Sewing Real Nappies

Have you ever considered making nappies for your baby?

You don’t need to have a degree in dressmaking to sew nappies for your baby -just simple sewing machine skills, little creativity and lots of enthusiasm is enough!

Sewing Real Nappies

The simplest of a DIY nappy is a stay-dry fleece liner cut from a fleece blanket and once you’ve mastered the art of sewing and nappy making you could even attempt making a waterproof all-in-one nappy. You could design the nappy of your dreams by combining the best qualities of the bought nappies you’ve used and tried on your baby .  

Real nappy use can become even more ecological and economical if you use recycled material found from home or from friends and relatives. Old terry towels and flanellette shirts can be used for the absorbant part of the nappy and pretty jersey tops and bedlinen can find a new life as the outer part of a fitted nappy. Old fleece jumpers can be made into wraps.
And if knitting needles are your best buddy and you (or your mum or granny) is up for a challenge, breathable woollen pants can be knitted for your baby in just couple of hours whilst watching TV! Free online patterns: Fern&Fairie and Curly Purly

It’s important to remember that no matter how well you plan and measure, the result might not always be exactly what you’ve wished for. The inner fabric could be hanging, outer fabric pulling. For this reason it’s important to wash all new fabrics to avoid shrinkage before cutting. By doing this all extra colours and chemicals will also wash away.

There are free printable patterns online or you can buy patterns from real nappy shops. Another option is to draw one of your own or trace around a nappy you already own (as long as you don’t intend to use the pattern for profit).

If you totally fall in love with nappy making, buying fabrics, perfecting the pattern and sewing cute nappies can soon become an addiction!