Tuesday, 13 August 2013

A Bag for Yarn

I has a poblem.


A pile of yarn with no home and two pairs of old trousers.

I has a solution.

A brilliant free tutorial from Film In The Fridge. I added some handles, because I like handles. I watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (for the first time!) while making this, so I guess it took around two hours from start to finish. I may have done it in under just an hour if my sewing machine hadn't suddenly decided to go tension-crazy on me. 
'Tis done now though. And my yarn is much happier.


Sunday, 11 August 2013

Hexipuffs are the stuff of dreams

40 Hexipuffs.


These little buggers are addictive. I can knit, stuff and sew one in about 30 minutes. 

Thursday, 8 August 2013

Thirty Dirty Hexipuffs

30 Hexipuffs. 


Thanks to Ellie for sending me the lovely orange and blue sock yarns you can see here.


Monday, 5 August 2013

Tuesday, 2 July 2013

Flip Nappy Repair

In this post, I'll be showing you how to replace the elastic in your Bumgenius Flip nappy. I've only shown the leg casing here, but the back elastic is pretty straightforward and done the same way as the back elastic repair on the Bumgenius Organic.

You will need:

  1. A Flip nappy cover
  2. Scissors
  3. A sewing machine (you could probably hand sew this, but I prefer my machine)
  4. Seam ripper
  5. A few pins
  6. A small safety pin
  7. Elastic, 6mm or 1/4 inch in width, 4.5 inches long (1 piece for each leg and the back)
  8. Polyester thread matching the existing thread.
  9. Nap time

1 - Using your wiley fingers, feel along the leg opening for the end of the elastic. It will feel like a little bump within the leg casing itself.



2 - Using the seam ripper, and being very careful not to rip the fabric, take out a few of the stitches. I find it easiest to rip out at least 1-2 inches worth of stitches. Repeat at both ends.



3 - Ta-dah, you have discovered where the original elastic is attached. Remove this using your seam ripper, or cut as close as you can to the end of the elastic, leaving a little stump. Get rid of that old loose elastic.



4 - Pin your small safety pin to the end of the new elastic and thread through the leg casing.



5 - Pin at one end only to keep the elastic in place.



6 - Stick under your sewing machine foot, turn the wheel to push the needle through the elastic and PUL, then remove the pin. This is quite tricky to do, and you may find it easier to release more stitches from the leg casing. With lots of swearing, get it into place, and sew back and forth over the end 4 or 5 times to secure. Repeat at the other end.



7 - Now you're ready to sew the leg casing back into place. Checking both sides are in the correct postion, pin and sew. Pull fairly tight as you sew, and try not to sew over the elastic now hidden inside. Remember to overlap your new stitching with the old to make sure it doesn't unravel. Repeat at the other end (I don't know why this picture is the wrong way round).


Yay, All Done!!


And for comparison, here's just one side of my Moonbeam Flip fixed. See how bad the elastic was?




Identify your Bumgenius

There are several different styles of Bumgenius nappies out there - here I'm going to show you the different types, and try to quickly summarise how they work. There's also a quick colour and print guide at the bottom, in case you're a nutter like me, and just HAVE to have one of each colour! Yes, I am that sad.

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So, we start with the classic Bumgenius Pocket. Otherwise known as the version 4, or v4 (or course, there has also been the v3,v2 and v1 - but they're basically all the same, just slightly modified as the years have gone on). This is a Birth-to-Potty nappy, lined with a stay-dry fleece. These come with two inserts made from microfibre. One is 'newborn' size, and one is adjustable in size using poppers. The newborn insert can be used later on as a booster. The inserts are inserted (duh) into the pocket using the flap at the back of the nappy. Pop an insert in, and you're good to go.




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Second up, we've got the Organic, sometimes referred to as the 'Old/Original Elemental' or OBGE. As far as I can tell, the same design was called Elemental in the States and Organic here in the UK, but now there is the 'New Elemental', which confuses things a little. There is a layer of organic cotton covering the PUL, then two layers of organic cotton sewn in as inserts. This is an All-In-One nappy, meaning that you don't need anything extra, just stick it on the baby and go. These are Birth-to-Potty.



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Elemental are re-designed Organics. The layer of cotton that covers the PUL has been removed, and instead the two sewn in inserts of organic cotton are wider (in order to stop the PUL touching baby's skin). Again, these are an All-in-One nappy, but can be easily boosted by placing a booster of your choosing underneath the two attached inserts. These are Birth-to-Potty. Often referred to as 'New Elemental' or NBGE.


In the side view above you can see the two seperate layers of organic cotton. The right picture shows how it can be folded for a smaller baby.


These two pictures show that the inner layers can be folded towards the front or middle, depending on whether you have a boy or girl. A big thank you to Melissa for providing these pictures!


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Freetime is another All-in-One option. This time, there are two inserts, one attached at the front, the other attached at the back, both made of microfibre with a stay-dry top (keeping baby's bum dry). They also have a layer of fabric underneath these inserts, keeping the PUL from touching baby's skin, in a similar way to the Organics. These are Birth-to-Potty.

(pictures to come)


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The Flip nappy system is a PUL cover that can be used with either a stay-dry insert or an organic cotton pre-fold. There are also disposable inserts available. The cover can be used to cover most nappies (including fitteds or any insert you fancy). It's very versatile. The flaps at the front and back keep the insert in place, it's easy to boost and when used with the stay-dry insert, very trim! Again, they are Birth-to-Potty, fitting a wide range of babies.





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Bumgenius nappies also come in Newborn. This is a very small nappy, designed to fit a baby weighing 6-12lbs. They are an All-In-One design, and require no stuffing or folding. Therefore, great for those first weeks when the last thing you want to be doing is folding nappies! They can't be boosted, so need frequent changing. When Bumgenius used to make sized nappies, the Newborn was referred to as the Extra Small or XS

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BG Sized Nappies  are now quite hard to get hold of, as they no longer make them. They come in four sizes - Xtra Small, Small, Medium and Large. They are essentially an AIO style. There's a pocket in the back, where the inner permanent microfibre insert is, and extra boosters can be added as needed.


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Flip Trainers
(coming soon)
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Econobum
(coming soon)

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