My  Nappy pattern and sewing guide

I thought I'd share my pattern and sewing guide with anyone who is interested.  I know there are several websites that give instructions on how to sew up a nappy, but I figured I'd write this up anyway. Start by downloading a pattern or creating one yourself.  I started off with the wee weeka pattern with gussets... which I made larger.  Then I fiddled with it a bit, then fiddled with the fiddled version to get the pattern available below (which I've since fiddled with some more) My pattern is for a pocket, but you can make it into a fitted (you can narrow the crotch if you're not going to be stuffing it).

If making your own pattern, decide on a crotch width you like (remembering that while a narrow crotch will be more comfortable, it needs to be able to be stuffed so can't be too narrow - and the amount of bulk in the crotch will be more determined by the width of any stuffing than the actual nappy... About 12cm {in the finished nappy) is what I use. Then work out the length you want the nappy to be... it should well and truely cover the "bum crack" at the back!  From about the small of the back to a bit under the belly button is good.  Then work out the width around the tummy.  You'll be wanting to add plenty of room to expand, but basically I make the front of the nappy (which is under the tabs that "velcro" closed) wrap around from about halfway from the child's side around - which makes the laundering tabs covered for comfort.  The back of the nappy (which includes the fastening tabs) I make is mainly defined by the width of the fabric I'm using, but basically if making it for your child, its about as long as the child's waist measurement .  You could have these longer and include a piece of loop tape on one side of the tab to allow the tabs to overlap..... but I don't like to.
 

Nappy Pattern - (size large)
Designed for my decently built 2 year old, fits a 1 year old, and fits a 4 years old.  I think the crotch may be a little wide in this pattern (I often move the pattern off the fabric a bit on the fold line to narrow the crotch a bit and fiddled a bit with the pattern I use now).  To make the whole pattern smaller you could simply shift the pattern down off the fold slightly to narrow it,  and to shorten the length, take some out in the place where the pattern pieces join (if that makes sense)... one day I'll upload my smaller pattern.....

I've made it in 3 image files Pattern piece 1 | Pattern Piece 2 | Pattern piece 3 (Cut from scraps)  I've marked a small seam allowance because thats what I normally use, but you could safely add twice that and still have a well fitting nappy.  (The tabs will be thinner though).  I've marked where you would put the hook and loop tape, though I actually use longer pieces for the tabs (I wasn't thinking when I did the pic).  I included a reference 1cm so make sure the printed pieces match this scale, as some printers seem to make them smaller or bigger...

Just print them out and you'll need to stick 3 pieces together from the first 2 pattern pieces to form the pattern (since it doesn't fit on one sheet of paper.)  The 3rd pattern piece is an optional fleece part in the back of the nappy (more on that later).  So your stuck together nappy pattern should look like this:

Nappy Sewing Guides
Basic Pocket - back opening - PUL outer, Fleece Inner - Hook&Loop fastening
Semi AIO/Fitted pocket - back opening - flannel outer, hidden waterproofing, Fleece Inner - Hook&Loop fastening
Shaped Snap-up Hemp Booster
Knitted nappy cover (soaker)

Basic Pocket - back opening - PUL outer, Fleece Inner - Hook&Loop fastening
If you are using my pattern, I've marked a small seam allowance because thats what I normally use, but you could safely add twice that and still have a well fitting nappy.  (The tabs will be thinner though so you might want to make the pattern wider).  I've marked where you would put the hook and loop tape, though I actually use longer pieces for the tabs.

Step one - Cut out your fabrics.

Fold your PUL in half.  If using a nappy cut, it may be square or rectangular so make the fold on the longest side (if that makes sense).  You may find you don't have enough length for the tabs.  A little less will still fit ok for a slimmer child or under 4, but if you want the nappy for a larger/older child, or the cut is quite narrow, then you might need that extra length, which you can take from the scraps.  You can see I did that on the nappy above.  You can safely join the PUL on the tabs, it won't cause wicking problems or anything, though you will get a join obviously.  I ususlly cover that join with a pretty piece of fabric appliqued on.

Now..... you have 3 options for how you want to finish off the back.

1). Simply cut both the PUL and the Fleece layers out using the line I marked as being the one to use if you aren't hemming it (eg not including that extra piece).  Neither fabrics will fray so you don't have to edge them.  But this doesn't make a nice finish... putting FOE on them gathers them in and finishes them off.

2). Cut both the PUL and the Fleece layers out including that extra piece.... which will fold over to become casing to hold elastic and give the edge a nice rolled over finish.

3). Cut the PUL out without the extra piece, Cut the fleece out with that extra piece and cut the semi circle shape piece (from the optional pattern piece).  The fleece is made as a casing for elastic and the extra scrap of fleece is sewn to the PUL piece which then forms a flap that you use to keep the stuffing inside the pocket, so that you don't see the inside of the PUL and so that it gives a nice finish.

So... On to making the nappy.

Step two - Sew the hook and loop tape on / or snap the front.

If using hook and loop, cut a section of loop tape almost as long as the front  of the nappy (the shorter tabby end).  Leave plenty of room for seams and sew this on.  You do this first so that the nappy can be stuffed right to the front. If snapping you might lke to put an extra offcut of fabric (eg PUL) in there to give the snaps more reinforcing.  Or you can snap them once the nappy  is sewn up, but you won't be able to snap right to the front if you do it like that.

You can sew the laundry tabs and hook pieces on while the nappy is not sewn together - this gives you nicer look on the outside, with no stitching showing where the hook and loop is sewn on, but I find I like the extra reinforcing that sewing them after gives - so I prefer to sew it on after - but its up to you.

Step three - Pin together.

If you keep the pins within the seam allowance you shouldn't have any wicking problems.  You can also use mini-craft pegs or normal pegs.
 

Place the PUL and fleece layers with good side together.  If you are adding that extra fleece flap, find the centre of the back of the nappy and the centre of the flap (which is shown laying on top of the nappy pieces left).  Pin the scrap between the fleece and PUL, with the good side of the scrap touching the good/non-shiny side of the PUL.  So you should have fleece (facing up), fleece (facing up), PUL facing down. On that pic I forgot to cut it out with the extra casing section allowance - oops, but the nappy finished off ok without it.

Sew all around the edge of the nappy, from where the scrap starts - around the nappy to where it ends... so that you've left an opening where that scrap is - This is the pocket opening.

Then, making sure you sew only the PUL and scrap piece, sew that together.  I hope that makes sense (I forgot to take a pic of it).
 

Step three - Elastic.

Now you'll need to add elastic.  You'll have to experiment with the amount you need (depends on the stretch of the elastic you use), but basically you want to have it so that you are pulling it pretty much as tight as it will go when you sew it on.  The shorter the elastic the more gathered it will be in the leg and therefore a snugger fit and less leaks.  I've marked the elastic placements on the pattern, but you can start and stop them anywhere.  Just make sure its the same on each side or it will look funny.

I use a "zig zag" stitch and I pin the elastic at the start and end point.... and in the middle too if ita a long stretch I'm doing.  Then I place the needle in the elastic and do a few stitches in the same place to secure it, then I hold the middle point (where I pinned) and pull the elastic (and fabric underneath) tight and run my zig zag stitch along the elastic, making sure I am catching the fabric underneath.  Then as I get close to the middle, I hold the end point and continue sewing it stretched to the end... where I secure it again with stitches in the same spot.
 
 

I used FOE on this nappy as I ran out of normal stuff...   The elastic should go from the bottom part of the front tabs, to the similar point on the back wings.... to make a nice elasticated nappy. So you should now end up with something looking like the picture.  I don't bother "zig zagging" the edges of the nappy as it won't fray. (Though now I use the overlocker).

You should add elastic in the back too, so that any squidgy poos can't easily escape up the back of the nappy!  You'll want that on both pieces too.... So... PUL side first.  Simply take a piece of elastic and sew it along the seam of the PUL and Fleece flap with a gather (Stretch the elastic tight like with the leg).  For a neater look I like to use FOE (fold over elastic) on the seam, so then you don't see stitching on the outside of the nappy.  This can be just a small piece in the centre or a large piece gently gathered along the whole piece.  Then you can fold the scrap over to cover this elastic.  (see, isn't that a nice neat edge!).  If you like you can sew that down to stop that lifting up again (if you do so, a straight stitch will be ok, just do it under the elastic and pull the fabric tight as you do it so you keep the stretch).

For the fleece side you now need to add the elastic using that extra tab part on the pattern. (which I didn't do so we are imagining it). What you want to do is have a gentle gather, so cut a piece of elastic just a touch shorter than the length of that extra piece in the pattern - so that when it stretches to that length it makes a slight gather.  Sew this on so that the bottom edge of the elastic is level with the edge of the rest of the back piece (I pin both ends then pull it tight as I run the "zig zag" stitch down it to sew it down).  Then fold the fleece over so that the elastic is turned over and the whole thing is flat across the back, and sew that down (pulling the fabric taught so it will still stretch).  That is probably a really bad description of that step, but I'm sure you'll understand what I mean when you have the piece in front of you.

What you should end up with is a slightly gathered turned over edge that looks nice and neat.   Once done, turn it inside out and you should have something looking like the pic to the right.  Now, you could leave it like that (assuming you'd already sewn on the hook&loop tape), but its nice to topstitch it to give it a nice finished edge.

Top stitching is where you simply run a line of stitching close to the edge of the item.  This gives a neat edge and stops the fleece rolling out.  It sort of holds it all together.  As you can see from the pic on the right, it makes a huge difference!  When doing this, I like to use a different thread and bobbin colour.  On this nappy here for example I used a pink bobbin and a purple thread.... so that on the outside, on the purple PUL there is purple stitching, and on the inside fleece, there is pink thread.

But, if you like the effect of the soft fleece rolled out leg hole, you can't top stitch around the leg holes.  The nappy on the right (the floral one) has no top stitching around the leg holes.  See how the fleece rolls over.  This will create a lovely soft leg hole for the bub.  The nappy on the far right (the fairy one) was top stitched all around.  It gives a neater looking finish for the leg holes, but won't then be as soft, as the resulting seam might chafe a little. So I simply top stitch around the nappy, but stop at the elastic parts.  Best of both worlds!

OK... so the nappy is now top stitched... if you haven't sewn the hook&loop tape on, now is the time to do so.  I like to pin it on with plenty of pins.  It tends to shift around if you don't.  I like to have basically the whole front covered, for maximum adjusting, and good large sections of hook tape on the tabs.  I also make the laundering tabs the same size as the hook tape.  I like to round the ends to remove scratchy pointy ends that may irritate. ---What are these laundry tabs I keep talking about?  The idea is that when you go to wash the nappy you fold the hook tape on the tabs onto a piece of loop tape next to it, so that the nappy doesn't stick to things in the wash (and stops the hook gathering fluff).---

Think about the colour of thread you use too....  Like with the top stitching, you can make the stitching almost invisible with clever choices of threads.  This is especially important when you sew the hook&loop tape on after the nappy is sewn up, as you will see the sewing lines from the tabs on the front of the nappy.  I don't like to see it, so I've covered it on a lot of the nappies I have made.  It is less noticable when it is a good colour match to the nappy. For this nappy I used a dark purple thread on the PUL side, a pink thread on the fleece side and a lavender thread on the tape.  So I used a lavender thread and purple bobbin to sew the tape on the tabs (because the bobbin thread shows on the PUL side), and a lavender thread and pink bobbin for sewing on the front loop tape (because the bobbin shows on the fleece side here). A great look for the few seconds it takes to change bobbin and thread colours!  See -->

YAY you've finished!  Yoiu'd think I could have taken a better shot of the nappy!  Nevermind. If you are like me and don't especially like the way you can see the stitching where the hook and laundry tabs were placed, you might like to do something nifty with those tabs.  Like the "Baa nappy" to the right, (That was a different nappy pattern - that's why its wider in the crotch) you can find some nice printed fabric (of any kind) and cut out a picture the right size and sew that on.  If you have an overlocker thats good - overlock the printed fabric then use a straight stitch to sew it to the nappy.  If not, choose a long but close together zig zag for a neater finish.  You can use the zig zag to sew it to the nappy, but my sewing machine doesn't like sewing through the hook&loop tapes like that, but it does work. So it might be better to zig zag/overlock it first, then sew it on.  Just remember to choose fabric that has pictures that will face in opposite directions.  Flannelette - like I used on that, will fade over time... so polar fleece might be a better choice.

Fitted/Semi AIO with pocket - Fleece inner, Flannel outer, hidden waterproofing, hook&loop fastening I was experimenting... I liked this rainbow flannel, so I thought I'd make a fitted....but I don't like the way you have a pretty fitted nappy and then have to cover it.... So I thought I'd make a bit of an inbetween thing.  So its got some hemp in it.  A waterproof layer on the "wet zone" and a fleece inner with a pocket opening so you can stuff it more and it has a stay dry feel.  It can last 1 wee on its own, but then the flannel starts to feel damp. Boosted you get away with a bit longer, but more than a few hours/wees would need a cover.  It does however take FORVER to dry.

Works well, better than a fitted without cover, but takes a lot longer to dry :(

Shaped Snap-up Hemp Booster Again I was experimenting... I wanted to make shaped boosters, but wanted them to dry quickly, so not too many layers.  but hubby complained about it being hard to stuff several separate layers into a nappy....

So first I made a 2 layer hourglass shaped booster.  Then I got a doubled layer of hemp folded into 3 or 4 to make a strip down the centre of the booster.  I attached 3 snaps to one edge, then marked where the next 3 should be when folded.... unfolded it and added those snaps.  Then I sewed the snapped piece onto the booster along the snap edge and then along where the first fold starts.  So when you use the booster, it starts off flat (first pic), then you fold up the long piece (pic2), and snap it closed (pic 3).  It doesn't really need snaps.... but I was experimenting with the snap press too ;)  In the next ones I made I only sewed the square part on where the snaps are, and not at the first fold line, as that extra thickness made them dry slower.

Knitted nappy cover (Soaker) I knitted one following a pattern but it was too small, so then I started knitting with no real pattern to create this one.  I used 4mm/6 needles (purple of course!) with 8 ply.  This one was a little too short (it kind of stretched out sideways and thus shortened) and the leg holes a little too small... so in the next one I made I fixed that (hopefully - we haven't tried it yet) I'm hopeless at ribbing... when I want moss (AKA seed) stitch I get ribbing, when I want ribbing I get moss stitch.... go figure!  I do it 1 stitch plain, 1 stitch purl... I've seen it done 2 stitches of each though (maybe that would be easier).  Mum told me you need to have an odd number of stitches (I think... or was it even?  see...  confusing!... one makes ribbing the other makes moss).  I called her - odd (stitches that is) Anyway..... I cast on...err...69 stitches I think...in hindsight I'd make the waist band a tad smaller maybe so the waistband won't need elastic to be really snug.

Anyway... I hate ribbing and always stuff it up so I did a really thin band ;)  plus I think it looks nicer... it actually became an interesting ribbiny/miss hybrid, but nevermind...  Then I did one row plain to give it a nice defined finish.  Then on to stocking stitch (or whatever you call the one row plain one row purl).. I knit...err...about 17cm worth of this, then started the leg shaping.  I knit/purled 2 together, twice each row to decrease.  Then when I got to about 17cm wide I stopped decreasing and knit about 9cm long of this.  Then I started increasing by adding 2 stitches to each row.  I kept measuring it against the other side to know when to stop :)  Then keep knitting till you reach the start of the ribbing.  1 row of plain again to start it, then the silly ribbing. The general shape you are after is to the right.  So once you are all done, with a HUGE needle and some yarn, sew it together (this new one I did with reguar cotton though). Apparently you can knit a seam, but that's too advanced for me. Since I can't crochet, I handed it to mum with a sweet smile and in 2 mins the legs were nicely finished.

A nice effect is to make the waist band and leg ruffles in different yarn.