Recycled black velour training pants

Just in time for Halloween I made the little guy black training pants. I like the style quite a bit and it is easy for him to pull on and off. The trainer is made from a pair of recycled black cotton velour pants I found a thrift store. I used black velour for the outside and lined the trainer with recycled power stretch fleece. I used scraps of green knit fabric for the waist band. I made a scoop pocket in the front and used fold over elastic to bind the edge. The insert is made with four layers of hemp fleece. I have enough fabric to make a few more trainers and try out a few more patterns.

Tangerine hemp fleece diaper

I dyed a few yards of the hemp fleece in a beautiful tangerine orange. I used the fabric to make a side snapping pocket diaper. I used the free Tighty Whitey Hipster pattern from Little Comet Tails. It is a really nice pattern and comes in a variety of sizes. I find it fits my little guy really well around the legs and it is easy to put on since it is side snapping. I extended the leg elastic a few inches to make a more secure fit. I also added a pocket to the front for adding the insert. I used hemp fleece on the outside and power stretch micro fleece on the inside of the diaper. I changed the size of the insert a bit and made it hour glass shape. It is made from four layers of hemp fleece. It works great and dries pretty quickly.

T-shirt diaper or training pant

The little guy is doing well with potty training. When we are home he usually runs around the house with no diaper and does very well with making it to the potty. I put him in a regular diaper when we are out and about and he is starting to go to the bathroom more often. I find the training pants style diapers work great when we are out and are pretty easy to put on him when he is standing as compared to his regular diapers so definitely a bonus. He very rarely lays down these days for a change so having diapers that I can pull on and off easily is very nice. I used recycled t-shirts and hemp fleece to make the diaper. I lined the lower half of the diaper with recycled power stretch microfleece and left the upper portion in hemp fleece. I added a pocket to the diaper so I can customize the absorbency. I made an insert out of four layers of hemp fleece. It snaps on the side and can also be pulled up and down.

Swim diaper

Yes, summer is pretty much over and I made the swim diapers for the little guy many months ago, but I thought it would be fun to post about them anyway. He is actually taking swim lessons through the city and the spray grounds are still open here so he is still putting them to good use. I decided to make new swim diapers for him because I was using the pocket diapers with no liner and they are just too big. I wanted to make something for him that was closer fitting and wasn't too bulky under his swim trunks. I might have made them a bit too small since it is unlikely he will be able to use them next year, but since he is growing so fast it was probably unlikely anyway. I made the swim diaper using the free cover pattern from Chloe Toes. I used a size small since the pattern runs a bit large. I used aqua pul for the outside and recycled microfleece for the inside. I used fold over elastic for the edges and plastic snaps for the closure.

Lazy Daze is coming up soon.

At the end of this month I am doing my first craft show since the little guy was born. I am selling at Lazy Daze in Cary, N.C. and the show is on August 28th from 9am-5pm. It is a fairly large craft show and I have gone in years past. I have been putting most of my effort into sewing stuff for the show and have been woefully lazy with posting on the blog. My apologies and I hope to post more fun stuff soon. For now, here are some pictures of my latest creations for the show. I am really excited about the wristlets made from recycled pants. I came up with two easy patterns and I hope to post about it soon.

Lavender laundry detergent

I have seen a few posts on how to make your own laundry detergent. Since I love a good home chemistry experiment, I decided to make a batch. I should clarify and say that I am really mixing my own laundry detergent since I am not making the soap. Either way, it is pretty fun to do and very cost effective. I made a concentrated laundry powder using liquid lavender castile soap, vinegar, borax, washing soda and baking soda. I based my mix on the powdered laundry detergent recipe I found at The Diaper Jungle. The only difference with my mix is I add an extra cup of borax. The mixture initially was a thick paste and after about an hour or so it turned into a nice powder. It takes quite a bit of stirring to remove all the clumps and the mixture does heat up from the combination of the vinegar and baking soda so be a little careful. I do love the way the detergent smells and that is based on the type of soap you use so pick something you really like. I love lavender and the lavender castile soap is really fragrant and nice.

I am currently using the homemade detergent to wash the diapers and it is working well so far. I only use a third of cup per full load and not a half as shown in the recipe. I have seen notes about the homemade detergents causing build up, but that hasn't been a problem so far. It should be noted that most of my diapers are made of hemp and other natural materials. I have a few bumgenius aio's, but I don't use them all time so only time will tell if the detergent is a problem with the all synthetic diapers.

Aqua hemp fleece diapers

A good friend of mine had a beautiful little boy a little while ago. I made two diapers for her out of the aqua dyed hemp fleece. I lined the diapers with recycled Polartec stretch microfleece. I made the soaker out of three layers of hemp fleece and sewed it to the liner so no stuffing required. I did keep a pocket on the top so she can add more absorbency. I also made a burp cloth and matching bib set. I really love the aqua color and the fabric is so soft. I used my snap pliers and again and have to say I really love the snap diapers. I am in the process of making a few new ones for the little guy also. I love new diapers and can't help but make a few more for my little guy.

Hemp fleece sleep sac

I made a summer sleep sac for the little guy out the hemp and organic cotton fleece. I used his winter sleep sac as a pattern and added a few inches to the bottom. I made this one sleeveless of course since it is for summer time. I got a chance to use my lovely snap pliers again and put a row of snaps on the front. It is super soft and comfy for sleeping.

Japanese sewing book

The Japanese sewing book I ordered last week came in the mail today and I am super excited. I ordered the pattern book through Pomadour's Craft Cafe on etsy. Great place to buy the sewing books. I received the pattern book from Japan in a little over a week so great customer service. I am so excited to get sewing. The pattern book I bought is One Day Sewing Summer Clothes. I ordered a fairly simple pattern book to start out since it is all in Japanese. The diagrams are very detailed though so I don't think I will have any problems. I am off to cut out my first pattern while the little guy naps. Exciting!

Hemp linen dress

I recently dyed hemp linen fabric in a light Jade Green using the fiber reactive dyes from Dharma Trading Company. I love hemp linen in the summer time. It is so comfortable to wear when it is hot. It drapes really nicely and creates wonderful flowing skirts and dresses. It is a real treat to wear and makes me feel a little less sticky in the humid summertime. I used two patterns to make this dress including Style 2914 and New Look 6953. I started out making a long skirt and made it too tight in the hips so I decided to add a bodice and turn it into a dress. I made it knee length originally and then added the bottom ruffle since I had a bit of fabric left over. It is perfect to wear to the park with my little guy.

Happy 2nd Birthday!

My little guy turned 2 years old! I have so many wonderful memories of him over the past two years. The time has gone by quickly , but I also feel like we have packed in so much wonderful time together over these past two years. I wanted his birthday to be really special this year. Last year we all had stomach flu so I definitely wanted to celebrate big this year since we are all healthy. We had a wonderful birthday party last Saturday at a local park. I found clip art images online at Scrapping Doodles and let him pick the theme. He really liked the robots so we had an outer space party with martian headbands, t-shirts and cupcakes. I made everything myself and it was pretty easy to get it all together once I found all the images. For the table, I enlarged some of the images, cut them out and put them on top of white paper. For the favors I made crayon rolls filled with soy crayons from Stubby Pencils Studio. Everyone had a fun time coloring on the table. I made the maple cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World and they were super yummy. I have the say the party was pretty perfect and my little guy had a wonderful time.