Oh, and the sewing machine is just fine - I had the bobbin threaded incorrectly. The nice gentleman showed me how to thread it (though, to my credit I thought I was doing it the way he showed me) and even went through some stitches. He then cut some thick denim and showed me that it can stitch through 6 layers of it for a hem without a hiccup!
Now onto the project. For this I used:
- 2 small medium weight flannel receiving blankets (reuse part or recycle)
- Fabric Cutting board (ruler works fine as well)
- Sharp fabric shears
- Thread
- Sewing Machine
I measured and cut the blankets so I would have wipes that were in the range of 8-9" square, giving me nine per blanket.
Cutting the blankets
I would guess that you could use most natural fabrics for these wipes - and too be green I would suggest using fabrics you have around your house (old shirts, towels, etc.) If you use old jersey knit shirts I would recommend a double layer wipe so you don't end up with messes going through the fabric onto your hand. Seeing how my fabric is a good weight, I opted for a single layer. I didn't even do a double layer hem on the edges - I just did a legs stitch about a 1/4" from the edge of the fabric, then trimmed away the excess.
The "raw" product
Me, diligently cutting away the excess fabric from the edge of the hem
Close-up of the finished product
I'm actually pretty proud of the way these turned out, being the amateur sewer that I am. The wipes are absorbent, do a good job of cleaning messy bums, and they rinse well. My husband even said that he prefers the cloth ones I made to disposables! Boy, do I ever love my husband. He has been totally supportive of this transition to cloth diapering and has "been in the trenches" trying all the diapers along with me.
Anyway, I'll be doing my first load of wash with these wipes today, so I'll be able to post later about how the stitch held up to a wash and dry cycle.
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