Cotton yarn dyeing

I dyed a two skeins of organic cotton yarn using Dharma Trading Company Procion dyes in ultraviolet and wedgewood blue using the yarn dyeing instructions I found on the website. I also threw in a cotton baby shirt. I put the shirt at the bottom and poured the dye into the pot. The baby shirt turned out really cute and true to color. However, the yarn color turned out different than expected. The base color of the yarn is a dark beige so that is why it has a green tone. Interesting color combination though and I think it will make cute shorties.

B-day gifts

My little guy's sweet little friend had her first birthday also. They are actually five days apart which is very nice. I made a few little items for her birthday including a pair of purple hemp shoes and orange cotton knitted bell bottoms. It was really fun to make a few girly items. I hope to post the pants pattern soon.

Sleep sac

I made a spring/summer sleep sac for the little guy with hemp/organic cotton knit fabric that I dyed in aqua using the Procion Dyes from Dharma Trading Company. I used McCall's 4236 for fleece and since I used a much thinner fabric I went with the size small. It fits him great and he still has a little bit of room to grow which has been doing very rapidly lately. Well, time to get the little guy to beddie and see if he likes his new sleep sac.

Cloth diapering day to day

What is my day to day routine with cloth diapering? When I decided to go the cloth diaper route I spent a lot of time online looking for advice. It is exciting that after a year of using cloth diapers that I actually have my own tips to share. There are many ways to take care of cloth diapers, but the basic principles are the same. Your baby wears the diaper, gets it dirty, you store it for a bit, wash it and then the cycle repeats many many times. Coming from a research background I look for the most efficient method that will produce the best results. I also like to simplify things so I don't take any special precautions when storing or washing the diapers.

Diaper supply
You will need about 24-36 cloth diapers, 4-6 diaper covers. I make hemp diapers and use pul diaper covers. I go through go through anywhere from 6-10 diapers per day. My little guy is a heavy wetter so he goes through a bit more than most babies do each day. I use the diaper covers more than once and hang them up to dry in between changing. I wash all the covers each time I do a load of diapers which is every 2-3 days.

Diaper changing and storage
I store the soiled diapers in a dry diaper pail. I don't add water or pre-soak the diapers. I use a 5 gallon plastic bucket with a pul liner. I made two bucket liners so when I have one in the wash I have another one ready for use. If the diaper is pee only then I take it off and throw it in the bucket. If it is poop then I shake off the solids in the toilet and it usually comes off fairly easy. If not I turn the diaper inside out swish a bit in the water. I then squirt the inside with Bac-Out Stain and Odor Eliminator from BioKleen which is enzyme based and helps break down the waste. I then toss the diaper in the bucket. The Bac-Out does a great job with controlling any odors in the bucket. I also use citrus circles deoderizers that I tape to the bucket lid.

Diaper washing
Once the pail is full I pull out the pail liner with the soiled diapers and bring it over to the washing machine. I dump the diapers and the pail liner into the washing machine. I use warm water and a scoop of BioKleen Premium Plus Laundry Detergent on the longest high agitation setting. Once the diapers are clean I hang them outside on a clothes line or dry them in the dryer. If I hang the diapers then I put them in the dryer for about ten minutes to soften them a bit.

How do you know if your diapers are clean?
The best way to tell if your diapers are clean is to smell them after they are washed. If you don't smell anything then they are ready for use. I do love the BioKleen products though and feel like they do a great job with cleaning and controlling any odors. If I have any stains on the diapers then I use Imse Vimse Wash Away Stain Soap. It works great and I use it on our clothes also.

That's about it for my diaper cleaning routine. Pretty simple and has worked great over the past year.

Recycled baby jeans

I made another pair of recycled baby pants for little guy. This time I used an old pair of my jeans. I used the monkey pants pattern again, but with additional modifications for non-stretch woven fabric. I got the pattern right this time and it worked out great. All the pieces went together very nicely and the pants turned out super cute. I am really excited to use the pattern again. I think I am going to try to make shorts next. Very cute and I love recycling fabric!

Fun summer top

I finished the Spring ruffle top that I made using the pattern and tutorial from Made by Rae. It turned out really cute and it fits great thanks to the custom tutorial. I started the top during spring top week and of course planned to get it done that week, but obviously that did not happen. I seem to be a bit behind on my sewing projects. However, I now have a sweet new top for summer. Thanks so much Rae for posting the pattern and tutorial!

Wheat bread

I made a vegan version of the split pan from Bread - the breads of the world and how to bake them at home by Christine Ingram and Jennie Shapter. The split pan is a basic white loaf recipe. I added whole wheat flour, ground flax and wheat gluten. I also used soy milk and dry yeast. Here is my version of the recipe.

3 cups unbleached white flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon wheat gluten
3 tablespoons ground flax
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 ounce envelope dried yeast
1 3/4 cups warm water
4 tablespoons warm soy milk

Add the yeast to the warm water. Add the salt, ground flax, flour and wheat gluten to a bowl. Make a well in the center and add in the water and yeast along soy milk. Cover the liquid with the flour mixture and let it sit for twenty minutes until bubbles appear. Mix to form a dough. Knead the dough for ten to fifteen minutes until smooth and elastic.

Let the dough rise in a warm place for an hour or two until it doubles in size. Spread a little olive oil on the top of the dough and cover it with a cotton cloth. After the first rise, knead the dough for a few minutes and then shape it into a round loaf. Place the loaf on bakers peel with a bit of cornmeal on the bottom. Cover with a cotton cloth and let the loaf rise for about a half an hour. Make four slashes on the top of the loaf, dust with a little flour and let it rise for an additional fifteen minutes.

Turn the oven to 450 F and put the loaf on a baking stone in the oven. Bake for fifteen minutes. Turn the oven down to 400 F and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until the loaf is done.

Recycled baby pants

We had an old pair of pants that he was going to give to Goodwill, so in true scavenger fashion I snatched the pants and decided to make a new pair for the little guy. The pants were pretty old and had holes, but with a little careful cutting I was able to make it work. I also used the inside fabric for the outside of his pants since it was in much better condition. I used the monkey pants pattern again but had to do a lot of modifications since the pattern is for stretch knits only. I had some problems with the gusset, but I was able to make it work and they turned out really cute. I am going to work on the pattern a bit more so it works better for non-stretch fabric. A friend gave me some really cute dyed fabric that is perfect for a pair of lightweight summer pants for the little guy.

Dyed hemp yarn

 I have lots of projects going so hope to post a bit more frequently over the next few weeks. The latest is yarn dyeing. I mentioned previously that I dye hemp fabric with fiber reactive dyes from Dharma Trading Company. I recently dyed hemp yarn using the same dyes and yarn dyeing instructions I found on their website. I used four different dye colors including avocado, wedgewood blue, yucca and jade green. I am really happy with how the skeins turned out and I can't wait to knit something for the little guy. I am working on a baby knicker pattern that I hope to post soon. The yarn will be perfect for a pair of pants for the little guy.

Happy First Birthday!

My little guy turned one today. I can't believe it has been a year already. The time has definitely gone by very fast. For his special day, I made him a wheat free banana oatmeal cake in a cute little heart pan. The cake is a variation on the Banana Oat Bundles from Vive Le Vegan by Dreena Burton. I substituted one cup of brown rice flour for the one cup oats. I also used one mashed banana that made about half a cup and then added a half a cup of soy yogurt. I left out the vanilla. The frosting is Tofutti Cream Cheese whipped with few teaspoons of maple syrup. It turned out really yummy! What a special day for my little sweetie!