Diaper Pail Liner or Large Wet Bag

MASSIVE EDIT!!!  Ripstop does not work!  I am not sure if it is just the quality sold at joann's that is failing or if it is the idea of ripstop in the first place, but I guess I have to do it again with PUL, as much as I hate working with it... :-(  such a great idea.  Just goes to show - don't believe everything you read on the internet, and not every project works every time :-(

While pregnant, I decided that I wanted to do cloth diapering.  Its a great thing really, for many reasons, but most notably for the kindness to the environment and the kindness to your wallet.  I looked online for a suitable diaper pail that was compatible with cloth diapering.  I found the Diaper Dekor Plus and so far, so good (note: I actually would opt for the largest pail they offer, the XL rather than the Plus.  Cloth diapers are so much bulkier than disposables and the bag fills up pretty quickly).  One of the huge perks of the Diaper Dekor was that the design allowed you to use a reusable diaper pail liner rather than buying their plastic refills all the time, thus saving even more money and more landfill space (not to mention petroleum!).

The diaper dekor in all its glory

A unique design allows for a drop in reusable liner

This tutorial is for a pail liner to fit a diaper dekor plus, so if that is what you need, this is your exact recipe.  However, it can easily be altered to fit the dimensions of other types of pails or for regular garbage cans or laundry hampers to make a simple cloth diaper receptacle.  It can also be used to make a large wet bag to hang from a hook or a knob of some sort, but I would use PUL as the fabric to make it a little sturdier.  I used Ripstop Nylon because it is thinner and easier to maneuver into the pail, easier to sew, and much less expensive.  However, its water resistance depends on the thickness, quality, and coating of the nylon.  I got mine from Joann Fabrics, but I am not sure it is super waterproof as I haven't really tested it other than a quick check in the store.  If you are paranoid, you can just use PUL and deal with the extra bulk and cost.

Diaper Pail Liner
Materials:
one yard of 60" wide Risptop Nylon (or PUL)
approximately 45" of cord to tie up the bag (or a round shoelace)
thread
scissors
tape measure
sewing machine

Step 1:  Cut the yard or fabric in half (along the fold line from the bolt works well as long as you make sure it is centered first).  Also, be sure to check that the fabric really is 60" wide. :-)  You will now have 2 pieces of fabric that measure approximately 30"x36".  Trim the length to about 32".

Step 2:  Along the short (30") side, fold over about 1/2" and stitch.  You don't have to worry about Ripstop fraying and raveling, but I wanted to fold over the raw edge anyway, just for aesthetics.  This will be the top of the bag.

Step 3:  Fold the fabric in half, matching the selvage edge and the cut edge you made along the bolt fold.  Measure 4 " down from the finished edge and put in a pin.  Below the pin, stitch the sides of the bag together with about 1/2" of seam allowance.

 Step 4:  From the pin up, fold over the seam allowance on each side and stitch around in a continuous U shape, pivoting at the corners, and backstitching at the bottom to add some strength.

Step 5:  Fold over 3/4 of an inch of the finished edge at the top of the bag.  Stitch close to the finished edge to create a casing for the cord.

Step 6:  Stitch up the bottom edge of the bag, with about a 3/4" seam allowance.  You can end here and have a perfectly functional bag if the following instructions are too complicated.  However, I would recommend trimming the length of the bag by about 2".

Step 7:  To add some shape to the bag and hopefully add to the capacity, we are going to modify the bottom of the bag.  With the bottom seam facing you, take the seam side of the bag and match it up to the bottom seam, pulling the "front" and "back" of the bag to the sides.  If you pull it taut, it will make a triangle with the bottom seam going down the middle.  It's a little complicated to explain, but easy to do once you can figure it out.  The best I can say is match up the seams and pull the extra fabric out of the way and boom, you've got it!

From the bottom - fold seam to seam.

Once you have the seam side done, repeat with the other side.  Try creasing the side and placing a pin along the crease to make sure you line up the bottom seam exactly with the side.

Another angle to help you visualize :-)

Step 8:  Once you have made your triangle shapes, make sure the sides of the bag are pulled taut to create crisp triangles.  One side at a time, hold the bag with the point of the triangle facing away from you, and the bottom seam up.  Measure 3 inches down from the point of the triangle and pin.  Pin across the width of the fabric triangle and stitch.  Repeat on both sides.  Congrats! You have given your bag a nice flat bottom and about 6" of width!

Step 9:  Thread the shoelace or cord through the casing at the top.  I wanted to have one of those ball thingies that you slide to close bags like this, but I didn't have one.  I totally thought I cannibalized one from something, but no dice.  Sigh.  And I can't seem to figure out what they are called to buy one.  Look out knots, here I come.

Step 10:  To put it in the diaper dekor, open the top and drop the bottom of the bag in the middle.  Roll the top of the bag over the edge and slide it down into that slot.  Tighten up the drawstring and voila! You have yourself a reusable, washable diaper pail liner!

Another big bonus to this is that you can empty your diapers into the wash without touching them and just toss the bag in after.  I used red because I thought it would be fun.  Hopefully its colorfast since its Nylon or we will have a lot of pink diapers for my little boy.  :-)  Make 2 so you have one to use and one to wash.

Bottom Line:

1 yard of Ripstop (good for 2 liners) - $6 (on sale for 25% off at Joann's)

45" of cord - about $1.50?  I had it in my stash so I'm not totally sure... :-)

Total cost = $4.50 per bag ($3 in fabric and $1.50 in cord)

Time = ~1.5 hours, probably less if you aren't stopping to feed a baby and take pictures every so often :-)

Retail cost:=$15 for a 2 pack of disposable liner refills which last for ~366 changes (I averaged their advertised capacity on their website over the 6 diaper sizes they listed, note that this is for disposables, though), $16-20 for a reusable liner

Total savings: $10-15 for a reusable liner, or ~$325 over the life of the bag for disposable liners, using their number of 4500 changes for a baby and the average of 366 changes per set of refills.  And that's only if you have one kid!  Holy cow!!!

I promise I will post more frequently.  My baby has been my #1 priority though, so blogging kinda is taking a back seat.  Hopefully I will get more mommy time as he gets older and that will mean more blog time!

New Baby!!

So the reason I haven't posted in ages is that our little one arrived!  Julian was born Dec 14 (early! hooray!) and we have been in love ever since.  I will post some of the stuff I am working on soon, but until then, happy crafting!

Cute photo frames

I found another fun use for paint and mod podge.  Since I have so much of the stuff lying around my "workshop" lately, I keep messing with it on new projects.  I have been busy getting ready for a craft fair as of late, and I haven't had time to blog about stuff.  So, here is a small, simple project to kick things off again. :-)  These would make great holiday gifts, btw...

Materials:
Wood Photo Frame - preferably unfinished; check out local dollar stores
Paint(s) - can even be leftover wall paint for an economical craft
Paint brush
Stickers, scrapbooking paper, printed cliparts, rub on designs, or anything else you can think of
Mod Podge
Acrylic Sealer (optional)

1. Remove the backing and glass from the frame.  Set aside in a location it can stay for a while without getting lost or broken.  This project requires lots of dry time which can span a few days.

2. On some cardboard or newspaper, paint the front of the frame, the inside edge (near where the glass goes), and the outside edge, being careful not to smudge it with your fingers or paint it to your surface.  Let it dry for at least an hour, depending on the recommended dry time for your chosen paint.  Add a second and third coat as needed to get a good base coverage.  Don't skimp - you want vibrant colors!

3.  When the front is dry enough to flip the frame over without it sticking to the paper, paint a heavy coat on the back.  You don't really need to do this if you are crunched for time, but it will make your final product look more finished.  You shouldn't need to do additional coats on the back unless you really want it to look fancy from the back.

4.  Flip the frame over and add your decorations to the front.  Get creative and find images from old magazines, greeting cards, stickers (this is a great way to use up old stickers that are no longer sticky), bits of scrapbook paper, and print out cliparts from your printer.  I discovered when making baby blocks that inkjet printed paper does pretty well with mod podge - it doesn't run as much as people say.  I think the results are darn near perfect.  If decorations have their own adhesive, stick them right to the frame, otherwise use a thin layer of mod podge to glue them down.

The one on the left is a recycled greeting card!  Yay for eco friendly and FREE!  And cute, of course.

5.  Apply a generous coat (frame should look somewhat milky) of mod podge over the front and outside and inside edges of the frame.  Don't add too much to the edges or it will stick to the paper, but you want to wrap the layer of mod podge around more than the front panel alone so it seals completely and doesn't leave a visible line where you stopped applying it.  Set the frame somewhere to dry.

6. After about an hour or when the mod podge is no longer tacky, apply a second coat.  I recommend a third, but it is not imperative if you are on a time crunch.  Be careful not to leave deep brush strokes - the mod podge will dry clear, but you can still see some brush strokes in the final product, and careful application will help minimize this.

7.  You can also add an optional layer or 2 of acrylic sealer, but even I admittedly was in too much of a hurry to do it this time.  I will for next time, though!

Once the last layer of sealer or mod podge dries, you are done!  Pop a photo in, replace the glass and backing, and bask in your homemade beauty!

Bottom Line:

Frames: as little as $1 at the dollar tree, but Walmart has affordable ones for a bit more ($3-$5)

Paint: I used leftovers from other projects, but a small bottle averages $2

Mod podge: again, leftovers for me, but cost of a bottle is about $6
Decorations: Use what you have!  paint a design if nothing else!
Total cost = between $1-$13

Time = approx half an hour total work time, not including dry time; give yourself a full day to complete this if you plan to work straight through

Retail = starting at $8 for smaller ones, easily up to as much as $30!

Savings = $7-$17  Hooray!

Ordering fabrics and craft supplies online

This is not a how-to post, I know, but I feel like crafters everywhere are struggling with the move to web based shopping.  I know it is something that plagues me.  I have so many items I need for many of my projects, and inevitably, something is out of stock.  Brick and mortar stores used to be the only option, and getting rare or large quantity items was basically impossible.  Well, that is not the case so much with the interwebs, but what things are good to buy online and what things aren't?  Is it okay to buy cut yards, sight unseen?  What about trying to save money?  What if I hate what I have ordered?  What about coupons, sales, etc?  So many questions...  I have tried to tackle some of that here, and most of what I say applies to fabric specifically, but applies to other craft supplies, too.

Delving into the true unknown: internet based retailers.  There are lots of different flavors out there from amazon and ebay sellers that might actually be that crazy lady down the street selling the crap in her garage to true internet-only retailers without a store counterpart, to the website of common chains like Joann's.  Each handles things a little differently, and it is hard to lump them together, but I will do my best to represent all the above.

Pros:
1) Selection and availability.  There are so many options out there for things like fabric, where the quantity of items produced could never possibly be held in a store.  There are specialty fabrics made out of organic cotton, bamboo, and unbleached or untreated fibers, a variety of prints that would swamp any normal retailer, and uncommonly used notions like hook and eye tape, which I discovered a few months ago is basically unfindable.  I love the selection on the internet.  You can find darn near anything!

2) Cost.  Shopping around can really pay off.  Because they do not have the overhead of a brick and mortar store or the hassle of distributors (if you are buying wholesale), online shops can be a whole lot cheaper, and it is so easy to let your keyboard do the shopping.  Especially when you consider buying bulk (usually by the bolt or in large quantities of cut yards), the cost of fabric can come down substantially compared to in store purchases.  Many chain stores run the same sales online as in store, and you can capitalize on that, too.  Also, you can buy things on clearance at drastically reduced prices as they clear warehouses of a particular item that a manufacturer is no longer making or has a defect (usually a minor thing like selvages are messed up or something you can still use).  I have done this several times and been SO glad for it!

3) Quantity.  For large projects, finding an adequate amount of fabric is tough in stores.  Bolts are small, generally under 10 yards each, and rarely do you find a brand new bolt.  But online, you can find large, CONTINUOUS bolts of fabric that don't leave you with 9 yards in one piece and three in another.  I wanted to make 5 bridesmaids dresses.  I ended up getting the fabric at 7 Joann's locations over 4 months of time.  An online purchase of a few bolts of fabric would have been VASTLY easier, if only I had known then what I know now.

Cons:
1) Untouchables.  The most obvious drawback to buying anything online is that you cannot see what you are buying.  This is a major downfall for creative types.  Imagine trying to compare two pieces of lace trim without having them in front of you or being able to lay them across the fabric you are working with?  Tough call.  Many retailers (ones without a brick and mortar store in particular) do a great job combating this with item descriptions and photos, giving examples of projects that are suitable for that kind of fabric and showing a scale when displaying prints to give the buyer an idea of what it looks like in person.  Some even describe the drape and feel of the fabric and/or include a thread count or gram weight when referring to the fabrics.  A select few offer free swatches, and many others offer swatches for a fee that usually includes shipping cost, generally about $1 or so each.

2) Shipping.  Shipping costs can often eat up any sale or price incentive you found to buying online.  Because fabric is both bulky and heavy, it can be a bear to ship.  Some stores offer free shipping for orders over a certain dollar amount or flat rate shipping promotions, but that forces the shoppers hand on how much to buy and when, and if you want to take advantage of something on sale or clearance, well that pretty much NEVER lines up with a free shipping deal.  Also, the ecological impact of shipping has been cited many times in the argument for buying locally.  Now if it isn't manufactured locally, well, that kind of opens a whole new can of worms, but I am not really willing to get into that here... :-)  And of course, if it has to be shipped, you cannot have it immediately for a short deadline.

3) Couponing and promo codes.  Remember the crafter's creed, Never Pay Full Price!  Some stores never offer sales or coupons (most notably for me, dharma trading co.) which means you can never bring down your materials cost.  Others (like joann.com) only allow one coupon or promo code per transaction, which means you can't use a free shipping code with a percent off code.  What gives?!

4) Yardage increments.  Most sellers online will not sell less than 1 yard, and will only cut in increments of 1 yd.  This is hardly an issue for me, since garments almost always use more than 1 yd, but sometimes getting 6 instead of 5 1/8 is a little annoying, especially for those REALLY expensive items like faux furs or silks.  I am sure this is horrible for quilters, though, who commonly need only a fat quarter of something for a project.

5) Returns.  What do I do if I hate it?  Probably the scariest con when combined with #1, not being able to touch the item before you buy.  Return policies vary widely from store to store, as does the quality of the merchandise.  The biggest problem I have with returns is that the .com affiliates of the brick and mortar stores are actually separate entities entirely and I cannot return items to a store (such as joann's and joann.com).  That yanks the security net right out from under me.  (Why they chose that business model is beyond me).  I recently bought from hancockfabrics.com and they sent me 4 yards of defective flannel.  Even though it was their fault the fabric was defective, I had to pay shipping if I wanted to return it.  Shipping was around $11, and the cost of the fabric was about $14, so I opted to keep it so I didn't have to spend $11 and still have no fabric for my project.  I'm certainly not happy with the return policy there!


Bottom line: Buying craft supplies online is a great way to save money, price compare, and find exactly what you are looking for.  However, protect yourself the best you can as a consumer.

1) Do copious research on their return policies BEFORE you buy.  Some will not accept returns at all (especially for cut yardage), some will under certain circumstances but you pay shipping, some are great about returning items, and there is every other shade of grey in between.

2) Have a good idea of what you want before you buy, and if you can, scope it out in person somewhere.  If you are unsure about the look and feel or drape of a fabric, try going to a store and handling similar items.  You can always order a swatch, but make sure you allow yourself enough time to have the swatch shipped and then order the item.  And keep in mind that dye lots may change the appearance slightly from the swatch you receive.

3) Sign up for email coupons for chain stores and newsletters for the online-only retailers to keep up on sales and shipping promotions as well as new products.  Always take a look at the clearance bin before you place your order - you just may find something to love.

4) Only buy from reputable sources you trust.  There are lots of shops out there on the interwebs and not all of them are good.  If a site is questionable, place a small order to "try them out" before going $300 deep on that gorgeous satin you think you want.  Try not to learn costly lessons if you can avoid them!

Happy online shopping!