Recycled fleece pocket diaper

I started making the recycled fleece pocket diapers. I make them out of recycled soda pop bottle fleece that I purchased online at Malden Mills. I use lady bug red microfleece for the diaper lining and black heather 200 weight fleece for the outer fabric. I changed the diaper pattern a bit and added external velcro tabs to allow for growth. They should fit for a while and fit very securely with the external tabs. The all fleece diapers are super soft and work great. I use them mainly for sleep time now, but plan on using them more during the day as the weather gets cooler. I use the same quick dry soaker pad made of hemp jersey as for the other pocket diapers and no leaks or accidents. The new diapers are very easy to wash and dry quickly so another bonus. He is also very comfy in the stay dry lining so they are working out well.

Hemp pocket diaper with microfleece liner

Here is a quick dry version of my hemp fitted diaper. I really like the hemp material, but it does take a while to dry. I used my own diaper pattern (download at nvdiaper01 and nvdiaper02) and made it same way as in the diaper tutorial except I omitted the soaker pad and left the top open to form a pocket diaper. I made a quick dry hemp insert for the soaker pad. I also left off the fleece liner and made a separate stay dry liner in an hour glass shape. I am going to make a few more to add to the diaper pile. They dry really quick and are super absorbant. I also like the separate fleece liner. It is a snap to take out when things get a little messy. The only trade off is that it tends to shift a bit after he wears the diaper for a while, so there is potential for the rest of the diaper to get a bit messy also. Great diaper though and definitely quick drying.

Green shorties

I made another pair of the baby shorties using two skeins of Lily Sugar & Creme Stripes cotton yarn. I decided to switch things up a bit and did the three needle bind off to the outside of the back of the shorts to form a ridge. I have been getting lots of nice comments about the shorties and boy bloomers so if I can get things going I may try to make them to sell. I can order natural organic cotton and bamboo yarn at Dharma Trading to dye in all sorts of fun colors. Well, something to think about for next summer. I just realized it is August already and the little guy really needs clothes for the Fall. I am still getting used to the idea that if I make something for him that he an only wear it for a limited time. Sort of funny actually. Well, time to get busy on the Fall wardrobe.

Ruffled hemp skirt

I finally made a skirt this summer. I love wearing skirts. They are so comfortable when it gets hot outside. I made this one out of hemp material that I dyed with a Procion dye in wedgewood blue. I didn't use a pattern. I used my own formula to come up with the pattern pieces. I basically wanted an a-line skirt with a ruffle so pretty simple to construct. I actually made the skirt first and then dyed it after. I also threw in a few white t-shirts along with a few old towels that I used to make the reusable facial puffs in the previous post. I forgot how fun it is to dye and a great way to spruce up old towels. I am already planning my next dye adventure.

Ruffle skirt formula

Round measurements to the nearest half inch.

Hip measurement at the widest point + 2 inches divided by 2 = A
Length of skirt desired minus ruffle + 2 inches = B
Length of ruffle + 1 inch = C

Cut two trapezoids that measure A on the top, (A*1/3 + A) on the bottom and B height.
Cut two rectangles that are C height and 2*(A*1/3 + A) length.

Zig zag the edges of all of the pieces. Sew the sides of the skirt together. Make a casing on the top that is 1.5 inches and add elastic for your waist. Sew the sides of the ruffle together and gather to fit the bottom of the skirt. Attach the ruffle to the skirt. Sew the hem.

Reusable facial puffs

I typically use a wash cloth for cleaning my face, but thought it would be very nice to have something smaller that was also washable. When I was a graduate student I made my own facial puffs out of old towels and scraps of polar fleece. I was making recycled fleece hats at the time and had a lot of fleece scraps. I was also in the mode of being frugal and reusing as much as possible so from that came the idea for making reusuable cotton balls. I currently have a lot of little scraps of micro fleece left over from making the diapers so perfect for making the puffs. I like using the polar fleece for the inside of the puffs since it doesn't absorb the water and stays fluffy when wet. I dyed an old bath towel using a Procion dye in wedgewood blue. I also dyed a few shirts for the little guy a and a cute little hemp skirt that I will post about soon. I didn't need to dye the towel, but I was doing a dye batch anyway and thought it would be fun to have nicely colored puffs. I use the puffs the same way as I would cotton balls. After I use one, I put it in a bag and then throw them all in the regular laundry load.

Reusable facial puffs

Materials: Scraps of polar fleece and cotton terry cloth. The puffs can be any size or shape. I make mine circular with a 3 inch diameter.

1. Cut two circular pieces of terry cloth. Cut two pieces of micro fleece or one piece of 200 or higher weight polar fleece.


2. Sandwich the layers together with the terry cloth on the outside and the micro fleece on the inside. Sew the layers together using a zig zag or decorative stitch.