T-shirt Flip Style Prefold

Flip prefolds are my favorite insert to use in Prince Charming's cloth covers. They are a bit pricey however at $8 each. I did pick up some NWOT on eBay for $5 each and felt I got a good price, but I've learned to make them for just pennies!!!

All you need is a BIG t- shirt. I used my husbands 2XL undershirts he replaced with new ones I gave him for Christmas. Old and stained t- shirts are perfect for this.

1. Line up bottom edges of t-shirt and lay flat on table.

2. Cut the bottom hem off, making a straight cut. Measure up 14.5 inches and make another straight cut. You now have a large ring of fabric.

3. Fold this piece in half, folded edge to folded edge. This may take a little fiddling to get it to lay flat.

If adding extra absorbency layers you should mark this fold line with a pin. Now open the fold back to the right and find the center of the left side (between the pin and left edge). Now lay your extra layers on the center of the left side. Stitch down with zig zag stitch and fold back closed. If you want the extra layers to go the short way on the insert then center the end of them on the uncut edge before zig-zagging. This is what the zig zag stitches look like on the other side. - see further instructions below.

If adding a decorative outer layer you should do it at this point - see further instructions below.

4. Sew a straight stitch along the left open side.

5. Find the center on the short edge and measure 2 1/2 inches from the center on each side. This is where you should use a straight stitch to stitch through all layers and make the fold lines. Stitch parallel lines 5 inches apart from short edge to short edge. In the photo below there are 4 lines stitched so far, 2 on the long edges ( note if not using a decorative outer fabric you only need to sew 1 long side) and 2 fold lines. I'm using pins to mark the centers of all 4 sides.

6. Find center on long edge and measure 2 1/2 inches from the center on each side. This is where you should use a straight stitch to make fold lines. Stitch parallel lines 5 inches apart from long edge to long edge.

This photo should make it about as clear as mud.

7. Trim up raw edges making them even. Zig zag or serge both raw edges.

8. Fold and place in your cover. No prepping needed if you are using upcycled fabrics. If using new fabric, I like to wash and dry it five times prior to cutting and sewing.

Flip organic insert fully prepped measures 13.5 inches wide by 14.5 inches long

Mama's frugal insert

Cost: less than $1 for thread and cute decorative fabric

Front side

Back side

Folded the short way

Your finished width will vary based on the width of your t-shirt. This doesn't really matter, but the wider it is then the more absorbent it will be. You want to keep it at or less than 13.5 inches wide so that it folds nicely.

• Variations

Add a decorative outer layer. If you choose to add a cute outer fabric, choose one that is a knit jersey to match the t-shirt fabric. This keeps it comfy and cozy for baby. They really do feel soft. Cut the piece 1 inch wider and the same length as your folded t-shirt piece. Turn under 1/2 inch on both the right and left sides and pin on top of the folded t-shirt piece. Stitch both sides with a straight stitch. You now have 4 layers of t-shirt fabric and 1 layer of decorative fabric. Continue to step 5.

Add extra length. One way to add absorbency to this insert would be to cut the t-shirt at around 18.5 inches high instead of 14.5. Use your discretion to get the fold you want. This would work best on larger babies so that you don't get too much bulk added to the front. Use the insert in the same manner except fold over the extra length in the front or back as needed.


Add more layers of absorbency. Another way to add absorbency is to cut extra strips from the unused top portion and sleeves of the t-shirt and sew them into the center of the insert. These should measure 4.5 inches wide by 15 inches for use the long way or 4.5 inches by 13 inches for use the short way. Layer them on top of each other and zig zag the edges down in between the t-shirt layers (between the fold). Then stitch the first straight stitch holding all the layers together. You do not want the extra layers to reach into where you stitch the fold lines. It will add extra bulk and made it harder to fold. I've added up to about 4 extra layers and they do work well, but they also increase the drying time. The inserts with the extra layers are the last to dry in my diaper load and I usually just hang them over something to let them finish drying when everything is dry (I use 1 long high heat cycle). With these extra layers added, I feel like they work just as well as a Flip Organic Insert. Flips work really well, and never leak for me. I have no problems with the t-shirt flips made without extra layers either. They work great for normal daytime use, I just feel like a flip organic would hold a little more if put to the test.



If you use this tutorial, please let me know how you like it. I'd love to improve it based on your feedback.

Happy T-shirt Flipping!!

Bottom wash

Wipes cost a lot, especially if your child can only use the name brand sensitive wipes like one of mine. If you cloth diaper, using cloth wipes is really no more work at all, and can save up to $5.00 a week per child. That's if you use 2 boxes of wipes per week. I read a ton of recipes and found this one to be the simplest and most common. Many included essential oils and other ingredients I didn't have, so I decided to try this one first. I did have to go get baby oil because I had never used it before. It cost about $3 I think and will last a long time. Probably will be the only bottle I ever buy, because only a fraction of it has been used and the baby is 5 months old. The original recipe made 2 cups of wash, but my bottle holds 1 cup so i cut it in half. I would link to the recipe where I found it, but I have no idea where it is and actually found it on several sites.

Here's what I do:

1. Warm 1 cup of water in microwave for about 45 seconds- this helps dissolve the other ingredients.
2. Put 1 tablespoon of baby oil in bottle
3. Put 1 tablespoon of baby wash in bottle (regular or moisturizing)
4. Pour in the water, cap it, and gently shake.
5. Pour on wipe and clean bottom.

So simple! I had tons of baby washcloths left over from the girls and some new ones for the baby, so this is what I use folded into fourths for the wipes.



I would warn you though that if you put your wipes in a box and wet them all, they will get all yucky and smelly in about a day. YUCK! I just fold all my washcloths into fourths while folding my diaper laundry and keep the bottle of cleanser on the change table and squirt on the washcloth as needed. I deposit the soiled washed cloth in the wetbag with my dirty diapers and wash them all on laundry day.



This bottle is the one I was given in the hospital after the baby's birth and it works great, but I've also read some like to use a spray type bottle. I only have to make the solution every couple of weeks, so I find this a great savings with little effort.



What type of bottom wash do you use? I might need to try it .

Easy inserts

When I originally began looking into cloth diapers for my ds, I liked the idea of cloth diapering and everything I was finding out, except the price. As an experienced seamstress I decided the way for me to cloth diaper would be to sew my own. I began researching the fabric and materials needed for sewing my own diapers, and I learned a lot. The only problem was I had never owned or used a cloth diaper, so I had no idea what features I actually needed. I started by sewing a few flannel fitteds using different free online patterns and tutorials and tried them out on my niece who I kept daily at the time. I liked what I had done so far and continued on in my cd journey and bought some PUL fabric. After a couple of versions, I ended up with a pretty successful pocket diaper. I made tons of inserts from old burp cloths (prefold version) and flannel scraps. I also picked up several thirsties covers NWT second-hand at a great price, and decided I had a good enough stash to start my ds off with.

Over the last 5 months I have learned a lot about cloth diapering. I learned my homemade inserts weren't absorbent enough, I needed to add more layers of absorption, I didn't love pocket diapers, fitted diapers with a cover aren't twice as much work, and most of all that cloth diapering is possible and I do want to make it work.

My chunky ds grew out of those size 1 thirsties duo wraps quickly and my homemade stash of pockets with various types of openings weren't exactly leak free, so I began to shop the sales. I researched a lot and bought what would work for a chubby legged big boy and soon to be much bigger boy. Much to my surprise, i loved all the products I ordered.

So, my advice to all you money-saving sewing mamas out there is to first find what you like and works in your situation, then recreate it!

I did just that and now I have a good stash of purchased and homemade cloth diapers and inserts that work well every time. This is an easy insert to make that I modeled after my softbums staydry microfiber inserts.

I knew by reading online that the softbums inserts were 4 layers of microfiber topped with stay dry micro fleece. I had green microfiber kitchen hand towels and brown micro suede in my cd making stash already, so that's what I used. Here are the steps to recreate an insert like this one:

1. Trace around existing insert to make a pattern
2. Pin and cut your layers
3. Pin layers together: stay dry on top then 4 layers of microfiber
4. Serge edges
5. Add a male snap (I used mismatched leftovers) to a tag or small piece of fabric
6. Sew this with the snap facing outwards onto the microfiber side of the insert
7. Snap in cover and use!

Just on a side note, I love the brown on the top of the inserts! They show no stains, while the white one does.

Here's a price comparison:

Butter suede bought as a remnant. Approximately $0.25 per insert

Microfiber bought as a dish towel . $1.30

Tag $0.25

Snap and thread. I used mismatched bits of snaps leftover from other projects. I'll just guesstimate around $0.20 for both.

That's $2.00 for a homemade insert versus $5.00 for a brand name one. They function exactly the same.