How to Make Wool Diaper Covers Out of Recycled Sweaters
Wool is a wonderful material for cloth diaper covers. It is natural, absorbent and water-resistant. A wool cover over a prefolded or fitted diaper will absorb a great deal without leaking. Wool also makes a warm, cute outer layer for babies to wear. However, wool is also an expensive material, and buying new wool covers can quickly destroy your cloth diapering budget. With only a few sewing skills, you can easily make your own wool covers from the sleeves of old wool sweaters. These are also known as "longies" or "shorties" and will make a perfect outfit for your cloth-diapered baby year-round.
Things You'll Need
- Old wool sweater
- Pair of pants or shorts that fit your baby
- Scissors
- Sewing machine
- Matching thread
- Waistband elastic
Instructions
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1
Cut the sleeves of the sweater off. Cut along the shoulder seam.
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2
Lay the sweater sleeves under a pair of pants that fit your baby. Use these pants as a pattern for your diaper cover. Cut along the top of the sweater sleeves to make them the same length as the pants. Add an extra 2 inches for the waistband. If you want to make a short diaper cover, use shorts instead of pants for your pattern.
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3
With the seams of the arms facing toward each other, pin the sweater arms together at the end of the crotch of the pants. Cut along the seam of each sweater from the top down to the end of the crotch. Place one sweater arm inside the other and sew the crotch seam.
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4
Measure your elastic by putting it around your baby's waist while he is wearing a coverless diaper and stretching it slightly. It should be snug enough to hold the cover up while leaving room for your baby to grow. Cut the elastic to the correct length.
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5
With the wrong side out, place the elastic around the waist of your diaper cover. Sew the elastic to the cover using a zigzag stitch, stretching the elastic as you go.
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6
Fold the waistband over the elastic, still with the wrong side out. Sew the waistband to itself using a straight stitch to form a casing for the elastic. Turn the cover right side out.
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Tips & Warnings
If the waist of your sweater is ribbed and stretchy, use the sweater waist to make a waistband for your cover instead of using elastic. You will then only need 1/2 inch of extra material at the top of your pants to make the seam between the legs and the waistband.
You can also felt the wool before you make the pants. This will make them easier to wash and care for. Do this before making the pants as it will shrink the fabric.
