My Very First Video Tutorial... Keychain Diapers

Ok, in all fair warning, I need to say, the video quality is terrible. my captions didn't come out and I had to go over them in youtube. and this is my first ever video tutorial, so kind of an expirement.

Be Kind.

New Things coming

Life moves on, and I have to apologize to anyone who might have been following my Blog. I haven't been posting very often at all lately. I have been just very busy.

Diapers, Diaper bags, training Pants, all these have been taking up my time. Beeba 1 is trying to Potty Learn, and in an attempt to keep his pants dry and my life a little less insane, I went on a hunt for the perfect training pant. After trying several patterns, I found it. Little Comet Tails Stellar Transitions fits like a trim underwear, has a nice stretch to it where needed, has waterproof panel where it is most needed, and best yet has options for snapping or pull up only.

I am happy to say that these great trainers will be Coming soon to Beeba Bottoms Shops.

The Beebas are growing fast. Beeba 1 will be 3 in just a matter of Weeks, in Early April. Amazing to think that just under 3 years ago, I still thought pregnancy was the most tired I could be, lol. I know better. Toddler years will tire any mommy out faster than a pregnancy anyday. And my little Beeba 2 is cruising, almost walking! She is faster than her big brother was even. I guess she had a good tutor.

I've been spinning a lot too. And I have entered the world of Dyeing. Pics will have to come later, but I can say unequivocally, Its a fun pursuit.

For now, till later, Fare well.

KeyChain Diapers now on Etsy!

Now even if you don't win a free keychain diaper, you can have one of your own! Made from a miniature version of my BBOriginal Diaper pattern, these are just too cute! Over the next couple days, several will be listed at Beeba Bottoms at Etsy ! If they sell, I may add more.

I have revised the pattern, though. There is no longer elastic in the legs, but now they are top-stitched! Hurry and get yours while its available!

Staying Cool

Its been real hot here lately, so we've had to think of ways to stay cool. One of those ways is with a new baby carrier. When Beeba 1 was little, I had a stretchy wrap I had made. I still have it, and we loved it, but it was a poly knit, and it got very warm to wear in the summer. This time around, knowing that in advance, I found some cotton gauze fabric. So here is my new summer wrap. Forgive my horrendous hair... this was after a day of chasing a 2 year old, hah.

Beeba 2 loves it, and we both stay much cooler. I would like to say, I would never trust this light fabric in any other kind of carrier, but in a wrap, where it is all one peice, no seams, and you are wrapping several layers of support, it works beautifully. very comfy and cool. and very simple to make. I ripped it down the center to get half the width of the fabric, and serged all around it with a rolled hem, and that was it.

Then, I was playing around. I see people talk about making keychain diapers all the time, and I was trying to figure out how they made them so small. I know some people give them out as extras in orders, others make them for their friends, still others sell them as Cloth Diaper Advocacy items. So, I decided to try my hand at it. This keychain diapers is a fitted, front snapping, with a sewn in soaker. hehe... just like a miniataure version of a real fitted diaper, it even has elastic legs. The only thing I couldn't figure out was how to elastisize the back. Oh well, maybe I'll figure it out, but for now, it is still super cute.

And Yup, you can see how small it is, it is sitting on my laptop next to the touchpad and next to the clicker for my car on the keychain. I may have to make a few for some cloth loving friends, lol.

You may notice, I seem to have a million different Ideas running through my head at all times. I seem that way because I am that way. I am constantly thinking of new things, or thinking I need to change something somewhere. That is why you read about my sewing space and 2 days later I changed it again, lol. Rest assured, my patterns don't change that way. It does however, mean that there is always something new in the works. I often don't get to sleep because I am too busy and my mind racing too fast to get to sleep. Right now, I am trying to work out a thought about cloth diaper cakes. And trying to decide if anyone would buy them. Of course, that means I need to think of what to use to decorate them too, since I don't like the thought of advocating binkies or bottles, which are 2 very common things to find in diaper cakes. So I was thinking that mine would be sort of the all-inclusive Diapering start-up package. we'll see. I'm pretty sure I could do it, but it would take some thinking. But if I do come up with something, you readers will be the first to know.

The Aftermath...

... Of not so spring Cleaning, that is... heh... When my husband realized he had yesterday off, he decided this weekend would be a "do things around the house" day. Worked out for me... I feel like I got a whole new Sewing room, all over again.

I had been talking about putting a bookshelf in the under-utilized corner. Before, we had a secretary's desk there, but it just didn't have any point in this room. Unfortunately, as pretty as it was, it kept being used only as a small inefficient catch-all.

So he cleaned up the desk, and brought it out into the living room. I finally hung sheers up under our curtains, which makes the room feel much nicer, and worked on re-organizing my storage spaces.

He brought down the bookshelf, and this morning I went to Walmart and got a couple clear boxes with lids, which fit perfectly, 2 per shelf... I'll have to get more later for the rest of the shelves. I also found an Ironing board for $10! I had a small counter top board, but was always frustrated with it, because it was always too small.

but I found I also got shelves for behind my sewing machine.th I couldn't find the wire cubes I was thinking of...these little shelves that fit there, and they were actually half the price! I am satisfied... and I discovered that by moving my desk lamp up to the top of the shelves, I get lots more light, and don't need to have the overhead on nearly as often.

I cleared the top of my storage dresser, and found homes for everything that was there. That was a lot of work... I didn't realize how much stuff there was!

The desktop computer area is still a mess, but that is more of my husband's space, rather than mine... so I'll let him handle it. Now if only I didn't have to go over there and use the printer and my thumb drive every time I want to upload pictures!

So that's what we did yesterday. Today, I put up the shelves behind my sewing machine, and am working on an order. Its almost done, needs snaps, a last piece of elastic, and the backs serged up for each diaper... that won't take too long.

Meantime, don't forget, Until tomorrow, you can still save 10% off your orders with the code 4th at checkout!

The Fourth of July

So, It's the 4th of July. Independence Day. For me, that means fireworks, and my husband home all day, and an overtired Toddler. But, it also means that this is the birthday of Our great nation. And for that, we celebrate.

In Honor of Independence Day, Beeba Bottoms Will be holding a sale. 10% off your orders at www.beebabottoms.com with the coupon code 4th all day on Friday and Saturday. The sale will end Sunday Morning whenever I remember to remove the code. So get in your orders! This sale won't repeat soon.

Also, Beeba Bottoms referral program is back!

Tell a friend about Beeba Bottoms Diapers and Covers and when they make their first order, you can earn free diapers. When your name is mentioned on the first order of any customer, you will get a credit towards your next purchase.

The more people you refer, the more you can earn. Credits will be given off of the first order only of any customer, and cannot be applied retro-actively.

If your referral buys $50-99 in merchandise on their first order, you will receive a $5 Credit.

If Your referral buys $100-199 in merchandise, you will receive a $10 credit.

If your referral buys $200+ in merchandise, you will receive a $15 credit.

For every 5 new customers you refer who purchase a minimum of $25 in merchandise each on their first order, you will receive an additional $5 credit.

Your name and email must be included in the orders you have referred in order to be credited. You will receive an email from me telling you how much of a credit you have earned, and including a coupon code to redeem it. You must use the credit within one year of it being awarded, and Credits may not be used with any other coupon codes or offers. If you earn additional credits before using the first, I will add the amount to your credit balance, but once used, the code will disappear, and with it any leftover credit balance.

Happy 4th of July!

To Rearrange, or not to Rearrange?

Heh. I just finished showing off my workspace,although I suppose really that was more about my machines, and I am already thinking about how I can re-arrange it. more specifically, make it more efficient. As it is, On the side of the room I didn't show, I have piles of fabric, and I can't even Iron because the Iron is all covered up. I have dead space behind my machines on my desk, and an underutilized cornier of the room.

So, my thoughts: Get one or two systems like this one. Stack them only 2 or 3 High. (I think thought that if you stack 2 high, you can only get one full cube from the other pieces in the set, so I am thinking 2 sets stacked 3 high.

One stack would be put in the back corner of my sewing desk, behind my sewing machine. It would hold, on the bottom cube: Stabilizers and Embroidery disks. maybe a binder if I print out my embroidery designs into a paper catalog... but not sure on that one.

Above that in the second cube would be Embroidery Blanks. Things that don't need to be cut. (things that need to be cut are better off being closer to the cutting area.)

The Third Cube would hold either more embroidery Blanks (which eventually I am sure I will accumulate) or I don't know what. On top of the third cube, I'd like to get a clock of some kind... something cute and fun.

Across the room, I would like to put a second stack. That would be on the table that houses our desktop computer. In that one, I would re-organize our computer paper, software, and etc. My Husband has a lot of games that take up space, it would be a good place for it.

Then, I'd like to bring down a bookshelf... we have one like this one only brown up in our spare room... unused. The only problem is, its pretty tall, and our toddler runs around in this room... we'd need to anchor it to the wall... and my husband does not want to do that.

but, if it got brought down, it would find its home in the under utilized corner. I would like to use the top shelf for accounts (paper copies of sales and etc), patterns, etc. Depending how much space was there, I would like to keep a basket of some kind for extra notions and things.

The rest of the shelves I would like to fill with plastic bins. The kind with locking lids. Each bin would have specific things.... finished products that are stocked on etsy, on beebabottoms.com, things that aren't stocked, items that are part of in-progress orders, etc. Then I can dedicate the drawers those things are in now to what they were originally meant for... more fabric!

I keep re-organizing this room... trouble is, with Beeba 1 running and playing in here, it gets a mess again in no time. I have to keep his little table here too... for him to color at, or do crafts of his own. And the swing for Beeba 2 stays too. And the toys Beeba 1 drags in... hmmmm... will my space every really be organized and efficient? for more than a day?

Ads on Blogs?

so, I have been working on advertising lately, looking for the cheapest good advertising possible... heh. I've got a few banner exchanges on the website. (only 3 right now, and don't want too many... they rotate, so you only see one at a time, but i don't want people to leave my site, you know?) Then I found some websites that advertise through people's blogs. you choose the blogs to advertise on, and they choose whether to let you. hmmm... but the thing is... Do people click on them? or do they just sit? even if the blog is popular, do people click the ads??? well, I have some up on popular blogs, we'll see what happens.

Diapering on the Go, or How our Hot Mama proved a point.

When I was pregnant with Beeba 2, My mother in law told me she was going to get me a gift. She said she wanted to make life easy for me, and so she wanted to buy me something to make it easier. So what did she insist on buying? DISPOSABLE DIAPERS. Yuck. Now, I am not against Sposies for people who need them. But I don't need them. I make and sell cloth diapers, for goodness sake.

She tried to tell me how hard it would be to launder them all the time. I proved that within days after Beeba 2 was born. Her next tactic was the on the go tagline. She thought it would be impossible to fit cloth diapers for both kids for an afternoon in my diaper bag. and that it would be impossibly heavy to do.

well, we proved her wrong a few weeks ago, and at her own house. It was really hot, and with our then 2 week old baby, we did not want to stay at our warmer than liked house. So, we called up and asked if we could come over and cool off in her air conditioning.

i packed enough diapers for an army in my Hot Mama Bag. I loaded up on wipes, filling my new Wipes Case (which will be available on my store site in the near future) and filling every poscket of the diaper bag with diapers. Enough small and newborn diapers for a 12 hour period (with a child who wets every 2 minutes, it seems) and 6 Large diapers for my 2 year old, since we never seem to know from day to day with him how many he'll need. I had an extra blanket in there, and an extra outfit for the baby. And 3 Wet Bags. And a bunch of covers. Plus the changing pad that matches the bag.

We used most of the diapers, by the way... thats just how my kids function, apparently. and I swear, they both wet more when we are away from home.

The diaper bag closed nicely, a little bulging, but more than sufficient. And when we got to her house, She had more things to give me, old clothes that were my husband's as a baby. (why she didn't give us these things when Beeba 1 (the boy) was smaller, I don't know... but that is beside the point.

The point is, we had more than enough diapers, and the bag was not overflowing, nor was it uncomfortable to carry. All the extras she sent us home with fit in the bag too. WE DID NOT NEED SPOSIES. This was a point I had been trying to make to her for some time. I think she might have finally gotten it. When I refused to take home more than one small bag of sposies she had gifted, back just before Beeba 2 was born, I swear she thought I was crazy. I think she was a little insulted, too.

But my kids don't need sposies. They do better in cloth. (so far as I know. Beeba 1 had bad rashes in sposies, Beeba 2 has never worn a sposie, so I don't know how she would do.)

I added some pics of my Hot Mama bag here. They are not pics of that day, at the time I was not thinking about blogging them, just show off pics I took when I first sewed it up. This is so far proving though to be the best diaper bag I have had... and I have had a few.

And sorry, I cannot find this fabric again. When I originally showed the bag to some friends, I had several people ask me to make them one. Its why I now offer custom Hot Mama's on my website. But they wanted the EXACT SAME FABRIC. Unfortunately, It happened to be clearance fabric, and is now gone, un-findable at my fabric stores. Personally, I don't have a problem with that, as I like the thought of these all being one of a kind. Don't you?

Diaper Laundry, Its not so bad.

Ok, so here's a topic I get asked about fairly often. I usually find myself looking at the questioner like he or she is a lunatic, actually. thats because Diaper Laundry is just one more load of laundry. And it really isn't any harder than any other load of laundry.

Usually, Coversations go something like this:

"OH, you use cloth? Isn't that Hard?"(exchange gross, stinky, timeconsuming, what have you here... its all the same)

Me: No, not hard, why would it be hard?

See, thats when the conversation can get interesting, and its usually in the next few minutes I either have someone convinced they'd like to try cloth, or they tune out and aren't listening any more.

So lets address some more common misconceptions, shall we?

1. DUNKING. Dunking is hardly ever (and for me, in a year and a half of cloth, never) necessary. People think of dunking as a requirement of cloth diapering because they remember their mothers, or grandmothers doing it, or they've heard stories about it. I can't tell you how many times I have heard the story of coming in from playing to find the baby's soggy wet diaper soaking in the toilet bowl, or the tub, or sink, or wherever. I can tell you that I have never had a diaper soaking in my toilet, nor have I ever heard of any of my MANY acquaintances and friends in the cloth diapering world doing this either. It just isn't needed.

When babies are very little, their waste is by nature water-soluble. This may seem strange to those new to cloth, but with breastfed babes at least, you can throw it right into the washing machine. I promise, it won't hurt your machine. Honestly, I have no experience with Formula fed babies waste, so maybe a kind reader will fill me in on that one. Both My Beebas are exclusively fed at the breast.

Toddler waste is much more solid, and in most cases will roll, or can be shaken off the diaper straight into the toilet. No dunking, no swishing here... what doesn't come off, (the very small bits) can go into the wash... it'll come clean.

Ah... but you notice, I missed a period. This is the hardest part. The stage of time when babies are starting to eat solid foods, but are still on a highly liquid diet. That's the hardest stage, actually. Thats the stage where you are reluctant to just throw it in the wash, but it doesn't roll off, either. Ironically, thats also the stage at which I entered into cloth when I started with Beeba 1. Its really not that bad, though.

Yes, it may require a bit more than just a shake, though. I still don't know very many people who dunk. There is a nice handy tool for this very situation. Its called a Mini Shower, and it connects to the clean water supply on your toilet. You can buy one online, or you can go to a hardware store and buy the basic components for less. Either way, you then can use it to spray that goopy stuff off your diapers and keep your hands clean while actually using less water.

I am also told it works well as a personal bidet. I don't have one, though I may ask my husband to put one up when Beeba 2 hits that stage, so I can't tell you about that.

2. Smelly Diapers, Bleach, and getting them clean enough. Bluntly put, Many people are worried that they will not get their diapers clean enough washing them at home, or that they will need a lot of bleach, or other harsh chemicals to do it. Some people may even have tried using cloth for a short time and found that they had an odor left in their diapers. Well, for starters, this is not something that needs to be an issue. Lets go over some of the points of washing.

Diapers SHOULD be washed on hot. the hot water will help sanitize them. If you have one of the newer machines with a SANITIZE setting, use it. If not, set your water temperature high on your water heater. I have been asked about smelly diapers a few times, and the first thing I asked back is what temperature do you wash on. More often than not, they are washing on cold or warm, however they wash their clothes. I can't say it enough, WASH ON HOT. Then add a second rinse to your process.

Most people I know would advocate a rinse cycle before the hot wash. This would be done on cold. Personally, I don't do it, but I have an old top loader. If you have a newer front loader or high efficiency washer, I would suggest using a rinse first. it will help remove any lingering bits before the main wash. Front loaders don't use as much water and so sometimes do not work quite as well for diapers... which makes me wonder whether they really work well for any clothes, but I don't have one, so I don't know.

As for bleach, don't use it. I know, your mother, or her mother, or whoever has told you about cloth diapers has probably said you will need to invest in it. You don't. What we know about bleach now that they may not have known is that it breaks down fibers, and shortens the life of them. As far as getting stains out, or disinfecting, well... the sun does just as good a job on both fronts. My husband's grandmother likes to tell peopole that all her friends and neighbors used to assume she used gallons of bleach, since all her whites and her kids whites stayed so bright and clean looking. And she was a nurse with 9 kids, so she had a lot of whites. She very rarely if ever used bleach, though. Her whites stayed that way because she line-dried her clothes. Now, you don't need to line dry your diapers, though if you want to, by all means do so. I want to put up a line in my yard myself. but if you do have a stain that can't be gotten rid of, lay it out in the sun. The back window of a car, or laid out on your porch, or any place where it will get direct sun will work. In a couple days time, your stains will have faded away.

For those of us who don't have lines to hang our diapers on, or who don't want to, a hot cycle in the drier will help to finish the sanitizing process.

Another useful hint is no matter how much you want to use extra detergent, DON'T! Too much detergent causes build up, and not just on diapers. but on diapers you will see the effects of that build-up. Detergent build-up can mean less absorbency, and more stink issues. It can cause a pocket diaper to repel liquid, instead of wicking it through to the insert. It can make a good diaper leak well before its time. If this happens, you'll need to think about Stripping your diapers. But that is a topic I'll leave for another day.

Laundry detergents come with a scoop or a cap with little marker lines telling you how much to use. Don't listen to them. They want you to use that because you will use the detergent faster, and need to buy more. In reality, you only need between a quarter to half of what they recommend, and you will have to find that perfect amount. Ideally, you want a little bit of sudsing when you are doing your wash, but by the time you get to your second rinse, you are hoping to see NO SUDS AT ALL. you also do not want to smell your detergent. Clean diapers should smell like clean water, not soap.

You can add a little Essential Oil if you are inclined. If you do, go sparingly. A few drops can go a long way. Try a few out, to see what you like. My recommendations, tea tree oil, lavender oil, or eucalyptus oil. Or any combination of those. They have cleansing properties, and smell yummy.

Tea tree is Antiseptic, Antifungal, and AntiViral. Eucalyptus is an analgesic, and is antiseptic, and can help with minimizing odor retention. It is effective against bacteria, especially Staphylococci. Lavender is antiseptic, analgesic, and also has deodorizing properties.

If you do use Essential Oils, you may smell a hint of them lingering on your clean diapers. Thats ok. Just use one you like.

You want to avoid using detergents that contain lots of extra chemicals, like brighteners, or enzymes. These can cause issues. I use All Free and Clear, and have had no issues. You can find one you like on this chart.

Did I make everything confusing enough? I'll probably have to come back and edit for clarity later, because I honestly can't remember everything I wrote right now. I've been interrupted a few times.

So here's a basic laundry routine for diapers:
Step 1, Cold rinse with no detergent.
Step 2, Hot wash with a small amount of detergent.
Step 3, Extra rinse cycle. (my machine has a setting for this, I just turn it one. If yours doesn't, you may need to do this manually. Important for getting all detergent out.)
Step 4, Dry in dryer on hot, or hang on line.
Step 5, You're done. Organize them however you like and pat yourself on the back.

Speaking of organization, I have a few pics of my diaper area, and since I haven't shown any pics today, they'll do nicely. My Diapers are kept on the shelf above my washer and dryer (which, happily, are on my first floor) On one side I have Diapers for Beeba 1, on the other side are Beeba 2's diapers. Of course, I redo my area fairly often... it tends to get messy. But it works for us.

Welcome, Cont.

OK, where was I? Oh yes... I had just gotten my website redone. Of course, by this time, I was pretty pregnant. I was bogged down with all custom orders, and had no time to stock my storefront. And my own Beeba 1 had outgrown all his diapers, and was wearing them like bikinis. Beeba 2, who I was pregnant with, had a few diapers gifted to her, but not nearly enough for a newborn stash, and I was running out of time. I made a decision. I knew my customers would be unhappy, but I also knew I had to put my own children first sometimes, and I knew that the last month or so of pregnancy, and the first month or so with a new baby, were going to be tough. So, I finished my customs orders, and let my customers know that there would be no more customs for a while. I would still try to stock int he storefront when I could, but I could not do the custom orders for dozens of diapers and get my own kids set up with new stashes too.

Over the last month or so of my pregnancy, I sewed new diapers for Beeba 1 (who is 2) and LOTS for Beeba 2 (now 6 weeks old). During that time, I managed to get myself approved to make for sale from the Fattycakes pattern of diapers, which I very much like. Unlike my own front closing pattern, Fattycakes is a side closing diaper. It is best made with snaps, and fits on a wide range of kids.

I also made up a design for a wipes case, which is coming soon to both my shops. I embellished mine with a decorative border I was able to do on my new Sewing machine, which I bought when my mother's old machine started stitching funny.

I also have invested in an embroidery machine in the last 2 weeks. Now we are broke till I sell some stock... hehe... but it is an investment. We have eaten spaghetti more in the last 2 weeks than in the last 2 months, but it will pay off in the end. I can't do much with it now, I need the Card Reader/Writer so I can take designs from the internet. But that will come. I am getting that piece of vital hardware in July, at the behest of my brother, who has decided that part of his bonus for joining the military should be invested in his nephew and niece's futures. Its all very cool of him.

I got my etsy just recently too... my first thought was that it could promote my main site... but I think it will more likely be as a sister site, rather than a promotional tool... either way, on either site, I will make money from the sales. But customs will continue to be through my main site, as I can control them better that way.

That takes us up to today. Beeba 1 is playing with his toys in the front room, Beeba 2 is yelling out her frustration that I put her down for a minute. (she was in my arms most of the time I was typing, of course, nursing more than not. She is an avid nurser.) I have cuts of PUL and seudecloth sitting in a heap near me, waiting for the kids to nap so they can become pocket diapers and covers. I have flannels and knits begging to become Fitted Diapers. I have ordered Cotton velour, and Microfleece, to become soft cozy inners for diapers.

I have PUL waiting to be embroidered too, but that will have to wait till I get my hardware. I'll write about that more later.

And I have Fluffy mail waiting to get sent off on its way. I participated in a "diaper shower" through an online community I am part of. Here is What I am sending:



There are 3 diapers there. one in my pattern with a snap-in soaker. Thats the little blue one. One in the Fattycakes Pattern, a pocket or cover, made from the cutest fleece remnant ever with a seudecloth inner. And finally, a pink Hippy Hippy Snap, which is a pattern I'm not YET licensed for. it is a hip-snapping diaper, which i also like a lot.

Then theres the other big news around here: Business Materials. I got business labels in recently, and with that, decided to bring the face of my website forward into my business cards and informational pamphlets. Now, I look all professional. The best part of that all is that While my web designer made my original banner, I was able to edit it to fit and create the rest of my business materials from it. I'm kind of proud of myself.

Next topic for the blog will be: Diaper Laundry, how easy it can be.

Welcome

Ok, so this is a first. It's a first for me, writing a blog, and its a first for you, reading mine. Welcome to my blog. I am mostly going to be writing about, as the heading states, my Business, Beeba Bottoms, and my Kids, Beeba 1 and Beeba 2. For the sake of safety and their father's wishes, I will not use their names here. If you know us offline, you already know their names.

So how did I get into making diapers?

I've always sewed... when I was 12, i was designing dresses for my kid sister's barbie dolls. I actually had my first sewing machine at age 7, and it wasn't a toy, either. Of course, I didn't learn to use it till I was 11. That machine was melted (yes, thats right, melted) when I was 13... we had a house-fire. I didn't sew much for a while after that.

When I was married, my mother sewed my wedding dress on her 20-year old machine. I wanted to help, but didn't dare mess up my own dress. but I watched. and when I moved out of state with my husband, she gave me that machine. My sewing days were back.

When Beeba 1 was a few months old, wearing trashie diapers, he was getting all sorts of rashes... so I started reading. I learned about the kinds of diapers available... and then I learned the price. can we say sticker-shock? So, out came the old machine, and a paper grocery bag. (I had read that I could make a pattern by tracing a trashie)

I soon tossed the paper bag, it gave me headaches, and tossed the trashie-tracing idea, too... trashies never did fit well anyway. I didn't give up on making diapers though. Being a frugal mom, I started with free patterns. I tried the ottobre small first... it never made it onto a bottom. then I tried the Mama bird pattern.. better, but not great. so I started measuring... Beeba 1 was not happy as I stretched measuring tapes all over him.

After several tries, I came up with my first pattern, and covered it with a wool wrap I had chrocheted from yet another free pattern.

It worked, but it still wasn't perfect. I wanted perfect. So I kept working. It took several months, but in the meantime, I was building his stash.

Eventually, I had a pattern I liked. The only problem was, the Velcro kept falling apart. That led me to do some more research. I found out that Velcro was exactly 2 things. 1. the most expensive brand of hook and loop I could have gotten, and 2. the worst brand. I found a Brand of Hook and loop called Touchtape, and fell in love. It was strong, it lasted, and it came in different colors. (although I never bought anything but white... I couldn't imagine needing more than that for just my Beeba.)

There were still problems with Touchtape... If I forgot to close the laundry tabs, I got huge diaper snakes in my washer and dryer, and lint loved to build up in the hook, making it useless untill cleaned. Still, my husband loved that it was just like using a trashie, so I kept trucking. Besides... who could afford to use snaps??

It was around that point that I had a few people tell me I should sell the diapers. Being naive, I listened. I made a few business cards, created a little angelfire site, and even registered with my state as a business. Ha. I did get some sales.

My first sale was a pretty big one, too. A local mom saw my family out walking and thought that the diapers were cute. She ordered 10 diapers for her son, who was a bit older than mine... she was hoping they would help him potty-train sooner. I don't know if that worked, but later, she also bought diapers for her daughter (who had not been born yet when I met her).

I started to make some stock, and arranged to go sell at a local farmers market. That was fun. I didn't sell much, but hey... How many people go to a farmers market for diapers? But, I got my name out locally, and that did help a bit.

My nephew came and helped out one week. He played more than helped, but hey... thats what kids do.

After the summer was over, I realized I was no longer in love with Hook and loop. My son had learned to pull it off, as many toddlers seem to do. I decided I needed an alternative. I tried snaps. Metal snaps from the craft store. Ha. That was a total flop. Good thing I never tried to sell those. They fell off in a few washes, if they hadn't fallen off in their first use. Let it be a lesson to aspiring diaper makers. Metal snaps= not for diapers.

I didn't give up so easily, though. I tried getting snaps from online. I bought from the snap store, their long prong metal snaps. they worked better, but not by much. metal snaps were not the way to go. but by this time, I had realized that even though metal snaps were the pits, I liked the concept. I did some math and realized that I had made enough money to invest a bit in my business. I bought a real snap press.

By the time my snap press got here, I was pregnant with Beeba 2, and tired all the time. I made my husband do all my pressing for me. but boy, did it feel good not to have diaper snakes in the laundry, or to have to pick lint off of diaper tabs. I decided that I would keep offering the hook and loop, since that was my original product, but that I would also offer the snaps. Polyresin snaps work great for diapers, by the way. You just have to press really hard.

In the meantime, I had decide I needed a better website, because I knew the local scene wasn't going to last forever, and I also knew that I was going to have to take time off when Beeba 2 was born. I wanted my business in a good position when that happened. I arranged a trade. I got my website designed as a storefront, and in return, I made a stash of diapers.

To Be continued... the kids are calling.