A few changes in the diaper cleaning routine

I wrote about how I cloth diaper on a day to day basis a while back. It was around the time when he turned one and I felt I had enough experience to write down my routine. My diapering routine is about the same now with a few recent changes. I finally purchased a diaper sprayer. Woohoo! I am not sure why I waited so long. I guess I felt like it was a luxury and I didn't really need one. However now that I have one, I don't think I would give it up too easily. It is really nice and helps a lot with diaper cleaning. I won't elaborate too much, but the diapers have been a bit more messy lately. I have found also that I don't need to use the BioKleen Bac-Out too much anymore since I rinse the diapers pretty well before putting them in the pail. The only drawback though is that I do use a bit more water, so we will see how much once we get our next bill.

I bought a BumGenius diaper sprayer at Kelly's Closet and received free shipping so that was really great. I was going to make one from a kitchen sprayer. I have seen diy info for making your own diaper sprayer or bidet online, but when I priced it all out it was only about $10 cheaper and the one I bought is a lot nicer than anything I could have put together. It has a variable flow including an off position. The tubing is standard size also and can be easily replaced. It also works great for cleaning the toilet. It is sort of funny now, but we are excited about using it if that is the correct description. Who would have thought that something that attaches to your toilet could be so exciting? The little guy finds it a bit exciting also so I am glad I can turn it off easily. I am sure my little squirrel is going to figure it out soon, but for now he hasn't made the connection with the handle.

Another recent change in the diaper routine is the detergent. I am now using Charlies Soap. It is a bit more economical than the BioKleen. Also since I make most of the little guys hemp diapers with a sewn in microfleece liner, I find the Charlies Soap works better since it has no additives. I have changed all of our laundry now and wash everything with Charlies Soap. That goes also for anything I sell through the business. It will all be washed using Charlies Soap. It is a really great product and makes all of our laundry really soft.

So that is it for changes so far. I still love my cloth diapers!

Recycled long sleeve toddler tee and jeans

I finally purchased an issue of Ottobre Design. I bought the Winter 2009 issue and I love the patterns. They are fun, cute and have a good selection for boys. I actually grew up with Burda patterns, so I am familiar with tracing patterns from a magazine. I haven't done it in a while so it is fun to start again and in particular to make clothes for my little guy. I rarely have a lack of inspiration from all the ideas online. In particular, I love all the applique and stenciled t-shirts I have seen lately. How fun to take a basic t-shirt and put something really quirky on the front. All you have to do is add a pair of jeans or even better some funky knit pants and your little guy is all set. Overall I have to say that making clothes for him has been really fun. My only constraint has been having time to make everything.

So what I have I made lately? I made the long sleeve t-shirt from the Ottobre magazine. I used a pieces from two recycled t-shirts from the thrift store. I made a few bloopers, but it still turned out pretty good. I forgot to add seam allowance to the cuffs so they are a bit shorter than in the magazine pictures. I also decided to add buttons on the top instead of snaps. I completely botched the buttonholes on the first try. I haven't made buttonholes with my machine in a long time and they turned out really horrible. I wound up putting a patch of fabric over the top and reversing the placket. I then tried the buttonholes again and they turned fine. The shirt actually came together really quickly with the exception of the buttonholes. I also tried out the Teeny Pants pattern with woven fabric. I found a pair of dark jeans at the thrift store and used those to make the pants. The only differences I made in the pattern is that I added a half an inch seam allowance to allow more movement and I didn't cut separate cuffs. I wasn't sure if the gusset would work since it is sized larger to accommodate the diapers. However since the fabric is cut on the bias it gives a little bit of stretch and the gusset fit fine. So it good to know that I can use either stretch or woven fabric for making pants for the business. The outfit turned out pretty cute overall.

Fancy diaper cover

I took a break from diaper making and made a diaper cover. It is made with a layer of pul fabric and a layer of cotton print. I made it with the same diaper pattern except I added an extra half an inch seam allowance. I got a bit fancy and covered the leg seams with the pul fabric to help with moisture control. It is fun to have print diaper cover since all the other ones I have are solid. It works pretty well overall, but not quite as well the double layer of pul. I did have some problems with moisture wicking even though I covered the legs. He likes it a lot though and doesn't like to wear pants whenever he has on his snazzy cover.

Dyed hemp fleece diapers

I dyed some of the hemp jersey fabric with low impact fiber reactive dyes and made a few more diaper samples. The hemp jersey dyes beautifully. I purchased the dyes from Dharma Trading Company. The fiber reactive dyes are low impact because they bind really well to the fabric and therefore less dye to go down the drain. The dye is set with soda ash which is basically a ph adjuster. I have used the fiber reactive dyes on hemp fabric for many years and I love all the wonderful colors available in the Dharma line. The diapers were made with one layer of dyed hemp jersey on the outside and one layer of hemp fleece on the inside. I lined the larger avocado diaper with microfleece. The smaller one I left with the hemp fleece liner. It is going to a friend of ours who just had a baby boy. We are going over to visit tonight and bring lentil soup and corn muffins so will be a fun evening.

Natural Violet is up and running

I am finally starting Natural Violet again after about a two year break. I think the last time I sold through Natural Violet was at a Holiday Market when I was about 4 months pregnant with the little guy. It has definitely been a long time. I started this blog originally to get myself going again with crafting and hoping that would lead to starting up the business again. It has definitely helped to blog about my crafting adventures and I think it was the boost I needed to get everything going again. I really love crafting and have enjoyed selling through my home business. It is so great to be able to make thing for others and help out my family as well.

The direction of the new Natural Violet is towards baby crafting. I am going to make organic cotton and hemp cloth diapers with inserts and other fun diapering accessories. I am also going to make baby clothing from organic cotton and hemp fabric as well as recycled fabric. I am going continue with the quilt making. I hope to incorporate as much green fabric into my products as possible.

The new website is up for viewing at Natural Violet. It is really basic but covers all the bases. I am going to sell through Etsy for now and hopefully at local craft shows. I am still fine tuning a few patterns and hope to have some items in the Etsy shop soon. For now, I will keep the blog updated with my product making adventures. Lots of diapers and Teeny Pants on the way.

Another cottage loaf

I made a cottage loaf this weekend. I used a third whole wheat and the rest white flour. I recently bought fresh yeast which is a really good deal cost wise if you bake a lot. I found the fresh cake yeast at the Whole Foods bakery. I used 0.75 ounces of fresh yeast instead of the freeze dried package. I mixed it with the liquids and let it sit a bit before I mixed everything else together. The bread turned out great. The only problem with the cake yeast is it is very perishable and needs to be used within a few weeks or less. I have seen a few estimates for shelf life online. It can also be frozen, but I haven't had good results so far. It is probably because I forget about the yeast and it stays in the freezer way too long. Anyway, it produced a really nice bread with and great texture.

Teeny pants - more recycled t-shirt pants

I have gone through a few iterations of the "Teeny pants". That is my new name for the recycled t-shirt pants. I am sure it is not extremely original, but it is cute and fits the pants. So I have made the Teeny pants with both an upward and a downward curving gusset or a smiley and frowny face. Sorry, more cute terms. I have also worked on giving room in the seat portion for movement and diapers. I originally tried making the waistband curved to allow more room, but found it difficult to sew in the the elastic casing with a curved seam. I switched to allowing more curve in the gusset and it works great. The only difficulty is I am not sure if the pattern will work for non-stretch fabric since the gusset portion is a little larger than the bottom back. Well, only one way to find out, so that might be my next project. I also worked on the cuffs and they fold great in the final pattern. I like having cuffs of course since he is growing out of his pants so fast in length it is amazing. So here is my latest and I think final version of the Teeny pants. I have also included pictures of the other pattern styles I have tried during the process.

Red velvet recycled diaper

I have been sewing lots of stuff for the little guy during the many snow days we have had over the past week or so. I found a pair of bright red cotton stretch velvet pants at the local thrift store and I decided to use the fabric to make another recycled diaper. I turned and stitched this diaper instead of using zig zag edge. The pattern is the same as for the recycled t-shirt diaper. The diaper is really plush and fits great. I use Snappis to close it, but it also works without closures if I use a close fitting cover. I used the red cotton velour on the outside and a layer of hemp knit and recycled fleece on the inside. I have to say the cotton stretch velvet makes a really fabulous diaper. I also made a new insert using organic cotton and hemp jersey. The insert is 15" x 13" and is three layers of fabric. I rounded the edges and used a fancy stretch stitch to sew it together. I also sewed down the middle to secure the layers. I fold it in thirds and it fits perfectly in the pocket.

Snow coconut cream

We got a lot more snow this weekend and I love it. It has been a lot of fun and reminds me of being a kid up in snowy western NY. We are supposed to get a few more inches tomorrow which is very exciting. Little guy has really taken to the snow and is having as much fun as his mom in the winter wonderland. We spent a lot of time shoveling yesterday to get the car out and also to build a sledding run in the back. It turned out great and the little guy made his mother proud when he went down it by himself. He laughed the whole way and at the bottom all he said was, "More, more". A friend of mine posted about how she was going to make snow ice cream. I looked up a few recipes on the web and decided to try it out myself. It is basically milk, sugar and lots of snow. I made a vegan version using coconut milk, sugar and vanilla. It turned out really good and tastes like a coconut slushy. Here is the recipe. It is definitely worth making the next time you get a good snow storm.

Coconut snow cream

Place a large bowl out in the yard when it starts snowing to collect fresh snow.

1 can of whole coconut milk
1 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
A lot of fresh snow

Blend the coconut milk, sugar and vanilla together in a food processor or blender to dissolve the sugar. Add snow until you get to the desired thickness. Whatever is left over can be placed in the freezer.

Reusable baby wipes

Cloth baby wipes are very easy to make. They can be made from any absorbent fabric scraps you have in your stash. They are also really cost effective and simple to clean if you are already using cloth diapers. I throw the baby wipes in pail with the cloth diapers and wash them at the same time. I made a few more recently to add to the pile. These are made from a flannel receiving blanket and a baby hooded towel. I used the flannel on one side and the terry cloth on the other. I cut the wipes about the same size as the ones you buy. They measure about 7 x 8.5 inches. I put the two layers together and finished the edges with a closed zig zag stitch. I fold the wipes in half and stach them in a regular wipe container. I add a simple herbal wipe solution and presto I have my own reusable baby wipes.

Herbal baby wipe solution

2 cups distilled H20
1 teaspoon baby body wash ( I like California Baby or Baby Oh Baby)
1 teaspoon oil (I use almond, apricot kernel or sunflower oil)

Snow and lots of sewing

We just got close to another foot of snow in central Virginia. It has been really amazing around here with respect to snow. I think that puts our total up to about 3 feet of snow that we have gotten this year. I love snow and should probably live in Vermont instead of Virginia. The snow this time is totally amazing though. It is perfect powder or at least as perfect as I have ever seen. It is super fluffy and beautiful in the sunlight. So I went out early this morning and took a few photos of natures glory.

I made another pair of the recycled t-shirt pants. I am getting really close to finishing the pattern so very excited. I also made pumpkin mini muffins for my little guy. I finally bought a mini muffin pan for him. He can of course eat the big muffins, but I think it is fun for him to have muffins that are his size. I am off to bake a bit more before he rises from his slumber and then we are out in the snow for this afternoon since it is warming up a bit.