If you've ever wanted to make cute cloth diapers, underwear or swimsuits, FOE (Fold-Over-Elastic) is the item for you! It makes that perfect, formfitting finish for leg openings & waists and means you don't have to sew in separate elastic, make casings or add extra trim. Such a time & money saver!!
The added bonus is you can really perk-up a plain item by adding a great contrasting color or fun print. This subdued yellow would have been boring by itself as a diaper cover, but when I added some fuchsia FOE: POW! It packs more punch:
The minute I discovered this hedgehog print FOE at FOE Your Diaper, I knew it would make an adorable cloth diaper. Seriously, how cute are these little guys snuffling along:
I had some golden butter colored PUL & brown bamboo velour, so I traced another diaper for general size and cut out my outer & inner fabrics. On the wrong side of the velour inner I stitched on some extra elastic about 1.5 inches inward from the leg area edges so I'd have built-in leg gussets. Then I added the FOE around the edge.
Sewing it on isn't hard, it just requires a little patience. As mentioned in yesterday's post, when edging with FOE you'll want to use a zig-zag stitch (preferably the "triple" one with 3 stitches per zig or zag). I also set my machine's stitch sizing to be 5.0 wide and 2.0 long. It takes a little practice, but it's best to just fold it along the edge as you sew (as opposed to pinning it). The stitch needs to be close to the open edge so the elastic won't roll with wear.
When sewing with a non-stretch fabric (like PUL, quilting cotton, corduroy) and you want the area to have some "give" or be more fitted, like a waistband or leg hole, you'll want to stretch the elastic all the way out as you sew those parts. For this diaper I stretched it in the leg area and around the back of the waist.
Then I set my snaps (which in retrospect, are easier to do before everything is sewn together) and my lil' hedgy diaper was ready! It works really well and has that custom look without lots of custom work.
Want to make your own stylish creations with FOE? Head over & enter the giveaway for a $50 gift certificate to FOE Your Diaper. Click HERE to get to your chance to win!
Sharing this with my FAVE LINK PARTIES too so check them out HERE!
I think it's important to note (because I've made this mistake before) to not use the satin finish FOE on diapers. It's not as elastic-ie (I know it's not a word but it really does describe it!) and it won't give as good of a stretch as you need around the leg holes. I used it on one of my son's diapers and not only was it not as stretchy as it needed to be but it also snaggs much easier then the matte finish. The stain finish is better on other things, but not diapers.
ReplyDeleteBeth - that's a great note. The ones used in all the projects I've shown are the Plush, not the Shiny Satin. 99% of what FOE Your DIaper carries is the plush, so no worries on getting the wrong one there!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sending the link to your tutorial to my friend with twins who's looking to go these types of diapers. THANKS!
ReplyDeleteThose look fantastic. I was tempted to try fabric diapers with my kids, but never dared!
ReplyDeleteWhy couldn't I find great FOE like this when my kids were in diapers! Cloth diapers are wonderful...even more so when they are cute!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a cloth diaper kind of gal, but these are sure cute! Thanks for linking up to Topsy Turvy Tuesday's.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so I used the FOE on my all-in-one diapers, and the FOE absorbs the wetness and brings it outside the diaper. :( Any suggestions on what I might have done wrong?
ReplyDeleteHmm, I've never had that happen...here are a few suggestions:
Delete- Make sure you're using PUL as the outer (and not as a hidden layer behind regular cotton).
- Don't use pins to hold the fabrics together - you want a minimal amount of holes in your fabric - just what you need to stitch the FOE on.
- Make sure the absorbant material inside is enough for your needs - a lot of people use a few layers of flannel or cotton, which is ok for some, but I've never found to be absorbant enough for my heavy-wetter kids.
- Wash the finished diaper and put in dryer on high before using. You'll want to make sure there's no build-up of any factory detergents already on the fabric or FOE and the high heat of the dryer helps to seal the needle holes around the thread.
Hope these help - I'll be sharing an FOE training pant project in the coming weeks, so that may give you more info too.
When I say volunteer, I mean that you did not insist that you be taken to the restroom but happily let the attendants put diapers on you when you were not medically incontinnet. Vežimėlis Skėtukas
ReplyDelete