Tuesday, July 20, 2010

DDT 4 - DIY Cloth Diaper Supplies

Making your own cloth diapers and diaper covers isn't hard at all.  You might be surprised at the materials you already have in your home like old towels or old flannel pajamas that you can repurpose for diaper making projects.  It's great practice and will give you a feel for the absorbency levels of different types of fabric.

Even if you're using materials you already have, you'll probably need to supplement with a few other items to make anything outside of a basic prefold or contour diaper.  Here's a list of cloth diaper making basics and some of my favorite places to find them.



Basic Supplies

  • Fabric (flannel, terry cloth, french terry, velour, fleece with no more than 20% polyester content)
  • Elastic (1/4 inch garter, baby garter, Lastin, fold over elastic)
  • Hook & Loop (Aplix, soft Velcro, touch tape)
  • PUL fabric for covers and outer shell of AIOs and pocket diapers
  • High quality thread (use polyester for covers and items that need to be waterproof)



Suppliers

SewShoppe.com - They have almost everything imaginable for your baby sewing needs including diaper sewing notions that are difficult to find anywhere else, but shipping is a little high so it's not ideal for small orders

CelticCloths.com - PUL, fabrics, elastics, and patterns.  Great deals in their constantly changing clearance inventory.  You'll want to check this regularly.  Shipping as low as under $3.00 for small orders.

GreenThumbFabrics.com - They have some of the lowest prices for bamboo fabrics, but don't always have everything in stock.  A good value if you're not on a time limit.

NaturesFabrics.com - The best selection of organic fabrics I've seen in one place, and the prices are reasonable.  They recently added PUL to their inventory.  For those with very ambitious projects in mind, they also sell some of the best priced bolts of fabric I've found thus far.

DenverFabrics.com - Huge selection of conventional cotton fabrics and fleeces and everything else you might need for your nondiaper sewing projects.  Reasonable prices.  Frequent sales.

Etsy and Ebay - Find diaper cuts, remnants, or full yardage of PUL, fabric, and other supplies from other DIY moms selling their extras.