It is a cold snowy Sunday here today. Perfect for sitting on the couch sewing felted wool sweaters into diaper covers. Later on we’ll head to the gym, but other than that we’ll be staying indoors today. I’ve been using my Moby Wrap to exercise with our son lately, and it’s working great. Our gym has an indoor track and a set of stairs with 28 steps going down to the level below the track. I put the baby in his wrap, grab two 9 lb weights, and hit the track. I just walk laps, and I go down the stairs and back up on each lap. I carry the weights while I walk, doing all sorts of bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, military press, etc. We’re usually there for about 90 minutes, and by the end of that, I’ve had a great workout. Nothing fancier than walking, stairs, carrying the baby and some light weights. But it works well. When it’s nice outside, we do the same sort of thing outdoors. But today is a good day for the gym. I love being able to get in a workout and snuggle my baby at the same time. And it’s all free, since my job at the library includes a free gym pass. Even though I’m just a sub at the library now, I still get the free gym pass.
I’m getting much better at making wool diaper covers. After I blogged about the one I made last week, Alissa left a comment with a link to a very simple wool cover pattern (thanks Alissa!) I tried that pattern and I’ve made two covers this weekend. I’m sewing them by hand with thick crochet cotton, and they’re turning out great. It’s very relaxing to sit on the couch and sew by hand. And the combination of the wool and the thick cotton thread means that they come together really fast. I’d say it took me about an hour to make each cover. Here’s a picture of the one I just finished this morning:
I’m still using old sweaters that a friend felted when she was making covers for her son. I have two sweaters that I haven’t cut up yet, which should make four more covers. That ought to do us for a while. And I can also make long wool pants using the arms of the sweaters, so I probably have enough wool to make diaper covers to last until our son is out of diapers.
Last night I went shopping with a friend, and we ended up at the thrift store near our house. I bought an extra-large men’s fleece sweatshirt that I’m going to make into diapers. I’ve found that fleece is a great fabric for the inside of the diapers, since it’s soft and doesn’t stain the way knit cotton does. I got the shirt for $2.50, and should be able to get at least four or five diaper liners out of it.
Around the Frugal Blog Network,
The Tight Fisted Miser writes about how he and his girlfriend divide their expenses. She’s not as frugal as he is, but they’ve both compromised a bit, and it works for them, which is all that really matters.
Almost Frugal has written about her guilty pleasures. We all have them, and frankly (unless your guilty pleasure is a Ferrari) I think they’re worth it.
The Frugal Duchess has a post about some of the financial schemes to which people are particularly vulnerable during bad economic times.
Frugal Zeitgeist has a very helpful post about getting promoted. Any tips that lead to a promotion or a raise are good right now, considering how tough the job market is.
Not Made Of Money has details about some things you might not know about your credit score.
Alissa says
Hey Frugal Babe,
That looks great!! Have you tried them yet? How do they work? I’ve only made one of those (http://onpurposeliving.blogspot.com/2008/03/trying-my-hand-at-cloth-diapers.html), and I gave it away because it was too small for Owen (must have been a really small sweater!). Are you planning to lanolize yours or just use them as-is? I’m excited to make some that I will actually use! Great buy on the fleece, too, btw. Looking forward to seeing those dipes. :)
Rachel says
Can you post a picture of your baby in one of the felted covers you’ve made? I’d love to see how they fit.
FrugalBabe says
@Alissa: Thanks for giving me the link! The pattern worked great. I made my triangle 18 inches, just based on the size of another similar cover that someone gave us that fits him well. I don’t know anything about lanolizing them… maybe I should look into that? They work great as is, unless he gets really wet – then his clothes start to feel a tad bit damp. But we try to stay on top of the diaper changes and get him into a dry diaper before he’s soaked. But maybe lanolizing would make them more waterproof. Do you lanolize wool when you use it?
@Rachel: Okey dokey – since you asked, I’ll post one right now :)
Kelly says
That is awesome that your gym lets you carry your baby. For some reason (maybe liability?) our gym won’t let you carry babies, even in carriers or wraps or slings.
Alissa says
From what I understand, lanolizing them keeps them waterproof, and also keeps them from getting stinky. I’ve never done it, so I don’t know a whole lot about it. I know you can use Lanisoh (the stuff you get for breastfeeding), and you mix a small amount with hot water in the sink, and soak your covers in that (after washing them). I don’t know how often it needs to be done though, I’ll have to do some more research!
Alissa says
Also… not sure if you’ve heard of it, but I’m completely addicted to the Diaper Sewing Divas forum. I’ve learned so much from there:
http://www.diaperdivas.proboards57.com/index.cgi
mc says
Very cute – I have seen similar on etsy for about $25! Do you use these covers over prefolds? Or over the cloth diapers you sew?
FrugalBabe says
@mc: Thanks! We use them over the fitted, velcro-closed diapers that I make. We have some prefolds, but we fold them up and use them as inserts in the pocket diapers I make. Then the wool covers go over the outside.
Courtney says
Cute cover! Do you have a pattern or instructions you use to sew your diapers? My son needs a few more, and I’d love to try my hand at sewing him a few. Although I’m a very novice sewer, so not sure how pretty they would look!
FrugalBabe says
@Courtney: I pretty much wing it with diapers. When my mom and I first made diapers last spring, we used this pattern:
http://www.geocities.com/mytafadhali/DiaperSewingTutorials.htm
But within six weeks, our son was starting to outgrow them. So I altered them by adding wings on the back that wrap all the way around the front and velcro to the front of the diaper. We’re still using the same diapers and our son is 7.5 months now. When I make new diapers these days (to replace the smallest ones that we made before he was born), I create my own pattern by tracing around one of my altered diapers. So it’s like the pattern we originally used except that where the pattern has little points on the back, I have big wings (about seven inches by 4 inches before sewing – about 6 inches by 3 inches on the finished diaper). There are a ton of diaper patterns out there. Check out Alissa’s site for some inspiration and ideas (she makes amazing diapers):
http://onpurposeliving.blogspot.com/
Good luck, and have fun with it!
Courtney says
Thanks so much for the great information!