soakers (all woolies) only need to be washed when soiled or every week or so. Truth be told, I have often gone much longer than one week between washings for my little one’s longies & soakers. Especially with a young baby. I have a tutorial on wash & care of wool soakers and all woolies here.

So what’s what? Here you go…

And one last note, even if you don’t plan to use cloth diapers; longies, shorties, sleep sacks, soakers, and skirties are still darn cute for baby and can then be made of any fiber content that you like. Though I will say that during our recent move we had our two that are still in diapers in disposable diapers and found that wool soakers kept all of our sheets dry! That’s right – disposable diapers often leave baby, their clothes, and the sheets wet after long naps or during nighttime. The solution is wool soakers or longies!  Knit up some fun Butt Knits patterns in 100% wool and say goodbye to wet clothes & sheets! Be sure to check out question #3 on the Butt Knits FAQ page to find out how to easily make Butt Knits patterns fit disposable diapered babies.

A few helpful links…

Butt Knits offers a great line of unique & fun wool soaker & longies knitting patterns. Including bloomers and fun monster face embellishments.

DiaperKit.com offers cloth diaper patterns as well as pre-cut, ready to sew cloth diaper making kits. Fitted diapers are a great choice to go under wool soakers & longies. Butt Knits patterns are also available at DiaperKit.