How to Sew Your Own Wool Diaper Covers
Contents
My first introduction to wool was a disana pull on cover I ordered for my son to use overnight. As soon as I held it in my hands I was in love. Unfortunately, wool can be quite the investment. Knowing that I already had plenty of PUL covers, I couldn’t justify buying a full time stash of wool.
Now that baby #3 is on the way I have started preparing to cloth diaper a newborn for the first time. I have already purchased diapers and PUL covers, but I really wanted to try wool on a newborn since I know it’s the most cozy and gentle on the skin.
Scrolling through Pinterest, I stumbled upon a blog post about sewing wool diaper covers. After doing some research I came across this side-snap diaper cover pattern. I found this pattern to be very beginner friendly as someone who has only done a handful of random projects over the years.
What I Love About These Covers:
Soft and stretchy
The fabric that I chose for this project is 97% merino interlock and 3% spandex. It is very soft and squishy with a lot of stretch, while still being a very sturdy fabric that feels like it will hold up well over time. If you are familiar with the babee greens classic snap cover, this feels slightly thicker and has more stretch.
Variable fit
The fit of this diaper covers is very trim. I think it is the perfect cover to go over flats and prefolds, as well as narrow Fitteds like the GMD workhorses. I was able to fit even an XL workhorse diaper under the medium sized cover.
It has a high rise, which I was unsure about at first, but due to the nature of the fabric it is not restrictive at all and creates a very nice and comfortable fit. Having these be a little longer also makes it more versatile because you can use it with a wider range of diaper sizes and get more use out of it.
Breathable and highly water resistant
Like all wool, this cover lets the skin breathe. Moisture passes through the wool and evaporates into the air instead of being trapped inside the diaper. This is the real magic of wool, and the #1 reason I prefer it over PUL. Having the side snaps spaced further apart on the sides allows even more breathability.
The interlock wool in particular is highly dense and is exceptional at preventing leaks. I have even used this in the car and the cover still felt dry when I took it off. This cover holds up against moisture better than any of the ones I have purchased.
If you have a baby who is prone to rashes wool is 100% the way to go. I can’t wait to use these on a newborn as well.
Easy care
Wool can be intimidating at first, but try it and you’ll see that the care is actually very easy. It is naturally anti microbial and is often referred to as “self cleaning.” It is essential to have at least 2 in the same size so that you can allow them to air out between changes. If it smells after being aired out, it’s time to wash which is usually every 2-4 weeks depending on how much it’s being used.
Wash by soaking in lukewarm water with a gentle wool soap like eucalan for at least 15 minutes. Then gently squeeze out and lay flat to dry. That’s it. I find it helps to roll them between 2 towels and press extra water out to speed up dry time.
If you need to spot clean, just use water and a bar of olive oil soap. I like to rub the bar of soap directly on the spot, then gently massage it and rinse clean. This works surprisingly well and dries pretty quickly since you aren’t soaking the whole cover.
Lanolize as needed, which is typically every 2-3 washes. You will know it needs to be lanolized when it stops repelling moisture as well. If your cover is getting soaked it either needs to be re-lanolized or you need to add more absorbency under it.
I personally find caring for wool to be a relaxing and enjoyable experience. While spot cleaning can take a little extra time, it’s not as hard as it may seem.
Materials
Pattern
I purchased this pattern from Nature’s Fabrics for this project. You can also find free patterns in this Wool Diaper Creators Facebook Group. I used the Abigail soaker pattern for my soaker-style covers.
Fabric
I bought a felted 72”x46” piece of 97% merino 3% spandex wool interlock for $55. It seems to have been a special deal since there was only one piece available when I purchased it. They have an unfelted option of the same fabric available (linked here). You will need to pre-felt this fabric before sewing, as it will shrink. Even after felting, this fabric is very soft and stretchy.
I would recommend buying at least 2 yards to get the cost effectiveness when you factor in the other materials you will need, but that is your choice. I was able to make 2 small, 2 medium, 1 large, 1 medium triple layer soaker, and 1 small triple layer soaker.
Many people thrift and upcycle wool sweaters into diaper covers. This is not something I have tried, but I am interested in doing in the future. It is obviously much less expensive than buying new fabric and depending on the quality of wool you find, can be just as effective.
1/4″ Elastic
I think 1/4″ elastic is the perfect size for this project.
Kam Snaps size 20 kit
This kit comes with everything you need to install the snaps. KAM 20 snaps are the industry standard for cloth diaper covers. I found these to be great quality.
Interfacing
Adding interfacing is optional, but I would recommend it. This fabric has a lot of stretch and adding reinforcement prevents the snaps from tearing through.
Thread
I used this Coats and Clark Natural thread. The color matches the fabric perfectly.
Washable Fabric Markers
I was hesitant to order and use these markers, but I am glad I did. The color is easy to see and washes away. (linked here)
Instructions
1. Cut Fabric and Elastics
I printed 2 of each pattern image and taped them together so that I didn’t have to cut on fold. It made it a lot easier to see how I could lay things out with the least amount of fabric wasted. I also pre-cut the elastics to the lengths indicated in the pattern instructions.
2. Tack in Elastics
I chose to tack in the elastics and encase them rather than sewing them directly into the wool. I think it looks better this way even if it makes things slightly more tricky. I have yet to see if I like the lengths suggested by the pattern, as they don’t seem to be gathered very much. It might be better to stretch and cut the elastic to your liking.
3. Sew Inner Seam
I used a narrow zig-zag stitch for this whole cover. The zig-zag allows the fabric to stretch without popping any seams. I left it on the narrow side for better appearance.
This pattern has a 3/8″ seam allowance which I found very beginner friendly. I used tape to mark on my sewing machine where the edge of the fabric should be. I left a 2″ gap at the top (front panel) for turning.
Simply move the elastics out of the way when sewing around the edge.
4. Mark Snap Locations and Add Interfacing
One thing I did that wasn’t part of the pattern instructions was add interfacing where the snaps were going. I wanted to make sure to reinforce the snaps, especially since this is a stretchy fabric. I happened to have a roll of woven interfacing and adhesive in my sewing kit which made things easy.
I marked where I wanted the snaps to go on the inside before turning. Thankfully the marker was visible from the other side after turning which made things easy. I placed the snaps 5/8″ in from the seam which left room for the topstitching.
On some of my covers I did 3 vertical rows, some I did 2. I wasn’t sure what my preference would be, and honestly I’m still not totally sure. I think 2 rows works just fine, but it does gap in the middle. This could be a good or bad thing. Good for air flow, possibly bad for fit.
I did as many sets as I could fit width-wise between the edge and where the elastics started with 1″ between rows. For the medium and large I was able to fit 3, for the small I fit 2.
5. Turn and Close
You can optionally sew a guide seam on both sides of the opening before turning. I found this helpful the first couple of times, but skipped it on my last 2. You simply separate the 2 layers and add a seam 3/8″ in on both pieces.
Don’t forget to trim your corners before turning for less bulk. Turn the whole thing inside out and hand-sew your invisible stitch along the top.
6. Sew Topstitching
I sewed the topstitching at 1/4″ and 3/4″ where I was encasing the elastic. I stretched and pinned the elastic out of the way to avoid sewing over it. I noticed it was pretty easy to avoid sewing over as long as it was stretched while sewing.
7. Add the Snaps
Adding the snaps can be a bit tedious, but pretty easy as long as you have all of the tools you need. I chose to do the male snaps on the front and the female on the back. You could do snaps across the front instead, but I like the side-snap design.
8. Wash and Lanolize
I did a quick wash and then lanolized overnight for each cover.
That’s it!
Enjoy your beautiful, handmade wool cover.
Photo Gallery
2 medium, 2 small, 1 large, 1 medium-L soaker, 1 small-L soaker
