Stripping your Cloth Diapers

Before you say, "but my diapers don't stink", consider this:

My diapers were clean when they went in the tub with hot water and RLR.

The water looked like this only 5 minutes into the soak.

I hadn't even agitated them yet.

They didn't stink either.


*UPDATED 1/22/2013*
The diaper soaked for 2 hours. I added 2 pots of boiling water over that time and also agitated them with a plunger.
This was the water after all that:

And I thought they were clean!

~Patricia~

Dying My Osnaburg Wrap: Phase 2

I made a baby wrap from osnaburg, I gradient dyed it purple. Although I was proud of it, I didn't love it.

So.......I dyed it some more!

I gathered my supplies:

~2 packets of Dylon in Ocean Blue

~Salt

~My hangers and binder clips

~My big bin for the dye bath

~Smaller container for mixing dye and salt

All set up:

See how the bottom of the wrap is just barely brushing the bottom of the bin?

Mix the dye and add water like I did in my previous post:

I raised the water level every 15 minutes until I had almost reached the top of the bin.

Then, I rinsed and took it to the washer.

This is what it looked like before I put it in the dryer:

And dry:

Now I LOVE it!!!!!!!

~Patricia~

Dying My Osnaburg Wrap: Phase 1

So, I made my own baby wrap! If you want to see how click over here for the step-by-step.
I also dyed it! Here's how!

You will need dye. There are different brands and types. This was my first time dying a wrap and I didn't want to spend a lot of money, so I picked up 2 packets of Dylon from a local craft store. With this type, you do not need to do a soda ash soak because there's soda ash in it. (Some will argue that the presoak will help the colors be more vibrant, but I have no personal experience with the differences.)

You will also need:
-A large bin
-A separate smaller bin or pitcher for mixing dye/salt and for adding water to your dye bath.
-Hangers (pants hangers work best, but I used what I had, regular hangers and binder clips)
-A tension rod
-Salt....LOTS of it! (This is your fixative...it helps "fix" the dye to the fibers ;)

I guess I should mention that there are countless dying technicques. I wanted my color to start bold on one rail and gradually get lighter. This is called a gradient dye or "grad dye."

Here's my dye:

Here's my set-up:

See how the wrap is hanging into the big (green) bin?

Wet the fabric down, mix your dye in smaller container per the directions on packet and put in the big bin. (pour very close to the bottom being careful not to splash). Raise water level to where you want your first grad to end.

Set a timer and go about your day! I did 15 minutes.

When the timer sounds, mix more salt with more water and add water to the next desired height. (I added 2 1/2 of my containers full of water each time.) You also want to add salt each time. I mixed 3/4-1 cup of salt with the first addition of water.

Again, pour down the side of the bin or as close to the dye bath as you can to prevent splashing.

Do this over.....and over.......and over....and over......until you reach the desired height of your gradient. When mine was as far as I felt like taking it, I dropped the whole wrap into the bath to complete the purple-ification!

This is what I got:

It looks really dark, but hasn't been rinsed yet.

Remove dye bath container and rinse the wrap until the water runs clear. (Or close to clear).

Wash and Dry!

I ran mine on a pre-rinse before I washed with detergent and dried, just to make sure I got all the excess dye out.

TA-DA!

Not bad for my first dyed wrap, but I wasn't completely happy with it, so I dyed it some more....coming in Part 2!

~Patricia~

How I made my Osnaburg Baby Wrap

Woven baby wraps are very coveted items to babywearers. They are soft and squishy, comfortable and supportive, the prices range in the 100's of dollars. If you have the jack, get one! They hold their value well and, depending on the print, some even increase in value. 

People ask me a lot if it's "like a Moby." Well, yes, in a sense. But a Moby Wrap (or the like) is stretchy. It's super comfy for a newborn, but as they get heavier, it becomes less supportive for both the baby and the wearer. Also, you should NEVER wrap a baby on your back in a stretchy wrap. They can wriggle out easily....it's just not safe.

At any rate, shelling out $100 or more for yet another baby carrier was just not going to happen, so, like I do with everything else, I set out to make one myself!

First, you need a fabric called Osnaburg. It's 100% cotton, the weave is tight and only has a VERY slight diagonal stretch, so it is secure and baby will not be able to wriggle out of it. (Assuming you wrap it well....more on that later)

Osnaburg can be found in most hobby, fabric and craft stores. (It's by the muslin). It is unfinished and unbleached.

It looks like this:

How much you need depends on what size you want your finished wrap to be. Here's a good resource on sizing.

I knew I wanted at least a size 6 (181inches) to have enough to do all the wraps I wanted to do and Osnaburg shrinks, so I purchased 6 yards (216inches).

Because I knew it would shrink and I didn't want to loose anymore length to unraveling, I used my overlock foot and roughly finished the short sides for the washing/shrinking process. (I used red thread so you can see it.) You can serge it if you want to....I didn't want to use all that thread.

This step is also not necessary.

 I left the long sides alone because it was already 44' wide and I only needed 31" anyway.

The raw edges looked like this:

Once the ends are roughly finished or served (which is optional), scour that bad boy!
Boil it good! I use my canning pot for this bc it's big enough to fit all that fabric. DO NOT skip this step or you will regret it. This helps get all the gunk and oil out of the cotton.

Then wash it. On HOT with a tad of blue dish soap. The soap will cut the natural oils off the cotton and wash them away, allowing the fabric to shrink and hold the dye better later.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND USING DISH SOAP IN AN HE WASHER.
So definitely do it in the tub, if you have an HE. I'm just a rebel.

After it's washed, an extra rinse is a good idea, but since I didn't see any bubbles in my rinse cycle (and I was getting impatient), I plopped the wet tangled mess over to the dryer. Dry it on HIGH HEAT to set the shrink. (We don't want this stretching, remember?)

Next I measured 31" across the short side and marked.
(You can make yours wider, if desired.)
And, remember, SEAM ALLOWANCE!

Snip....

....And rip! Trust me, don't fool around with too much measure and cutting. It rips straight and there's something somewhat satisfying about ripping fabric!

You're ready to hem. I was going for a wrap that was 30" wide, so I left 1" for seam allowance. I rolled the hem to approximately 1/4" on all sides.

(Right here you can measure, press and pin all those yards of fabric, if you wish too. I "eye-balled" it as I went to save time.)

Roll fabric in 1/4", then roll it again 1/4" to tuck away the rough edge. Straight stitch all. the. way. around. Hang in there.This part takes a while.

 And you're done!

You can wrap with it just how it is!

Or you can dye it......

I'll discuss my process in my next post!

~Patricia~

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