I made a pattern from a cloth diaper that i had here. I enlarged the pattern quite a bit, since i'm not familiar with wet felting and how much the wool will shrink. (i made the pattern on the slick side of wax paper, and then covered with saran wrap)
Using some Lincoln Longwool Roving that I had here on hand, I started layering over the pattern- first one direction, then the next layer, another direction. I used a total of 4 layers. (it took between 1 and 2 ounces of wool)
Once the 4 layers were down, I took hot soapy water and poured over the wool and massaged the wool, flipping it over as it began to felt, and continued to work the wool. Once I could pick it up, I wrung it out and ran it under hot water - then cold water, to get a tighter felt. I finally wrung it out and threw it in the dryer for a few minutes. It came out a strong felt and slightly bigger than the oversized pattern that i had made.
I made another pattern (the exact size of the cover) and cut out the felt to the proper size.
Now how cute is that? I still need to do something with the edges and gather the little legs and back. It will need buttons or velcro. I'm thinking of putting snaps in it to attach the cloth diaper to -to hold it in place. And then.. maybe a little felted lamb on the bottom! (but nothing 'too cutesy' lol)
A few things I never new about wool covers - Wool will wick moisture away - and even though it is not 100% waterproof, because of the wicking, it will help to keep the baby dry. Also, they do not need to be laundered every use - the wool has neutralizing properties. They should be treated with lanolin. ( i have more to read on that!)
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That is adorable! Next, you need to try one with llama fiber. ;)
ReplyDeleteI would love to :) I have so little experience with fiber, and none with llama - does it felt easily? Do you sell your fiber? If so, let me know - I would be interested in trying it! p.s. congratulations on the great results at the show!
ReplyDeleteMy friend Heather used wool covers and really liked them. They were much thinner than I thought they'd be and weren't too itchy. Not sure about that Lincoln ;-).
ReplyDeleteI see a hot new trend on the way. You do need to felt a little lamb on the bum!
ReplyDeleteKelly
The lincoln roving i have seems to be softer felted, than it feels when it's just roving, or spun. I was surprised, I thought it would be a little rougher than it was!
ReplyDeleteHello Tonya! That is really neat you are making felted diapers! Not only are they adorable, they are healthier for your baby and the earth too. I love them!
ReplyDeleteYou are just so creative, as always! I am sure Wyatt will appreciate all the lovin his momma has put into his diaper covers.
ReplyDeleteDon't know if you read soulemama, but I believe she used knitted wool diaper covers.
ReplyDeleteYou are getting really close now! I hope it goes well for you and the little one.
Hi DIanne, I have seen a lot of patterns for the knitted covers on the internet here... (not familiar with soulemama?) Thanks for the well wishes! Hope all is well your way!
ReplyDeleteI was at the wool festival in October, my wife liked a wool poncho and has requested one for Christmas. I am trying to locate the vendor. If you make these could you please email me at cam.middleton@scott.kyschools.us
ReplyDeletehow did this turn out? i'm thinking of wet felting a diaper cover too! did you ever add elastic and snaps? you are the ONLY person i could find that wet felted a diaper cover!
ReplyDeleteHey Chelsey, Possibly, I didn't make this thick enough, because i had problems with it leaking through. I tried adding lanolin in a hot wash to help waterproof it, and there are other things to help keep it from leaking through, but ultimately, I didn't use it but for just a few times- since my little guy was home with me, I just let him run around in a cloth diaper and no cover. Sorry I couldn't help, but I didn't quite figure out the trick to keeping it from leaking through. I hope you will update me if you try it and figure it out!
ReplyDeletei was thinking about trying to do this but kind of incorporate it into an AIO type of diaper. like just have the felt as the outer layer instead of PUL.
DeleteHey Chelsey, I was really happy with the homemade diapers that I posted a link to on the blog here, but I just don't know how to waterproof this wool cover more effectively. If had to do all over again I would make the diapers again like i did with the cotton recycled t-shirts and such, but would probably try to find a material at the fabric store that had some type of waterproofing qualities for a cover or AIO. I hope the wool works out for you though!
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI just thought I would chime in. I do a lot of wet felting and I also use cloth diapers for my little ones, especially wool covers. I think you may have made it a tad thin, but that shouldn't have effected the water proofing. Rather I suspect the problem was not having enough lanolin penetrate the wool. I have found that most of the websites that give directions for lanolizing your covers say to put a dime sized amount in a large amount of water. Personally I never found this to be sufficient. Instead I fill a medium bowl with scalding hot water then add a few tablespoons of lanolin and then set the diaper covers in the water. It is important that you make sure to wait until the lanolin has fully melted into the water and also very important to make sure that you squeeze the covers and move them around in the water to make sure they are very saturated with the lanolin water. You want them to absorb as much as possible. Then set them on the bottom of the bowl and wait for the lanolin to cool partially and then raise them up flat so that the lanolin on the surface gives one final coating to the diaper on each side. Then squeeze it out and hang. This has been really successful for me with my wet felted covers and they were super water proof. The one other thing I would say is that you really need to use gussets or put bands (cuffs from old wool sweaters work great) around the legs or you will get leaks there, especially with a younger baby. But I think everyone who enjoys working with wool should give this a try. I have made some beautiful diapers that were completely machine washable because they were already felted! :)