Meet the Team: Nommies Nappies

This edition of Meet the Team is an interview with Sarah D. of Nommies Nappies. She is brand new to Etsy and the Etsy Cloth Diaper Team so we are really excited to get to know her and share her shop and items with all of you!

How did you come up with the name for your shop?   In our house, we have many nicknames.  The dogs answer to about 5 names each, and my husband and I rarely call each other by our real names; so when we had a baby the nicknames came easily and plentifully!  Our little boy answers to Bug, Nommy, Snuggles, Stinker, and Thomas (his real name).  I thought an alliterative name would be fun, so Nommy's Nappies just felt right.  

How long have you been making/selling cloth diapers?  I started replacing my son's cloth diaper stash with my handmade ones in May of 2012.  The selling part happened after a few local mom friends wanted to try my diapers on their babies a few months after that, and I started doing testers and actively selling in October 2012.

How long have you been sewing?  I learned to sew when I was about 10 or 11 years old.  My mom used to make my outfits for clogging (ruffles, bloomers, and all!) and I wanted to help, so she showed me how to operate a machine and follow a pattern.  I hadn't sewn anything in at least the last decade, but once I discovered cloth diapers I was glad to have retained the foundations of sewing enough to let me create things for him.  

What is your favorite thing to make right now?Why?  Right now I am in love with my serger, so I enjoy making serged fitted diapers, wipes, inserts, and anything else I can get my hands on!

Favorite materials to use?  I adore the feel of bamboo fleece...I wish I had enough fabric to make sheets out of it, but then I would probably never get out of bed.  

Why did you choose cloth diapers and what advice do you give to those considering using them? We used disposables for the first year and a half of my son's life.  I wanted to try cloth diapers honestly because I thought there were adorable!  Once I started researching and realizing they could help us save money in the long run and not contribute to excessive waste I was sold for good.                                                                                               My advice to anyone considering cloth is to jump right in and try a little bit of everything - you never know which style will work best for you.  I also think cloth wipes are a must when you are using cloth diapers.  I did not switch to cloth wipes for the first couple months when we changed to cloth diapers, and now I wish I had used them from the beginning.   

What made you decide to sell on Etsy and join the Etsy Cloth Diaper Team?  I have always browsed on Etsy and admired other moms who had a creative product to offer.  Once I began to entertain the idea of selling, I sent out a questionnaire and other moms expressed being most comfortable purchasing diapers from a site like Etsy because it is established and reliable.  I decided to join the Team because I value the support of others in the same situation as I am, and I hope to learn a lot from all of them.

Do you have any specials or sales now or coming up?  I do not have any current plans for specials, but I always offer a discount for multiple diapers or inserts purchased (5 or more inserts for 10% off and 10 or more diapers for 10% off).

Where can we find your items? Do you have a Facebook page?  You can find my items as well as request custom orders through my shop at Etsy and find me on Facebook.

Theme Thursday ~ Hunter Green and/or Christmas Fluff

December's Theme is "Hunter Green" and/or "Christmas". Here are a few of the great items offered by our participating shops.
 
Be sure to search "etsyclothdiapers" on Etsy for more great cloth diapering items created by our fantastic team.

Turning a Prefold into a Fitted Diaper

Prefolds are great to use because they are so versatile and one of the most affordable diapers you can get; unfortunately they can get tricky. A lot of dads have a hard time  learning how to use a prefold.  In this tutorial I am going to show you how to take a regular prefold and turn it in to a fitted diaper.

1. Get a regular prefold and fold it in half (chose an appropriate size for your little one).

2. Find or make a pattern for a diaper. Place the straight edge on the fold. To make a pattern take a diaper (cloth or disposable) And a paper bag and trace around the diaper over your bag. Remember to stretch out the legs and back. cut it out fold it in half and cut it down the middle.

3.Trace your pattern on the folded prefold. Make sure you trace so that the part you cut is on the open side of the fold.

4. Cut along the line. no need for seam allowance.

This is what your prefold should look like unfolded.

5.Surge the edges. If you don't have a surger you can use the zig zag setting on a regular sewing machine and sew off the edge to get the same effect.

This is what the edges should look like when you are done.

6.Now cut three pieces of elastic. For along the back 4 inches, and two for along the legs 6 inches.

7. Fold the diaper in half and make marks right under the arms of the diaper and a few inches from the rise of the diaper. (the reason you fold it in half is so you can mark the diaper on both sides in the same spots).

8.Then make your marks for your snaps/ Velcro. You want to make sure the Velcro is even. If you are doing snaps, make ten marks evenly measured from the sides about one inch away from each other. 

If you are doing snaps mark two dots one inch from each other about 1/4 of an inch away from the edge.

9.Apply snaps using a hand press or table press.

10.Sew on your elastic makeing sure to use a zig zag stitch

It should look like this.

11.Then turn the diaper and make sure to stretch out the elastic as you do a zig zag stitch over the elastic down the leg of the diaper.

It should look like this when done.

12.Repeat step 10 when you get to the end of your elastic.

13. Repeat steps 10-12 On the other leg and along the back.

14. Take the two scraps from the diaper and pin the flat edges together and sew them together and surge the out side edges making it a long oval shape

It should look like this when you are done.

15. pin the top of the oval piece just below the back elastic for a girl and just below the rise of the front for a boy. (be sure you attach it to the inside of the diaper)

Using a zig zag stitch it should look like this when you are done

And there you have it for a dollar or two per diaper and some DIY, you now have a lovely fitted diaper.

Happy Sewing :)

Theme Thursday

December's Theme is "Hunter Green" and/or "Christmas". Here are a few of the great items offered by our participating shops. Be sure to search "etsyclothdiapers" for more great cloth diapering items created by our fantastic team.

Stinky Diapers!

Ew! My kid's diapers smell like a barn!!

Ever had that moment?

First, as someone who's had to keep her kid in disposables through three bouts of C-Diff (really stinky contagious diarrhea), let me assure you that it absolutely could be worse. Oh, boy.

Second, let's solve that stink problem! Cloth diapers should not stink!

There are many causes of stinky diapers and many solutions to try.

• Vinegar in the rinse. This can cause stinky diapers for some people, it can solve a stink problem for others, and it makes no difference for still others. If you have stinky diapers and you use vinegar, try cutting out the vinegar for a few washes. If you have stinky diapers and you don't use vinegar, give it a try.
• Detergent. Some detergents just don't get things clean. Our family had terrible luck with Melaleuca detergent (but other families like it). Consider switching brands.
• Wash frequency. Diapers that sit for longer than three days can start to really absorb odors. If you can't wash that often, at least rinse your diapers often.
• Rinsing. A hot rinse can lock in odors and stains. Many families do not need a pre-rinse at all, but if you're having stink problems, try a cold pre-rinse.
• Diapers just not able to get completely clean. Maybe they're too wadded up when you put them in the washer (like if you roll up your diapers when removing them from the baby). Or maybe your water level is too low to allow the diapers to agitate.
• Soap build-up. This is more common than many people realize. If your diapers reek as soon as pee hits them, this is likely your problem. You'll need to strip your diapers.
• Not using enough detergent. Detergent is tricky. Too much, and your diapers stink from buildup. Too little, and they stink from not getting clean. If your diapers smell bad coming out of the laundry, before you even put them on your kid, try using more detergent.
• Please also read Born to Love's suggestions. 

Good luck!

Sarah Reid
Boulevard Designs (boulevarddesigns.etsy.com)
Wallypop (wallypop.net)

It's Time for Candy Canes

'Merry Christmas! From the Etsy Cloth Diaper Team! ' by BlessedBeeBaby

Away in a Manger - M/L Organ... HoldensLanding $42.00	Infant Toddler Boy Girl '... PicklenoseCrea... $24.95
Cloth Diaper One Size Wind P... LittleBoppers $31.00	2452 - Natural Teether to so... weeonesbyjajoc $10.00
Super Absorbent Organic Bam... MumtazSoakers $28.00	Wool Longies, Santa Pants, S... just2cuteacces... $18.00
Cloth Napkins or Baby Wipes,... BrightRoseCrea... $10.00	15% OFF SALE Large Candied C... LivingGreenBab... $11.01
SALE Gingerbread Girl Minky ... GreenBeansDiap... $23.00	Small Cabled Shorties, INSTO... LittleMonkeySn... $41.00

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