Wednesday 11 September 2013

Stash Bustin' Nappy Covers


Well I guess we need to be honest with ourselves here. There's going to be a whole lot more blog posts about baby clothes round these parts from here on out. I can promise you that this blog will NOT become exclusively about baby clothes. Plus, I can promise you that the baby clothes that do get blogged about will bring a whole heap of cuteness with them. But if you really can't stand babies/kids and baby/kid stuff then I totally understand that you may wish to look away now and un-follow this blog for the next 18 years or so.


Anyone still there? Ah good! I certainly won't stop making my own clothing, umm, ever, but if our recent flat move taught me anything it is that I have A LOT of clothes already. Plus, the time I'll have to devote to sewing is about to be violently curtailed with the arrival of our little Missy so it makes sense to get into making some quicker projects that will still give me the same sense of completion. And damn these nappy cover/pants were quick! They took about 30-45 mins each, plus I have a cold at the moment so wasn't working at full capacity. And not only quick, but cheap! Each pair used up a smallish piece of fabric from my scraps bag and I used elastic from my stash. Free pants!


I have the lovely Catherine to thank for the pattern, the same reader who loaned me the copy of Ottobre magazine that started a new obsession. I've kind of decided that I'd prefer to keep Missy in jersey/knit garments for much of her first year for comfort and ease of movement, but I thought that some soft woven fabric nappy covers like these when paired with a baby vest/onesie might be good for warm days spent at home in the flat. In fact, they might prove particularly useful if I end up following this idea of turning outgrown vests/onesies into t-shirts in the name of longevity. Who can say right now? I've got a BIG learning curve ahead of me, and what to put the baby in is just one tiny fraction of it!


Anyways, I changed the pattern slightly to remove the frilly hem element, making them look more like some fancy, expensive ones I saw for sale in a fancy, expensive maternity and baby shop in Brighton. The casino pair will be perfect for when we host poker games. Those are a size 'Small' which will allegedly fit 3-6 months babies. The other two are a size 'Medium' which apparently spans 6-18 months, which seems quite a tall order for just one size and they do seem mighty big. But I guess there's only one way to find out (= finding a baby's bum to put them on!). I may need to tighten up the waist elastic at some point.


On the back of each pair I've stitched a little label that I had left over from when I used to dabble in making and embellishing baby clothes to sell a squillion years ago. The sizes on the labels don't really correspond with the size of the pants but I thought it would be useful to be able to figure out which way round the pants are meant to be worn at a glance whilst you are trying to wrangle a wriggling baby. See? Always thinking, me...

12 comments:

Ginny said...

I can easily believe the 6-18 months thing. I made a pair of pants this style that were supposedly 6-9 months, and she was still wearing them at 2 as knickers when she came out of nappies. Bear in mind the added bulk of nappies when they're little, particularly if you plan on using cloth ones!

MrsC (Maryanne) said...

Yup, kids grow out a little then up a lot, then out a little then up a lot. It's great from about 2-4 since they just seem to get taller, and what was a frock at 2 can be a tunic with leggings at 4! :)
Have you channelled those new nappy things that are a popper attached casing with a cloth absorbent liner inserted? My sister bought a couple and made a pattern from them and made all her own. She did get a plstic popper applying machine/clamp thing to help but sew ons would work just as well.

Jo H. said...

I won't stop reading - I'm looking forward to following your next steps and seeing your stylish little cutie in her homemade and refashioned stuff!

ari said...

I have a squillion mama bloggers who offer free patterns & tutorials, I can totally hook you up with a list of them if you want ^_^

Unknown said...

Love these nappy covers, super cute. Have you seen the teeny tiny newborn harem pants tutorial? You might like! Free and so easy.

Pattern/tute here: http://thealisonshow.com/2013/05/tiny-harem-pants-sewing-pattern.html

Here are some I made: http://www.recycled-fashion.com/2013/09/more-teeny-tiny-harem-pants.html

katherine h said...

Too cute!

tialys said...

I love baby clothes - probably more than babies - does that make me a bad person?
I think your little one might possibly be the only baby to have her own special pants to wear for poker nights.

Alyssa said...

Very cute! I like making baby clothes because they're usually a really quick make. Once you run out of labels you can always sew a little ribbon loop in.

Emily said...

So cute! I will say that woven clothes can be great for babies in really hot/humid climates - when you are carrying them around all the time, the knits just STICK to their little hot skin. But otherwise knits are the best.

New Age Nappies said...

These nappy covers are so cute, they are like mini bloomers with the way they are rouched around the legs.

Marion said...

I too love to so for my kids and totally love baby bloomers, so old school. Love your playing cards one, very cute! Marion :)

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