Further Notes on Sewing up Daddy Flats...

Earlier this week I was in Joann's Fabric (yet again) and I was perusing the flannel aisle (yet again) when out of the corner of my eye I saw this gorgeous green color beckoning me. If you are wondering if I get paid to mention Joann's--I do not! I really have a love/hate relationship with the place. Everything there is so overpriced that you have to either buy on sale or use a coupon. I buy most of my diaper materials online from small mama-run businesses, but there is something to be said for touching and feeling a fabric before you buy it and getting to take it right home and use it. I digress...


To say I'm not a fan of green, other than the natural kind you find outside, is an understatement. After yellow, green is my least favorite color for almost anything. However, I try to participate in Etsy Cloth Diaper Team's monthly themes for shop items and I had already bought some green doggy flannel to make up some Daddy Flats. I was going to line them with plain diaper flannel, but then I saw this apple green cotton terry. At $9.99/yard, it was no steal, but I had a 50% off coupon (of course). I decided to try it out because I had read several blog posts about using cotton terry for fitted diapers, so why not Daddy Flats?

BUYING FABRIC I bought 1 1/2 yards of the green terry. I was able to get six Medium Daddy Flat cuts out of that piece (which is 3 diapers if using two layers, or 6 diapers if layering with another fabric as I was doing). It is good to know the dimensions of your pattern before you go to the fabric store, just in case you make a spur of the moment fabric purchase, so that you buy no more or no less than you can use. Once you have your Daddy Flat pattern printed in the size you want, take a measurement of the general rectangular shape. Then at the fabric store you can figure out how many DFs can fit across the width of your fabric and how much length you need for the number you want.

MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME-- And this was after I was all grown up...ALWAYS prewash your fabrics. I just said how fun it was to be able to rush home and use your fabric. Well, really I rush home and throw it in the washer. For cloth diaper fabrics I run a really short hot wash cycle to preshrink and a short hot dry cycle. Ready in 1 hour! OH, and then you should give it a little press so the pattern can lay flat when you pin it to cut out your diapers.

COTTON TERRY has a few benefits for these diapers. One--it is "snappiable." Someone had commented on a blog post about snappiable fabrics for these diapers. If you use terry on the outside, you can use a Snappi with it. Another advantage is that it is a slightly thicker fabric to use for absorbency that isn't super stretchy like velour or other knits (and as I mentioned in my previous post these diapers do better with stable fabrics). One last advantage I saw was that the flannel and terry sewed up very nicely together. Oh, and I almost forgot, terry (like true diaper flannel) is double sided, so it won't matter which direction you cut out your Daytime Daddy Flat--big bonus for forgetful gals like me!

ABOUT PINNING, If your pins don't want to poke through the fabric, or they are all bent, or they catch and pull, it's time for new ones! I'm preaching to myself here. As soon as the "notions" wall goes on sale again, I'm getting some new pins. It's often the little things that can make sewing projects more enjoyable.

PINNING LAYERS--If you didn't lay your two fabrics together to cut, they probably won't be exactly the same size. I mentioned before how important it is to get the edges of this pattern lined up because you only get 1/4" seam allowance. If you make it bigger you are taking away from your diaper. So line your fabric up as best you can, smooth the layers as much as possible (without stretching the fabric if you are using a stretchy fabric) and pin, pin, pin. Then flip it over and see how the back looks. Sometimes you can smooth the back fabric more, which means unpinning and repinning. You MUST get the edges lined up because if they are off and you sew 1/4" seam you may not catch the underside fabric at all! This may sound tedious for a pattern that I boast is easy to sew, but really I am just being tedious! My advice to new sewers--use two layers of non-stretchy fabric to start, it will be easy!

CORNER TIP-- I like to backstitch at the corners where I will be clipping to make it less likely they will come undone, especially since you don't top-stitch these diapers.



I decided to pair the last two green terry cuts with this red mushroom knit print for the shop--kinda bright, huh?

Wiggly bodies DO NOT take good pictures!

I forgot to mention something about choosing prints for cloth diapers. Try to choose prints that run both ways. Uni-directional prints only run in one direction, which means that when you fold the diaper up, either the front or the back will be upside down. If you choose a pattern that runs either way it won't matter. If you accidentally choose a unidirectional print (and it bothers you) you can always piece the diaper with a solid so that the print is not upside down. I may blog about that later.

The Easiest Diaper to Make-- Sewing up Daddy Flats

Okay, maybe not as easy as just edging a square piece of cotton to use as a regular diaper flat, but at least as easy as making your own prefolds! This is not a tutorial. The Daddy Flats pattern is superbly done and the pattern designer herself is extremely helpful. I'm just sharing some hints and tips I have learned as I have made my own.

First let me tell you some of the reasons I like Daddy Flats (click here if you are wondering, "what in the world is a Daddy Flat?")

1) Super easy to make
2) Inexpensive to make
3) Super easy to use
4) No elastic to wear out over time
5) Easier to sanitize
5) Fast dry time (20 minutes?)
6) Customizable rise for longer or shorter babies


Why would you want to try Daddy Flats? Maybe for the reasons above. Maybe you aren't using cloth diapers yet, but you want to give it a try inexpensively. Remember, you don't have to sew a whole stash at once. Make a few at time and work yourself up to full-time cloth diapering. Maybe you are using sized cloth diapers and are about to outgrow your current stash, and the thought of the cost of moving up a size is daunting you. TRY THESE! Maybe you are tired of bulky, these are definitely trim.

Even if this is your very first sewing project, I believe you could sew up a stash of Daddy Flats in no time! The photos I am posting are from 2 diapers I recently sewed, a daytime version, and a nighttime version. A Daytime version has one wing, and a Nighttime version has two wings. If you have a really heavy wetter you could just use the Nighttime version all the time.

A NightTime Daddy Flat

There are only five basic steps to sewing up a Daddy Flat.

1) Cut out the basic shape. If you can lay your two layers right sides together and cut them both out at once, all the better!

2) Pin, pin, pin! I hate all the prep work that goes with sewing, I just want to sew! In this case, do the prep work because it's really not much. Pin your layers together. It is just a simple shape you are sewing around, but if you don't pin you may end up with a wronky mess. The part I especially pin a lot is in the curve of the wing. Make sure those wing edges are really well aligned because you only have a 1/4" seam allowance.


3) Sew. Sew around the edges. After sewing you will trim the corners. It is VERYimportant to follow the instructions about clipping in this corner where the wings fold is. If you do not clip, it will not lay flat when turned.

4) Turn the diaper right side out. I always like to press the diaper and the opening to make it easier to sew that opening closed.

5) Sew the opening shut. All you have to do is sew the little opening shut. I was so tempted to top-stitch the whole thing on my first diaper. Doesn't everything need to be top-stitched? I resisted the urge to ignore the instructions, and guess what? They really don't need to be top-stitched. They wash up well sewn just the way the instructions tell you to!

Now at this point you can add snaps, as I always do, but if you don't have access to snap pliers (can also be found at Joann's) or press (maybe a birthday present--like mine), you can use diaper pins, or if the fabric is compatible, a Snappi.

Some extra hints: Sewing two different types of fabric together is not as easy as sewing two of the same together. Two layers of flannel will fly under the needle, but a layer of flannel and a layer of a knit (like cotton knit, bamboo velour etc.) has to be sewed a little more slowly. If you try to shove it through quickly, you will get puckers like this:

If you do get some of these. Just take a seam ripper and undo enough stitches to release the pucker and just resew that area. It should do fine.

Also, if you are sewing a stretchy and non-stretchy fabric together, you may get a little puffiness on the stretch side. A little bit is okay, but a lot means that your stretchy fabric was cut too large and that fabric will roll to the other sides on the edges. It will still be completely functional, just not as pretty as you may want it.

Lastly, do not sew this pattern with two layers of stretchy fabric. The diaper needs stabilization in order to fit properly. So if you use a t-shirt, a cotton knit, bamboo velour, or cotton velour, make the other layer a good flannel or bamboo fleece maybe.

Oh, and a note about fabrics. You really can use just about any soft absorbant fabric for these diapers. That being said, the thickness of your fabric will also determine the absorbancy of your diapers. I noticed a big difference in the flannel I purchased at the fabric store an the diaper flannel I purchased on-line. The diaper flannel is nearly twice as thick and fluffy on both sides. This is nice because no matter which way you cut you other piece, the diaper flannel piece will match. For example, sometimes I will cut my daytime diapers (which only have one wing) with the wing on the left or the right. If the other fabric you are using has a right and wrong side, you have to make sure that you cut that fabric in the right direction (which I have failed to do many a time). With the diaper flannel this is not an issue. Diaper flannel can be purchase for $5.50/yd, and store flannel ranges greatly in price depending on the sales. I saw some flannel at Wal-mart today for $3.50/yd.

For further notes on sewing these:
http://clothdiaperclub.blogspot.com/2012/04/further-notes-on-sewing-up-daddy-flats.html

Okay, as much as I do love the Daddy Flat pattern, I also love to help mamas. If you are strapped for cash and like the idea of these easy sew diapers, there is a similar pattern that can be found for free on the internet. All you have to have is a computer and a printer. This pattern is called Quick Snap Flat Wrap. Oh, Bummer! The link to that pattern is no longer good. I have the pattern printed out, but cannot find it on my computer anywhere. Well, I will be on a quest to relocate it. Just another hazard of freebies on the net! The link below is a photo tutorial of the QSFW pattern, but not much good without the pattern.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27311110@N07/3218977488/

(3/24) I told you I would keep hunting. The QSFW may be a gone forever, but I found another one: The Not So Flat Wrap. This pattern is free, and there is also alink for a photo tutorial. I may even try this one out--because I am a diaper pattern junkie! This one is a little bit of a different concept, but still easy to sew. The directions are for using a serger, but it can be made with a regular machine. If you want to try this pattern out with a regular machine but aren't sure where to start, just LMK and I can give you some hints for getting started!

http://hyenacart.com/stores/LittleCometTails/index.php?c=0&p=67412


Yay! I found the Quick Snap Flat Wrap today (3/25)-- Here is the shorter wing version:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_9g1nyIxc8hZDk1Y2M4MjYtOWM4Yy00NGYxLThlZGYtNzEwOWQyNmJhOGI5/edit?pli=1

Regular Version here:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_9g1nyIxc8hZjNiY2E4NTctOTIzNC00ODgzLWE2MTEtZjUyOTY2MjQ1OWZk/edit

And here is a blog posting where I found the links as well as some tips on sewing them. I would try them without any elastic first.

http://mamakatdiapers.blogspot.com/2011/08/qsfw-regular-short-wing-versions-size.html