Boingo Baby!

Has anyone heard of these nifty little things?  They are a new alternative to pins/Snappi.  They started taking pre-orders months ago.  I did pre-order one pair because shipping was free then.  I don’t normally like pre-orders, you wait and wait for something while your money is already gone.. and accruing interest for someone else..lol.  Sometimes companies run into problems with production, shipping, imports, etc.  As was the case with Boingo, but they were great about keeping customers updated the entire time.  Anyway, they seemed trustworthy enough so I waited. 

I was initially surprised at how big they are.  I’m used to using a Snappi, though I find them a pain.  Snappis don’t hook well on certain fabrics, and I seem to always have issues with them staying on.  So first thing, I compared the Boingo to a Snappi.  The angle of the teeth is the same.  But the Boingo has smaller teeth.  I think because of the smaller teeth they hook into fabric easier.  It was easier to attach the Boingo than a Snappi, though I had to try it a couple times to get it right.  I was using a knit diaper, perhaps they are much easier to hook on a prefold. 

Baby is 3 months old, about 14 lbs, and that’s a S/M diaper.  I could hook both Boingos on the diaper as shown on their website, but with the tabs still able to cross over, this seemed like a better way to do it.  I honestly can’t say if I prefer Boingo over pins because the pins I use are the ones my mother used on me.. so old and dull = not easy to put on, though pins do always stay attached.  But upon their first impression, they are better than a Snappi!  I do consider myself Snappi impaired, I think they are hard to hook on, some fabrics that are advertised as “snappi friendly” are nearly impossible IMO.  A lot of the time one Snappi side comes off.. which if any of these hooks were loose in a diaper, that just scares me.  So yay for Boingo, I think they are more versatile and slightly easier to use!

Here is their facebook page, and here is their website. 

A few extras for sale

I've been sewing for our new baby and have a few extras... These are listed over on Etsy.

All are one size pockets, poly PUL prints on the outside with solid poly PUL on the front wings.  Polyester inners, the type of fabric is listed with each diaper.  Insert not included. 

Turtles with royal blue microfleece inner.

Giraffes with dark brown suedecloth inner

Bright ooga booga with plum microfleece inner

Dogs with dark brown suedecloth inner

One newborn-small diaper.  This is a brand new version of my pattern that I drew up, it adjusts from my regular newborn pattern up to just over the fit of the small-tall size.  I added a snap down for the umbilical cord, when using this snap down feature the diaper may need to be snapped with just one wing snap depending on the baby's size.  Top snap for chunkier thighs or bottom snap for skinny thighs.  Shown in the last picture :)  I do find this one a little tight to stuff, will adjust that in the future.

Black/red ooga booga with gray suedecloth inner 

DIY baby leg warmers tutorial

I've been meaning to do this tutorial for a while now.  It's not my own idea, once upon a time there was a very similar tutorial online.   If it moved, I can't find it and the bookmark I have says it's gone.  So here's my version.  Enjoy!

These are great for summer, crawlers, ECing, potty training, layering without wearing 2 shirts, summer nights when the mosquitoes are out, etc.  The ideas are endless.  The best part is these two sock sizes will fit a wide range of arm and leg ages and sizes!

First we start with socks.  You can use womens or mens.  I use two different lengths (heights?) of socks.  The shorter pair makes a perfect infant leg warmer and the longer pair is great for toddlers and big kids.  They even fit my arms.  Target has a great selection, and they often have seasonal prints (FUN!).  The knee highs are $2 a pair and the 3 pack of crew are $7.  Not a bad price for what we're making!  There are many prints that are suitable for boys too, and you can look in the mens section for dress socks too.  I have girly colors here because that is who I am expecting.

We're going to cut them up.  The first cut should be made just above the heel, and the second cut just under it.  Cut the toe off also.  The foot part that you are left with will end up as the wrist/ankle cuff.  You can leave it as it is (makes a perfect size cuff for me) or trim the edge off as I have done in the picture (makes a infant or child size cuff).  It's really stretchy material to start with, so don't worry too much about the range of fit when finished.  I like the cuff part to be 3" wide.  The length of the cuff is up to you (from heel to toe on our original sock).  I prefer the length as shown here, nice for holding baby socks on.

The side you cut off (top of foot or bottom) makes no difference.  I cut less off the smaller sock because I wanted to position the print in the center of the finished cuff.

Once it is all cut up, use the "foot" part to make a cuff.  Fold it the opposite way so it is inside out compared to how it originally was.  Pin the cut side so it doesn't shift.  (I also pinned the fold side because I decided to even the design out a little bit more).  Starting with a solid colored sock you don't really have to worry about where the designs/stripes are in the end, but you can see from these pictures how I accounted for designs.

Then you'll sew or serge the cut side.  My sergers are huge paperweights at the moment.  Instead of serging, I'm doing a false overlock with my sewing machine.  You do this by choosing a zig zag stitch, with the right needle-down position going off the edge of the material.  Then you go back over the left side of the zig zag with a straight stitch.  A walking foot might be helpful here.  I forgot to put mine on.  Did you know that I always wanted one, and it took me oh... 3+ years after I got my machine to figure out it came with one?  I still forget I have it..

After you have sewn the side of the cuff, fold it in half lengthwise, right sides out.  Pin the edges.  I pin at the seam, exactly opposite of the seam, then create equal fourths when placing the last two pins. 

Do the same equal fourths pinning thing on the upper part of the sock.

Once the cuff is pinned and the upper sock is also pinned, we need to put them together.  You can do this two ways, stuff the upper sock inside the cuff or turn the upper sock inside out and place the cuff inside.  We're going with #2 here.

Then you'll need to match up where the pins are placed and reinsert the pins through all the layers.  I also place pins halfway in between the original ones, just to make sure everything lines up perfectly.  I end up with eight equal sections.

Over to the machine again, we're doing the same overlock stitch.  Go slowly and make sure the layers stay lined up as you sew. 

Here's what it looks like when it is all sewn. 

Turn it right side out.  Can you believe that's it?

Here's my model.  She's 3 but you can see how the crew socks (infant size, white with argyle) fit on her arms.  They also fit to just above her knees.

Last of all, modeling the knee high size pair.

Just for comparison, some of both sizes on an infant.

 

Gardening

So a little hobby of ours is gardening.  We used to plant mostly tomatoes and bell peppers, with a little bit of a lot of other stuff.  We plant the tomatoes mostly for canning (the best way I can figure to avoid BPA in canned foods!) and for the best summer food ever – BLT sandwiches.  Yum, there are not many better tasting foods than a BLT with home grown tomatoes and lettuce too if you are lucky enough.  We freeze the bell peppers and use them throughout the year.  We LOVE bell peppers and use them in so many meals.  But they have a high pesticide load and the colored ones are expensive!  I love to see my kids gardening.  One year we planted only 2 or 3 pea plants.  I sent my kids out to harvest peas, and had less than 1/4 cup left over when they were done.  They started to shell them and ended up eating nearly all of them!  LOL 

Well, last year we discovered square foot gardening.  It seemed easy enough.  We decided to try.  The problem was, we sold our house right when we should have been planting things.  We sold it so quickly that we didn’t have everything set on a new place, so we moved in with my parents while waiting on a short sale we were trying to buy.  My parents seemed fascinated with the idea of square foot gardening, so they went out and bought the stuff for 2 boxes and told me I could plant my starts in them along with a few things they wanted to grow.  We didn’t get anything planted until well after it should have been, so we didn’t harvest much.  I also didn’t realize the neighbors tree had grown so much (and they put up a shed!) since I lived there 8 years ago, so the gardens didn’t get enough sun until we moved them a month later.  Oops. 





So this year I am planning on doing much better.  Last year I found a wonderful site that helps you know when to plant things.  It was SO helpful!  This year, the lady who created the site has put her information into two e-books you can purchase.  I had to buy them the first day they were out.  They are great!  And it is very helpful to have the information printed out, and I can refer to it when I’m out working in the garden.  She’s doing a contest for a free e-book right now too, if you’d like to check it out.
 

Not Me! Monday

Ok, so this would better fit on my personal blog but since it's private, no one could read it.  This is my first time participating in Not Me! Monday.

Today I most certainly did NOT wake up at 6:30 AM, and then wake my children up so they could get ready for school.  We did not plan ahead yesterday for what they would wear on the first day back to school, and we definitely did not drive to the school this morning only to discover an empty parking lot.  No, not me... I did not forget to check the calendar to see that today was the last day of Christmas break and school starts again tomorrow.

Also, I did not just begin to hang pictures in our house, the one we've lived in for over 4 months now.  No way, I've got it much more together than that.  :)

Tutorial: Fixing the elastic in a ruffle edge diaper.

Ok, I've had these pictures sitting there for months... so I finally decided to write up this tutorial!  Woohoo!  Here's how I repair the elastic in a serged edge diaper.  Our subject today is a Kissaluvs fitted.  I've also repaired Mudpies, First Class Baby AIOs, and others I can't remember right  now.  You'll need a seam ripper, some replacement elastic, and a serger or sewing machine.  Yes, you can do this with a sewing machine but the edge you open won't look exactly the same anymore.  You'll be closing it back up with just a zig zag stitch.  It's still perfectly functional though!

Start by ripping the stitches out of the back edge of the diaper, about the same length as the back elastic.  Pay close attention to the straight stitches, there may be either one or two rows of them, and you'll have to rip them out in addition to the overcast threads.

Once the diaper is opened up, rip out the stitching holding the elastic in place.   You'll probably be able to see where it was stitched in place, but you can mark the ends of the elastic with a fabric pen if you like.  Turn the diaper inside out and carefully remove the stitching holding the leg elastic in also.

Measure the old elastic and cut new elastic to fit.  This is where it gets a little tricky, but I've found if you use braided elastic you can get pretty close-to-original results.  What I do is stretch the worn out elastic to its max., and measure it.  Then, stretch new elastic to the same length and cut.  Since you can't measure the worn out stuff un-stretched anymore, this method seems to work well.  Be sure you are using an elastic that is made to withstand high temperatures and chlorine.  There are two types of elastics, one says it will withstand up to 200 degrees, the other suggests hand or cold washing.  Swimsuit elastic is a good choice too.  My favorite elastic is Lastin, but figuring the exact amount you need can be difficult depending on the amount and thickness of the layers of fabric.  So we're using Stretchrite braided here.. 3/8".

I'm starting with one of the legs here.  Pin the ends of the elastic in place, the pins should be on the outside of the diaper, and the elastic inside will be pinned to just one layer of material right now. I leave about 1/8" - 1/4" elastic beyond the pin.

Now, from the outside of the diaper, carefully lay the layers of fabric straight, and reinsert the pin through all layers of fabric, still holding the elastic in place.

Now, carefully stretch the elastic out so the fabric lays flat.  An extra set of hands would come in quite handy here.   I put one pin/end of the elastic under the bottom of my sewing machine and stretch the elastic, holding the other pin in my right hand.  Using my left hand, I feel where the elastic is laying in between the layers of fabric, and move it into place.  I pinch it tightly or hold it against the cutting mat, then pin it with my right hand.  I like to place the first pin in the middle of the length of elastic, then reduce the distance by half with each new pin to keep the stretch the same along the entire length.  Use the original placement of the elastic as a guide, since the distance from the elastic to the edge of the diaper may vary with each brand.  Continue positioning the elastic and pinning it in place while stretched until you reach the other end.  I place pins every one inch or less. 

ETA:  VERY IMPORTANT!!  When using Lastin, the pins should not go through the lastin as they do with the braided elastic, the pins should go through the fabric on either side of the lastin, creating a path for it to lay but not piercing the elastic.  When using Lastin, I pin the ends then pinch the ends when stretching it to sew so that I am not putting stress on the pin holes in the ends. 

This is what the first leg should look like after the elastic is pinned in place.  You can tell by the gathers if you've stretched it equally along the length.  If one area looks too gathered or not gathered enough, now is the time to fix it.

Now, place the end of the elastic under the presser foot of your machine.  Your needle should make the first stitch right behind the pin (remember that extra 1/8" - 1/4" elastic beyond the pin?).  I prefer to use a 3 step zig zag.  It looks nice and it is the best stretchable stitch for holding elastic flat in place.  It is necessary to use this stitch if you are using Lastin.  If you don't have this stitch, a wide, long regular zig zag will work with braided elastic.  I set the machine to 0 length, regular width 3 step zig zag so that it stitches from left to right and left again without moving forward.  This holds the end of the elastic in place.  Then set it to regular stitch length and slowly sew down the elastic.  It should be very easy to follow where the elastic is since your pins are placed in the elastic.  Stretch the elastic as you go, and finish with the 3 step zig zag in place at the other end of the elastic.

There, that wasn't too bad.  :)  Your diaper should now look like the one pictured below.  Now, go ahead and repeat these instructions for the second leg before you move on.


Next, we'll be doing the same thing with the elastic in the back of the diaper.  This one is a little easier to be sure you are pinning it straight since the back is open.  Place the pins at the ends of the elastic, leaving a bit beyond the pin for that first stitch to hold it in place.

The edges of the fabric may want to curl a bit, and they may look stretched out since we removed all the stitches here, so take your time to be sure the fabric is laying straight as you pin the elastic in.  Here I am starting with one end of the elastic held under the machine (or call your extra set of hands back in!), stretching it out, and placing a pin in the center of the elastic.

Because the fabric curls and stretches here, it may be easier to pin the elastic to the lower layer of fabric first, then line up the top layer of fabric.

Pins are in place in half of the elastic.  Continue carefully laying the fabric straight, edges matching, with the elastic laying along the original stitching lines.

 

Once the elastic is pinned in place, stitch using a 3 step zig zag again.

Now that the new elastic is all done, we need to close the diaper back up.  If you are using a sewing machine, set it to a medium to long length and width zig zag stitch, and sew along the edge so when the needle is down on the right side, it is just off the edge of the fabric, creating a false overlock.

If you are using a serger, carefully stretch the elastic as you serge along the open area.  If you like, lower the blade so you don't worry about cutting into the fabric.   Tie the extra thread off so it doesn't come unraveled.  I like to pull the 2 needle threads seperate from the overlock threads, and then tie the two groups in a square knot.

Lovely.

Looks nearly new :)  Pat yourself on the back.

I do offer this diaper repair.  Contact me for more information.

My status

Hi everyone.  Sorry I have been gone so long.  Moving twice over the summer was stressful, and though I've been at my new house almost 2 months I still don't feel like it's home yet.  I am ready to take diaper repairs and sewing orders though!  I have a much larger sewing area here, which has been nice so far.

I am still up in the air about whether or not I'll sell diapers.  I am mostly waiting to hear the final outcome of CPSIA regulations, but also I'm a little stressed with attempting to understand the current requirements.  I am so confused, reading all the different information about it and hearing different interpretations from others.  I would LOVE if someone spelled it out for us.  LOL  I have so much diaper fabric, some even cut and ready to assemble, and we'll never use all that I have here.  Until I am sure I can legally comply, I will not be listing any diapers in my shop.

I am going to continue to sell other things not geared towards children.  I just love the lens cap straps and lens bags I've made and would love to share them once I find a good place to purchase the materials I need in larger quantity.  My swiffer broke, after 7 1/2 wonderful years, (LOL) and I have purchased the latest model of swiffer only to find all the redesigns do not work with my reusable pads.  So I have been working on a new style of mopping pad for that.  I will sell both styles in my Etsy shop.

I am thinking I'd like to move away from the Blooming Bums name, so that I can incorporate more items than just diapers into my shop.  I do like the orange flower graphics though, so if anyone has a name that would still work, PLEASE leave me your ideas in the comments!

As of right now, diaper repair costs are $1 per elastic in a casing (FB and BG style) and $3 per diaper for snap conversion and hook and loop replacement.  I will be raising the costs at the beginning of the year.  I prefer to keep prices as low as I can to make it affordable for you, but with rising costs all around us I need to keep up and not end up in the negative.  Thank you for understanding.  :)