waistband elastic application for sensitive skin (part 2)

Sew the elastic to the boxers, using the lightning zigzag stitch. Take a few stitches before starting to stretch the elastic to fit.

You will have to stretch the elastic quite a bit to get it to fit with the boxer fabric. Try to make the tension on the elastic as even as possible.

Check often to make sure that the elastic is staying where it's supposed to be by lifting the fabric and assuring that the elastic is being appropriately attached to the fabric. If there is a line on the elastic like mine has, make sure that line isn't rising above the place where it should be depending on where you pinned it.

When finished, the stitching should secure the elastic to the boxer fabric and it will gather nicely.

Using sharp, small scissors, trim the little threads that have unraveled while attaching the elastic to the boxer fabric.

Turn the boxers right side out. Fold the elastic so that it is on the outside as well. Even it out as much as possible.

Pin the quarters of the elastic once again to the quarters of the fabric so that when you sew the bottom of the elastic to the fabric it will be even and smooth at the top and the bottom.

Using the lightning zigzag stitch, apply the bottom of the elastic to the outside of the boxer fabric. Make sure to stretch as needed to match the quarters up as was done with the inside.

Check frequently while sewing to make sure you haven't gone past the bottom part of the elastic while attaching it to the boxer fabric.

Stretch as needed, a bit at a time, making sure you keep it all even. This takes a bit more time but is well worth it.

(Continued in next entry)

Applying waistband elastic for sensitive skin (part 3)

Once the sewing is all done, if you turn it inside out, you will see a nice zigzag pattern on the inside of the boxer shorts. You will notice there is no elastic on the inside of the shorts to irritate the skin. This can be very helpful if you have loved ones who are sensitive to rubber or latex. There are also no exposed waistband seams to fray and irritate those you love.

Here is a finished pair of boxers with the elastic applied.

Here are the two pair I made for my identical twin grandsons. I believe if you click on the pic you can see a bigger copy, and you will be able to tell I used one side of the elastic as the outside for one pair and the other side for the elastic on the other pair.

I hope this helps people who needed assistance with applying elastic in this manner.

playing catch-up

Okay. Let me see. Becky will be having her baby girl soon, the one I won't get to see. This will be hard again, but I will once more lean on my Saviour for strength and encouragement and lift them up in prayer and wait for the day the blinders are lifted from their eyes and they see the truth for what it is.

In the meantime, I do try not to dwell on it too much. Sometimes it doesn't work out well. Other days I do well. Any progress is progress, right?

I've been to the doctor as has my husband. Other than our age-related limitations, we're doing well. Labs were within normal limits. All else is acceptable.

I am working on a few more craft items right now. I am in the middle of making 2 pinwheel quilts with bugs - one with blue and one with green. I just made some flannel cloths for Abby to use on Patrick's bottom since the terrycloth washcloths are too rough. I have many other things in the works since it is getting closer and closer to Christmas.

I need to hit the sack. I'm trying to re-establish a bit of a normal schedule now that I have an OAB pill that works and I don't live in the bathroom any more.

Night!

moving on

The diapers are done.

The soakers are done.

I also did a set of soakers for Kenny because he can't decide if he's potty trained or not. He'll be good for a while and then, like he did at my house the other day, he'll sit in his chair and pee on the floor through his clothes. It's not like he doesn't know. He just does it. I made the soakers for him so if Abby needs to use them he has them. She can use them on Patrick when he gets older anyhow, so I only need to make one more size - the size between those and the ones he's in now.

I have the quilts cut out for the twins but I'm lacking the energy and motivation to sew the pieces together and make the blocks. Once I get going it will go quickly. It's just a matter of getting off my backside and starting that first block; sewing that first seam will do the trick.

I have a lot to iron. I just caught up on laundry and most of my dresses and such need to be ironed. I haven't ironed for over a week so now I really just buckle down and get it done. I'll probably do that tomorrow.

The garden is doing well. We have lots of cucumbers and the tomatoes are starting to get ripe.

The pullets should start laying soon. I can't wait to see the multi-colored eggs. It's going to be neat to have blue and green eggs in my fridge. The turkens are large birds and so are the Marans. The Ameraucanas will be smaller birds and they are noticeably more shy and mellow than the Turkens, but more outgoing than the Marans trio. Turkens are inquisitive and smart. Ameraucanas are quiet and gentle with bright eyes and pretty colors - their muffs make them especially cute, and their color combinations are incredible.

I did give two of the Marans cockerels to a lady with a farm. She said they have been good boys. I'm really glad she took them. They have a lot of room to run around and about half as many birds as we do to hang out with. She calls me about every 2 weeks to give me an update.

Life is slowly and surely settling into a routine here. It's all going to be good in the end.

almost done

I got 28 of the diapers done before I ran out of foldover elastic. I also got the 8 soakers finished. I took them to Abby and she started using them right away. She really likes them and it makes me happy that she's using them instead of wasting them. I put a lot of time into those diapers.

Today the rest of the elastic showed up - I ordered more after I ran out. Now I can do the other 8 diapers and get them to Abby. Patrick will have 3 dozen diapers then and all he will need is some liners for when he's a bit older and wets more when he goes, and he'll need some larger soakers (covers) as he grows because the ones I made are quite fitted.

Abby's birthday is Thursday. I got her an outfit that I think she'll like, on clearance at WalMart, which gives me a perfect excuse to get her more things. I'm making her a pair of pettipants to go under her summer dresses to help with the chafing issue, and I found some fabric to make a really cute top from. I'm hoping to have that done by Friday when they come for dinner. We're grilling hot dogs and burgers, I think.

I moved the chickens around today. The young ones, being much more in number, are now in the larger portion of the coop. The 13 older birds are in the smaller part. This is only for about 3 weeks. Once the babies are 16 weeks old I can start feeding everyone layer feed and then they can be mixed together. It will be a little chaotic at first as the pecking order is established, but it will work out. By September I should have about 42 girls laying eggs for me, and 5 roosters who will, hopefully, get along so I don't have to cull anyone. I'm praying they just get along. They're all pretty birds and I don't want to butcher anyone right now.

I need to make banana bread in the morning, finish up the diapers, make the pettipants, and maybe get started on the top. Once her stuff is all done I am going to get started on the quilts for the twins since they turn 5 on August 3 and they get another quilt at 5. C's birthday is the 13th and I'm not quite sure what to give her. I do have some blocks from a round robin I could put together and machine quilt for her if I have time and am feeling up to it. Otherwise, I'm sure I'll come up with something.

I'm going to try to sleep tonight. I pray I can lie down next to hubby in bed and fall asleep. I'm tired of sleeping in the chair.

When the diapers are done and I take them to Abby's house I'll get pics of them and the covers and of Patrick wearing them. He's cute as a button in them. They also lessen diaper rash and are much cheaper to use. I think they're great. I'm making some as soon as I have some time and sending them to an organization that gives them to low-income moms who want to cloth diaper their babies but can't afford it. I think that's a great thing to do. I sure wouldn't want to wear plastic underwear!

sewing diapers

I'm in the midst of making 3 dozen cloth diapers and 6-8 soakers (covers) for my youngest grandson. The price and general feel of disposables is nasty and since they are on a horribly tight budget I offered to buy the fabric and make them for Abby so she can put the baby in them, saving about $16 a week that they can use on other things they need.

I have one dozen done. The others are waiting for my eyes to stop hurting so I can finish putting them together.

I found a free diaper pattern I tweaked, as usual, while retaining the original shape. Instead of stuffing them with liners each time, I just sewed 6 rectangular pieces of flannel together with a zigzag stitch and sewed them inside the diapers. That way it's all together already and there's nothing for her to lose.

These diapers use pins, not snaps or velcro or aplix. The nicest thing about that is that they can be used from birth through potty training. Most of the newer cloth diapers come in sizes, which means you buy new ones each time the baby outgrows the ones you already have.
When I diapered my kids, I used the same diapers all the way through, so I was glad to find this pattern.

The person who made the pattern also has in the instructions to sew the front and back of the diaper together and then turn it right side out, after which you add elastic to the legs. Not for me. I use FOE (foldover elastic) to bind the edges of the whole diaper and stretch it pretty much as far as it will go on the leg area. This saves time and also puts a nice edging on the diapers.

The soakers will be made of fleece with an extra piece of fleece and a piece of microfiber fabric sewn in "the wet spot" to help limit soak-through episodes. These particular soakers have bands at the leg openings and waist instead of elastic, which I like for a couple reasons. First, they are a bit more trim. Second, since most of my family inherited at least a piece of my intolerance for latex or rubber products, the use of elastic can be irritating. That's why, when I found this pattern, I downloaded it to use for the soakers. I downloaded all the sizes so I can make bigger ones as he grows.

I'm not using PUL for the soaker, either. PUL is a polyurethane laminate over fabric that makes it pretty much waterproof. It's all the rage in hand-crafted baby diaper covers these days. However, since polyurethane is a byproduct of petroleum refining and that is associated with the latex issue, I'm not using it. I'm hoping the soaker with the extra wet spot protection will do the trick.

Yes, she'll have to change him a little more often. No, they're not as convenient as disposables, and she will have to carry a bag to put the wet diapers in and such. However, they are MUCH cheaper than disposables and better for the baby, not to mention the environment. He will like the feel better. It has to be hot lying in plastic and paper and petroleum beads every day. Cloth which will breathe and let his skin do the same will be much better.

I also found a group that provides hand-crafted diapers for low income moms and after I finish these diapers I am hoping to feel up to making at least a few dozen and donating them to this organization. When I post the pics of the diapers I'll include the link to it. I believe they also accept cloth menstrual pads so I can make some of them too. Mine are great. It's much better than paper and plastic (again?) and feels softer on the skin. I don't get a rash from the flannel ones, either.

I guess that's enough for today. Have a blessed weekend.

wet month

We've been keeping track with the rain gauge. If my counting is right, we had around 16 inches of rain in May. We were 12 inches up for the year by last week. I believe the drought in this area is now officially over.

This morning I got my courage up and went in the chick area outside - the roofed one - armed with the shovel, rake, and broom, and proceeded to rake, sweep, scrape poop, and shovel stuff up. Once I had it at least 75% cleaner, I added some fresh hay and spread it a bit so that it will absorb some of the poop and some of the remaining dampness and then in a few days I can do it again and we'll have a clean outside area for the babies.

I can't do anything for the hens right now outside-wise. The dirt is either dirt or it's mud. They do have much more room inside, though, so they can go in there if they get hot or need a dry place to hang out. We do need to put some perches in there, though, so they have a place to sit that's not on the ground. Maybe I can come up with something.

I've been sewing a lot. I made a new dress, some headcoverings, a jumper, a blouse and a nightie for me as well as a jumper for Becky and a top and shorts for Abby. It's good to feel up to sewing. This week I need to start on June's birthday presents. Kenny will be 3 on the 15th and Tobie will be 7 on the 21st and they both need quilts...Kenny's will be a quillow and Tobie is getting a denim/flannel rag quilt since he outgrew the one I made him when he was younger. He asked for it specifically so that's what I'll make him.

I did call Tech Support and they helped me rig up this computer the right way so that the mouse isn't acting all whacky and the internet doesn't keep shutting down all the time. I'm most of the way adjusted to it now. In fact, the regular computer feels weird. Today I went to Walmart and got some stuff and picked up a dinner lap tray thing they had there to put the laptop on. I didn't know you're not supposed to put it on your lap or it can overheat. Now I'm not using a kid's tray...the one I had been using had given me a bruise from where the folded up leg piece rubbed against my knee.

I'm so blessed...yes I am...God is good.