Fitted or Fancy

Fitted diapers are a diaper that is made to look like a disposable but does not have the outer water proof layer.  As a result it is necessary to have a waterproof outer to go with the fitted diaper.  I think they get passed up a lot in favor of the fancier more advanced waterproof diapers, however, I am developing a newfound love for them.  For a few reasons.  There are a lot more cute cotton prints, they are a heck of a lot easier to sew, typically you can find the materials to make one lying around your own house, and last but certainly not least- they don't leak!!! or wick.  Having a surefire way to prevent leaks and wicking really makes them a dependable dipe that I am starting to love more and more.  The other thing that I like about them is that I don't have to stuff them and I never have to strip them because they don't seem to get the same buildup that the polyester does.  Pretty awesome!  So maybe our parents had it right more than we realized.  Although I don't know if I really trust myself with a square thing and some pins.  Here is a pic. of an all in one fitted that I made (size medium/largeish):

This is the first time I have succeeded at the blind elastic ruffle stitch.  The inside is a layer of micro-chamios, the outside is some left over flannel I had from a baby shower gift that I made, and then there is an inside hidden layer of flannel that I sewed the soaker to.  The soaker is made of 7 layers of different flannels and jersey knit.  The jersey knit came from an old sheet and I think the flannel was from some old fabric remnants.  This diaper probably cost me $1.50 to make and even for the novice this is an easy sewing project.  It is also a great way to recycle or clean out your fabric box and to save money.  

As I mentioned earlier it needs an outer layer.  So I Just learned about "soakers" which is a weird name for it but a soaker is a diaper cover basically.  These are made out of wool (with some extra care) or fleece.  I had an old fleece blanket that I trimmed down by a foot and made a couple to go with the fitted diapers that I have.  This is also another great way to get rid of some fleece remnants or old wool sweaters.  The wool has to be treated to keep it water proof (with the natural stuff that gets taken out of them in the first place) but I hear you only have to wash them once every 2 or 3 weeks which would be awesome.  You can also knit them, but anyway here is my soaker:

You can treat the fleece by washing it with fabric softener because that helps repel the water (which is what you want to avoid with your regular diapers).  I haven't used the fabric softener yet but this did great without any leaks, even without it.