tutorial for a wipe-able cover with minky outer

Start by cutting your pieces. You'll want to reinforce your snaps. I do this by using nontoxic glue sticks to glue down my fabric scrap, mark my snap spots, then install my snaps.

Once your snaps are installed, lay your PUL shiny side up, then your minky right side down on top of your PUL. Pin together around the edges, as shown above. 

I use a walking foot to keep my fabric from being pushed out of the way. If you do not have one, more pins may be necessary. 

Using my walking foot as a guide, I keep the edge of the fabric close the the right edge of the foot. 

Start sewing at the front of the diaper, making sure you'll have a wide enough gap to turn your diaper right side out. Backstitch to ensure you won't lose your spot. 

Sew all the way around, removing your pins as you go. When you come back around to the front. Be sure to stop and backstitch well before where you started. You'll need that hole later. 

Trim your edges to keep the seam from being too bulky when topstitching. 

Once you've trimmed your edges, turn the diaper right side out and topstitch all the way around. I use my foot as a guide again on the right, but put my needle all the way to the right to reduce that seam. 

Start at the same spot you did when initially doing your seam. Backstitch, then go all the way around, ending and back stitching where you ended before. 

Once you've topstitched the whole diaper  mark where you'll tack down your elastic. 

Then sew from one pin to the next for our elastic casing. Once those are done, measure your elastic. I hold one end of the elastic where I'd tack it down, then stretch with my other hand to where I'd tack the other end down. Cut to give an extra 1/2" for your extra. 

My camera hand would be pulling the other end of the elastic to where it'd be tacked down. 

Then connect one end of your elastic to a safety pin and thread through the casing. 

When you've got about your 1/4" to 1/2" left before the casing starts, tack it down on your first side. 

Pull it through to the other end and tack down. Removing the safety pin once you've tacked each down, of course. 

Do this for all 3 elastic casings you have. Once these are done, I apply my care, size, and logo tags. Once those are applied, you can close up the opening at the front of the diaper. Using the far right needle position we used while topstitching. 

The. Apply your wing snaps, and you're done! 

I threw in an insert I made for this one before taking photos, so it looks all nice and fluffy. 

Thanks for checking out my blog and my business. If you learned something, or like what you see, please consider patronizing my work at home mom business. Happy sewing!!

**Robin diapers does not sell patterns, and some of these processes will not be released to protect the individuality of the Robin diapers design. 

if you'd like to support Robin diapers, please visit the business page at www.facebook.com/RobinDiapers or consider buying at the cuties congo at www.hyenacart.com/cuties which open the 15th of every month at noon EST. Thanks again for checking this out. 

CPSIA- what is it and what does it have to do with my diaper?

CPSIA stands for "consumer product safety improvement act". It has been put into place to make sure items sold and purchased are safe for your kiddos, as well as trackable if a supplier recalls a product I use in production so I can do a recall of my products, if necessary.

I certify that all my supplies are compliant, and maintain the certification for these. They are furnishable upon request. My supplies come from Kamsnaps.com, fabric.com, and various places for notions and prints. Some items are exempt from these certificates in the construction of my diapers, but I have the paperwork for them despite this.
I am a registered business owner, and run it as such.

I think the most important part of this isn't fines or bullying moms trying to shut others down. I really think it was all instated for the honest, continued safety of the children wearing and using these products.

If you'd like more information about my labels, how I track, or my supplies used you are welcome to email me at robindiapers@gmail.com or contact me on my facebook page at www.facebook.com/RobinDiapers

Thanks for supporting a work at home mom!

Pockets and covers

Pockets are $30.
Embroidery is an extra fee. Please contact me to get a quote on designs. 

Pocket diapers are a nice option for daycares, daddy's new to cloth, and family who are hesitant to cloth. Mama can put them together, and they go on like a disposable. They'll go in a wetbag or can and mama can wash.

My pockets have adjustable elastic. Inside each pocket you'll see each leg elastic has a snap on the top, connected to the seam. That can be unsnapped and pulled, being careful not to let go of the elastic. (It will hide inside the elastic hole and you have to go in after it, like a little gopher. not fun!) There are 4 snaps on the elastic to adjust the rise of the diaper to fit smaller or larger babies. This was a better option for my diapers, as it gave me room to do cool designs on the front of the diaper. It also kept those darn rise snaps from digging into my poor chunker baby's legs.

This option does not come with an insert, unless specified by the customer. They are a 2 layer super heavy organic bamboo fleece insert, the size of an infant prefold. They are super absorbent, but nice and trim.

**I don't typically do hook and loop (Velcro style), but it is available upon request. The given example was from a diaper wars battle.**

Covers are $20
My covers are a one size fits most with snap down rise. The inside has wipe-able PUL, so may be used multiple times.
Outers are print and minky in the wetzone to ensure it can be used more than once without wicking. They are a great option for a budget. I do offer inserts with them for $5 each. they are the same inserts I offer for my pockets, a 2 layer super heavy organic bamboo fleece the size of an infant prefold.

about me (the cloth version)

I have been avoiding this post for quite a while. My life seems to be full of stories that will keep grandchildren enthralled for years with their whimsy, danger, bad choices, and absolutely absurd coincidence that would bring most to tears, but we aren't here to read about stories of my crazy adventures. We will start the story with my kiddos and my quickly growing work at home business.

When my daughter (the tot) was about 9 months old I was introduced to cloth diapers. I tried a couple covers and pockets from ebay. They were cheap, didn't work very well, and were poorly made. Despite the rocky start, I loved cloth. I started reading and buying mostly commercial pockets.

A few months later, I started reading into work at home moms. It had never occurred to me that there were moms who made these super rad contraptions, and they WORKED!?
I started with a couple diapers from moms in my cafemom.com group, cuties with cloth booties. They are still in my scope, despite my lack of attendance in the group as of late. I loved the minky, the prints, and OMG I could have a diaper with bacon print on it!!! I was totally hooked.

I liked the work at home mom ones, and I liked the commercial ones, but I wasn't in love. All had one or two things I wasn't so sure about. The fit wasn't right on the legs as kiddo grew, or the pocket hole was the wrong size for my hand. My list of little things continued, until one day I looked at my dusty sewing machine and wondered...

*Let me digress for a minute here. I used to make my own hippie skirts, purses, and basic items. I had some basic sewing skills.*

I figured, "Meh. how hard could it be. there are a ton of tutorials on the interwebs about it. If they could do it, so could I."

This statement is still laughable today. I started with one little flannel thing that vaguely resembled a diaper made by a blind monkey with arthritis. I vowed to never let it see the light of day, nor tell anyone of this horror I had created in the name of cloth.

I was determined at this point. I was not going to give up on this. It was a cloth diaper suicide mission. First time was a total and utter failure, but I've been down and out before. I've been trampled before, and by all things holy I was going to make a beautiful diaper, like the ones my friends made, even if it killed me. There is a part in the movie "Julie and Julia" where she loses her sh** and falls to the floor crying and spewing incoherent ramblings of feeling like a failure. That was me. I had read, and studied patterns, and got my supplies together, and I failed. miserably. It was horrible, but I wasn't going to give up. My poor husband helped encourage my journey, and has been nothing but supportive of my whole venture, bless his heart. Perseverance wins. It has to.  

It took me a year. After a year of sewing almost daily, I had finalized my own pattern that had worked out all the kinks I disliked about all the other diapers I had used. A pattern that would actually fit a 10 lb baby, as well as a 35+ lb toddler. It also had to actually absorb as well, so I had to test out all the absorbent fabrics, stay dry fabrics, waterproof fabrics, and prints to see what the best and worst were. Once these were all done, and my tags and legal mumbo jumbo was tackled, I was ready to sell.

I did it. I didn't die. I had finished my masterpiece. It went through The tot potty learning, to my son (bub) now starting to potty learn at 2! Some of these diapers are now starting to lost their stretch...after 2 years! They're still working their fluff off.

In my journey selling cloth I have encountered so many other moms. I don't make much doing this. I could probably find something else to make more, but this... This keeps me close to other moms. It forces me to drop my lonely mom anxieties and talk to other moms. talk to them about something we all have in common; the love of cloth diapers, the love of our children, and the love of other moms.

Shipping policies

I ship all items through paypal for United states orders. (International is a case by case basis depending on country) The buyer is responsible for making sure their address is correct within paypal. A buyer is encouraged to double check with Robin Diapers that their address is correct, but Robin Diapers cannot be held liable for items shipped to unverified addresses, as it voids the seller protection provided by their shipping and payment policies. it is the buyers responsibly to ensure the appropriate address is given to Robin Diapers for shipping, either via PayPal or messages.
Robin diapers cannot be expected to verify addresses of every buyer via message due to time constraints and obvious buyer responsibility.
If an item is shipped and has not reached its destination, I will do everything I can to help track down the item, but once it's delivered USPS tells me there isn't much they can do after that.

**please note: paypal has hidden addresses. If you move, merely changing your address on your account won't get rid of old addresses in their system. You MUST call and ask them to remove hidden addresses from your account.

How do I wash my Robin Diapers?

The skinny:
Your diaper is made from fabrics made from synthetic and natural/organic materials (unless you have a fully organic fitted, but those are rare). With any fabric, harsh chemicals can be damaging with one use, or consistent use. Please follow the recommended washing instructions for best results.

Prepping your new diaper:
Hand wash in hot water with blue dawn dishsoap. Rinse really well and throw in with a load of dirty diapers. Absorbency will continue to improve as diaper breaks in.
Suggested washing instructions:
Rinse at least once so you're not washing your diapers in pee/poo water.
Wash on hot with your detergent of choice. (This is a personal choice, as different detergents work for different areas.)
Extra rinse to wash away soap.

*DO NOT BLEACH YOUR ROBIN DIAPERS.
**if stripping is needed, please soak overnight in hot water and blue dawn dishsoap. Rinse, rinse, and rinse until you don't see any more bubbles.

**Robin diapers are guaranteed for up to 3 months for construction error. If construction errors occur,  you will be provided paypal to ship item back. If you do not, Robin diapers is no longer responsible for repairs or replacement. Robin diapers is not liable for replacement or repair of destruction of a diaper due to user error or regular wear and tear.
Diapers are made of fabric. When washed as often as they are, fabrics in diapers will fade, wear out, etc. This is the nature of fabric. How long did your favorite shirt or underwear last before you wore a hole in them?
My diapers are built to last as long as possible, and have lasted over 2 years in our home, but they won't look as pretty as the first wash. I will say they absorb just as well now as they did then.

All in two diapers and hybrids

By far my most popular options.
 All in two (AI2) and hybrids are $35

embroidery is an extra cost to cover design, thread, and time needed to embroider the design. Most single designs are $5, but larger or multiple designs should be discussed with me to get an estimate. 

All in two diapers are a shell, similar to a pocket, with a hidden waterproof layer of PUL. They have a print or minky outer (depending on style/print/embroidery). Inner is either microfleece, organic bamboo velour, cotton velour, or minky. These are great for long road trips or anytime use. recommended if clothing will be worn over the diaper. downside: they don't breathe, and can trap moisture inside the diaper, unlike hybrids. *see below for insert information

Hybrids are made the same as all in two, but have a hidden layer of polar fleece. The fleece "encourages" wetness to stay in the super absorbent inserts, while allowing air to circulate. This is believed to increase evaporation as well as help rashes and skin ailments heal that may be covered by a diaper. These are perfect for overnights as well as around the house wear. Hybrids will never delaminate and leak, they do not require finicky washing conditions, and they may be bleached with color safe bleach. If you are looking for the perfect solution for diaper wear around the house, a hybrid fitted is your optimum choice. Fold down rise. 

*My inserts are two separate pieces that can be used together or separate. One is two layers of super heavy organic bamboo fleece topped with matching fabric (typically made from minky, but can be microfleece, bamboo or cotton velour) and one insert of just two layers super heavy organic bamboo fleece.