Day Dreams Custom Sewing—Patterns 2014

Materials Needed For Diaper PUL (Waterproof Fabric) *

Wicking Fabric (Fabric that pulls the moisture

away from the source.) *

Velcro Tapes/Tabs or Plastic Snaps & Tool

Printed Pattern

Marking Pencil or Tool

Fold Over Elastic 1” (Option: Use 1/4” Elastic.)

Materials Needed for Soaker (s) Flannel, Soft Cotton, Fleece, Terry (Any fabric

that you prefer to use as a soaker.) *

Plastic Snaps or Velcro Tabs

Printed Pattern

>>>>>> Prewash new fabric before cutting

>>>>>> All Pattern Pieces print to actual size.

Special Notes & Tips Use a ball point sewing machine needle to prevent snags and tears in fabric.

PUL has some fray when cut. I find it works well to use pinking shears when cutting this fabric.

When pinning PUL, pin in the direction you will be sewing, not crossways as normal. Too many holes will cause

the PUL to be less effective.

PUL is not exactly necessary to make cloth diapers. It is a luxury and ,though helpful, less expensive diapers can be

made using materials from your home (old towels, wool sweaters, baby blankets, etc.)

Plastic snaps are not necessary; again they are helpful. Velcro tabs work well, as do good old fashioned safety pins!

I recommend making a “mock” diaper from old scrap fabric to test on your little one for size and fit. Wasting PUL

is costly! Use safety pins or clips on the mock diaper instead of your snaps or Velcro.

A serger/overlock is not necessary. Zig zag edges work just as well when finishing edges of seams.

What your piece should look like when you

have completed cutting.

Use your marking tool to make the appropri-

ate marks on your fabric as needed.

1/4” Seams on all pieces.

The Gusset is optional.

Day Dreams Custom Sewing—Patterns 2014

This pattern is one size fits all. There are a variety of

ways to use this pattern:

Covers with a snap in pad

PUL with permanent pad (sewn in)

PUL with fleece or flannel lining; removable pad

PUL with long or short removable pads

The pattern is completely personalized to your

baby. There is no one “true” way to make cloth dia-

pers; it is all personal preference.

1) Lay pattern out according to directions on each piece

and follow grain line arrows. Carefully cut out the

pieces, marking necessary areas before you remove

the pattern from fabric.

Gusset is optional. If you are not comfortable in sewing

this piece just yet, it’s not necessary; however, it helps

prevent leaks. Try one out on your mock diaper.

2) Before layering, apply a snap or Velcro to one side of

each end of the soaker pad, using the round mark on

the pattern as your guide for placement. Applying the

snap or Velcro to one side only assures the plastic

head is not against baby’s skin.

3) Build your long or short soaker pads by layering one

piece of the outside fabric, your wicking fabric (fleece,

terry, etc), and the second piece of the outside fabric.

Day Dreams Custom Sewing—Patterns 2014

4) Stitch a 1/4” seam around the entire lay-

ered piece. Finish edges with a serger/

overlock or with zig zag stitching.

Get a little colorful and use an alternate or

contrasting color on your finished edge!

5) Next, apply snaps to marked points inside liner and

the outside of the diaper, as indicated by the marks

(x and dots) on the pattern. Remember to apply the

other half of the snaps to attach the soaker pad.

Snaps applied inside

and outside...

6) Optional Gussets: Stitch curved side of gusset be-

tween the marks indicated in the leg area. Next,

using a zig zag stitch, apply the fold over elastic

(or standard 1/4” elastic) between the marks indi-

cated on the pattern.

In the picture you will see there are two sections of

the gusset. Since I did not use fold over elastic, I

went with the 1/4” standard and stitched two gus-

sets together, then elastic on the leg edge and seam

of the gussets. I folded the gusset over and stitched

this in place when I sewed the liner in place.

Day Dreams Custom Sewing—Patterns 2014

Skip to #7 if you are not making gussets.

Gussets in place and ready to sew in the liner.

7) Assuring you have all snaps in place in both outside

and insider pieces, place right sides together of both

pieces and pin in the sewing direction only

(Remember, you don’t want too many holes.). Make

sure the gussets (if used) are pinned toward the inside

of the two pieces. Stitch the diaper edges, using a 1/4’

seam allowance and leaving either end open to turn

right side out.

8) Top stitch carefully as close to the edges as possible,

avoiding snaps and making sure to sew the diaper

closed.

Tip: I found using a zipper foot made for quick and easy

stitching when top stitching, since the snaps were so

close to the edges at the top. This is purely preferential.

9) Snap your soaker pad in place and voila! You have

made your first cloth diaper!

Liner in place with a short pad. The longer pads will fold over one another for a three layers.

This pattern makes one size

fits all by the snap placements

and size of diaper.

The diaper can be folded (a

“rise) and snapped to a

smaller size for newborns and

increase in size up to toddlers.

The amount of padding is

your personal preference.

Snap Placement