How to Turn a Prefold into a Fitted Diaper - Lux Edition
Tutorial provided by Nicole
To start, get your
materials together: prefolds, elastic, decorative print (anything goes
here ie: flannel, cotton weave, knits--and if you use poly fleece you
will essentially end up with an AIO), velour, your pattern. If using
snaps, you'll also need a snap press or pliers and size 20 KAM snaps.
Just a tip:
wash all your fabrics (I even wash my elastic!) before cutting to avoid
shrinkage issues and to remove any yukky residues left behind from
dying, manufacturing and shipping.

Disclaimer: Yep, the
prefold I'm using here is stained.. I'm not a stickler for stain
removal in dipes, they all eventually come out in the wash and this one
has already gone through 2 kids so it's old to boot. And yes, I'm
still using my grams ironing board complete with the ratty old stained
cover I can't seem to part with - it's clean, just looks crappy..
nevermind it. :)
First, iron your prefold
(and the rest of your fabric) - they are so much easier to work with
once ironed. Then cut the serged edges off - OR you could seam rip the
edges. Any prefold will work, even gerbers, but here I'm using a
premium unbleached chinese one.

Lay your pattern down
over the ironed prefold and trace it out with a washable marker. Make
sure to mark your elastic. Trace it out on your decorative print as
well and cut both out. I'm using the final edition of the one-size
pattern I drafted.

When I draft patterns, I
don't add seam allowances. Instead I trace it out and cut a quarter
inch or so outside the line. This way I can just sew down the line for
perfect edges. If you are using or have drafted a pattern with seam
allowances, cut right on the line.
Just a tip:
when cutting apart an old prefold you may find lint buildup stuck along
seams and in corners. Sweep it all out to maximize bulk reduction.

The excess will make the soaker. Let's start here.

Open it up on the fold and press.

Depending
on your pattern, you may have more or less than I do here. Define an
even rectangular shape out of the scraps, stack them together
and stitch down one of the short ends.

Open it up, lay flat and press. Here's your soaker panel.

Time to break out the
velour! Or whatever fabric you have handy, but let's face it - velour
is softest and squishously yummiest to use - hence the Lux! Cut out 2
rectangles the same size as the soaker panel.

Place the velour right sides together and top with the soaker panel, pin three sides together and sew.

Trim off the excess
(anytime you are going to turn and topstitch you wanna reduce the bulk
as much as possible). Turn it right side out.

I like to do a 3-step zig-zag stitch down the center of the pad to avoid shifting during washing, then topstitch.

Center the soaker panel where you want it on the right side (or the side without the pattern lines) of the prefold.

Attach it with a tight zig-zag stitch twice over.

Depending on your
pattern and the size/brand of your prefold, you may want or need to
extend the wings. Since I am using my one-size fitted I want the wings
to match so I'm adding some velour and you can do the same. Just lay
the prefold over the decorative diaper cut and cut the excess out of
velour, making sure to account for seam allowance.

Pin them on and stitch right sides together.

Press the seams toward the velour and stitch down for added strength.

You can use straight stitch, but I think a zig-zag stitch will prevent fraying better.

Next you'll want to trim away some excess bulk at the back of the prefold where the elastic will go.

Just separate the layers in the center, clip about 3/4 of an inch on each side and trim away.

Center your decorative
print over the prefold and pin. I've used a snuggle flannel here with
an awesome print that was graciously sent to me by my friend Suzie!

You are not going to
stitch down the front, instead leave the entire length open for
turning. I always pin to prevent shifting while sewing, especially with
knits. Stitch down the line, unless you used a pattern with a seam
allowance. In that case, use whatever seam allowance the pattern calls
for.

When you are done
stitching, trim away the excess outside the marks you made for the
elastic. This will leave seam allowance only where the elastic will go.

Separate the layers of
the remaining seam allowance leaving only 2 or 3 layers of the prefold
and trim away the rest. This will remove the bulk and allow the elastic
to stretch and relax to its full extent when tacked down. I find 2
layers is sufficient, but if you are using something very old and worn you may want to use 3.
ETA: After some
thought, I decided clipping away the outer layer of the remaining seam
allowance could cause some fraying - NOT that I had any, I'm just
always thinking of how to improve things - so instead clip away
everything BUT the outer and inner layer.. just in case!

Here is what it should look like when done trimming.

I like to tack elastic
down the seam allowance using the 3-step zig-zag stitch. Tack the end
down by going back and forth a few times then stretch it pulling
tightly to the end of the exposed seam allowance. Be sure to go back
and forth over the opposite end as well.

Here is what it should
look like with both the leg and back elastic in place. This is also
what it looks like when my cat refuses to get off the ironing board. :)

Turn it out, press if
you like (and I do like to because I find I end up with
crisper edges) and topstitch around the front and back wings. I do not
topstitch around the leg elastic in this particular design because the
bulk of the prefold will end up hindering full usage of it.
To finish, lay the
front opening flat, press and trim any uneven edges. Then just close it
up with a tight zig-zag stitch twice over.

Here is the inside, you
may end up with a shorter or longer soaker panel depending on your
pattern. I find longer is better because you can fold it up in front
for boys or in half for girls!

Here is the outside laid flat.
Just a tip: Never wash using a heavy duty spin cycle. Diapers can fray and get ruined. (Found that one out the hard way!)

All pinned up in front.

If you notice, one of
the benefits to not topstitching around the elastic is that the
decorative print ends up rolling in, creating a softer leg casing in
most cases!



A few snap tips!
First tip: if you are using a
premium-quality prefold it is going to be thick! Sometimes that initial
ironing has worn off by the time you are finished and the prefold has
quilted back up again! And sometimes ironing it doesn't seem to get it
squished down enough, so my tip here is to wet it! You can even use
your iron. Just squirt the front where the snaps will go, stretch it
out and flatten with your hand. If it's still stubbornly quilty, add a
bit more water and run the hot iron over it again. THIS is crucial. If
you just add the snaps, weather with a press or pliers, the likelihood
of them popping out over that thick area is high. I wasted quite a few
snaps when I first snapped them! (KAMsnaps: You can also just use our long-prong snaps.)And the second tip is for perfect snap placement. Sure, you can use a template and mark out where you want your snaps with a washable marker but I've had mixed results with that method and I decidedly don't like it. I like to use 2 snaps on each wing (I know some of the expensive fitteds use 3 but I've really found that to be excessive). I fold the back of the diaper in half and line up the wings. Then with my awl (or in this case, one of my professional cuticle pushers.. haha) I poke 2 holes straight through both wings.


Next I fold the front (that I've flattened out as much as possible) in half to find the center and poke a hole straight through about half an inch in.






Onto the fluff n' action shots!
A Spongebob cotton weave and a Hello Kitty cotton knit!


Polyester knit.


Shown here with a Zorb core soaker sandwiched between hemp terry and microfleece.


Cotton wovens.



Shown here with a Zorb core soaker sandwiched between aqua velour.

And another Hello Kitty cotton knit!



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