Why make your own nappies?
There are a number of good reasons, as a new mum, that would encourage you to buy nappies already made. But there are a greater number of good reasons to have a crack at making your own!
“But
- I don’t have enough time to sew!” - that’s probably true - for a
little while. But there is something soothing to a new baby about being
worn wrapped around mum while she does her everyday jobs - and let’s
face it, sitting down sometimes makes us feel as though we are lazy. If
you’re DOING SOMETHING while you are sitting down, it’s not so bad. And
if you are doing something that is both practical and creative, you are
ticking more boxes than you thought you had!
“But
- it seems so HARD to do!” - this one is really not the case. Sure,
your first ever nappy might be a little bit wonky. But really, a nappy
is straight stitch, elastic, some more straight stitch, and possibly, if
you feel like it, a little bit of zig-zagging. It’s not fiddling with
pleats and gussets and zipper placement, and it’s not rocket science.
But there are enough patterns and tutorials out there that even if your
first nappy is wonky, it will still work. And that’s the really
important thing. (Put it on bubs when it’s cold and he or she is wearing
pants over the top, and no-one will see it anyway!)
“I can’t make good colour and design matches, I’m hopeless with that stuff”. “I don’t want to buy metres of fabric if I can’t do it! That’s too expensive” Neither of these are valid excuses. We’ve taken the hard work of colour choices away from you, and made it easy to buy just ONE nappies’ worth of fabric with the pre-matched kits we sell. And as our range of prints and colours is so large, you are sure to find something that suits your personal taste!
“I usually HATE sewing” This one is great. I used to hate sewing. I used to LOATHE it - because I was always trying to make big things that never fitted properly. Things for me that looked like sacks when I finally got around to wearing them. OR - I went the other way, and spent hours sewing boring, straight seams on library bags and pillowcases in the vain hope that by doing that, I’d somehow be able to miraculously manage shirring on a top the next time I sat at the machine.
The thing with nappies are - they are simple, yet you learn new skills that will make them enjoyable to sew and give you a huge sense of achievement once completed. They are small enough to be a little project that doesn’t drag on over a week - and that makes you feel good too! And because they are a little bit like underwear, they are still usable if not 100% perfect - which means no throwing out mistakes!
“I don’t have a sewing machine and I can’t afford one” This is one objection that’s hard to overcome. However - for every person who doesn’t have a sewing machine, there are two people who have one who don’t use it (Don’t quote me, I made that statistic up. But every writer is allowed a little bit of literary leeway, right?) One of those people may be your mother, your sister, your uncle, your next door neighbour, even that strange old fellow down the road who walks past every day mumbling under his breath and doesn’t really look at anyone. For all you know, he might be mumbling about seam allowances and set-in cap sleeves as he walks along.
There are also community centres with sewing machines available for use (these sometimes come with creches, which can be very useful!). Essentially, I’m trying to say that finding a sewing machine might not be as difficult as it first looks. The simplest of machines will work for a nappy. Your local op-shop may even have one for next to nothing.
“I don’t want to sew them. I just want to use them!” - Ok. If you really really don’t want to sew your own, there are still a few ways to get the nappies that you want. Pre-made colourful WAHM nappies are absolutely beautiful, sewn by Mums and Dads that have made so many nappies their skills are near to perfect. But that experience can come with a price tag.
If you want nappies in your choices of fabrics for a better price - find that friend or relative with the sewing machine, and ask them to do the sewing for you. They will feel like they are helping out in a real, practical way. They will learn some new techniques and skills in the process. You will have the nappies that you like and you chose. And you have also spread the word about modern cloth nappies in a simple, non-threatening way to your nearest and dearest. With this option, everybody wins!
There are a number of good reasons, as a new mum, that would encourage you to buy nappies already made. But there are a greater number of good reasons to have a crack at making your own!
“I can’t make good colour and design matches, I’m hopeless with that stuff”. “I don’t want to buy metres of fabric if I can’t do it! That’s too expensive” Neither of these are valid excuses. We’ve taken the hard work of colour choices away from you, and made it easy to buy just ONE nappies’ worth of fabric with the pre-matched kits we sell. And as our range of prints and colours is so large, you are sure to find something that suits your personal taste!
“I usually HATE sewing” This one is great. I used to hate sewing. I used to LOATHE it - because I was always trying to make big things that never fitted properly. Things for me that looked like sacks when I finally got around to wearing them. OR - I went the other way, and spent hours sewing boring, straight seams on library bags and pillowcases in the vain hope that by doing that, I’d somehow be able to miraculously manage shirring on a top the next time I sat at the machine.
The thing with nappies are - they are simple, yet you learn new skills that will make them enjoyable to sew and give you a huge sense of achievement once completed. They are small enough to be a little project that doesn’t drag on over a week - and that makes you feel good too! And because they are a little bit like underwear, they are still usable if not 100% perfect - which means no throwing out mistakes!
“I don’t have a sewing machine and I can’t afford one” This is one objection that’s hard to overcome. However - for every person who doesn’t have a sewing machine, there are two people who have one who don’t use it (Don’t quote me, I made that statistic up. But every writer is allowed a little bit of literary leeway, right?) One of those people may be your mother, your sister, your uncle, your next door neighbour, even that strange old fellow down the road who walks past every day mumbling under his breath and doesn’t really look at anyone. For all you know, he might be mumbling about seam allowances and set-in cap sleeves as he walks along.
There are also community centres with sewing machines available for use (these sometimes come with creches, which can be very useful!). Essentially, I’m trying to say that finding a sewing machine might not be as difficult as it first looks. The simplest of machines will work for a nappy. Your local op-shop may even have one for next to nothing.
“I don’t want to sew them. I just want to use them!” - Ok. If you really really don’t want to sew your own, there are still a few ways to get the nappies that you want. Pre-made colourful WAHM nappies are absolutely beautiful, sewn by Mums and Dads that have made so many nappies their skills are near to perfect. But that experience can come with a price tag.
If you want nappies in your choices of fabrics for a better price - find that friend or relative with the sewing machine, and ask them to do the sewing for you. They will feel like they are helping out in a real, practical way. They will learn some new techniques and skills in the process. You will have the nappies that you like and you chose. And you have also spread the word about modern cloth nappies in a simple, non-threatening way to your nearest and dearest. With this option, everybody wins!
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