Rainy day projects

It's been raining cats and dogs here for two days and we have two more days to go. Being cooped up these past two days hasn't been too bad. Friday we spent the morning at church playgroup. It was my week to volunteer. We then came home (with a McDonald's Happy Meal and a Big Mac value meal ... yippee!) and we all took naps after lunch (a big YIPPEE!). Today Jim and I both managed to do a project. Jim got another section of kitchen cabinet painted and I sewed a pocket diaper from a newly discovered pattern. (see photos at the end of the post) As for Danny's project today, he pooped in the potty. There are photos of the poopy and the pooper with his poopy ... but we won't post those; we'll keep those to show his wife.

A week or so ago Jim converted the linen closet in our master suite into my sewing space. It's the perfect spot, a triangular space with shelves to the ceiling. An old desk that I refinished a few years ago holds my sewing machine. A desk chair fits perfectly inside the closet. I'm close to the ironing board and a drafting table that is now used as both a cutting and laundry table.

Today's project was the first sewing that I've done in six weeks. You may wonder how I could do this with two small children while my husband worked downstairs on his own project. Danny is a master of self-entertainment these days. He disappeared shortly after his nap and Jim found him in his bedroom playing on the floor with the door partially shut. Fiona actually just sat in her chair and stared and talked to me while I sewed.

As for the pocket diaper, I made it from some flannel fabric. The diaper is basically a fitted cloth diaper with an opening to stuff with a prefold diaper or a soaker. A waterproof cover then goes over the diaper. This arrangement is a three-step process. Right now, we use a two-step process - a prefold diaper laid inside a diaper cover. Seems to me that if you're going to use pocket diapers, it's best to make it an all-in-one diaper with a waterproof fabric for the outer layer. I tried the diaper on my little test baby and it fit okay, not great. Of course, as I discovered, stuffing these pocket diapers is time consuming. And one thing I don't have is the time to wrestle a prefold diaper or soaker into the opening with a squirming infant on the table who could spray pee or poop at any moment. Another drawback is that when this diaper is soiled, there are two items to wash instead of just one. Right now, I can reuse the diaper cover several times. The appeal of these pocket diapers eludes me right now. The next pattern I will try is an all-in-one diaper that will require a mail-order purchase of pricier fabric and a little more time and brain power.

Here are some photos:

From Sew Baby!