Non-wicking hidden PUL pocket diaper

This post (and the whole blog) has moved! The entire post (and tutorial) has moved here: https://bobbinsofbasil.wordpress.com/2015/05/08/non-wicking-hidden-pul-pocket-diaper/

Nursing friendly quick dress

I have a total of about three nursing friendly dresses... oops! My cousin got married last weekend, and I needed something I could throw together quickly, while babywearing the little girl who never naps. I used a basic half circle skirt with pleats (the easy breezy skirt), but the bodice was tough. I have my go to patterns I've created, but my shape has changed a lot since having a baby! I had to modify it quite a bit and am kinda shocked at how well it turned out.  

Frantically sewing to get this dress made in time!

I used Kam Snaps down the front of the bodice for easy nursing access. If you've never heard of them before, it's probably because you've never had a baby in cloth diapers... they're "diaper snaps." I have made a few diapers and realized these snaps are so much more versatile. Here are 101+ uses for Kam Snaps, but I think they should add my nursing dress to the list because they worked perfectly! 

Snaps down the front

The Kam Snaps I have are standard prong length, which is ideal for diapers (which have a thick PUL fabric layer), but not ideal for the thin flowy fabric I used for this dress. Kam Snaps recommended snipping the tips, and I have to say, it worked perfectly!! I had tested them out on another thin fabric before, and after going through the wash once, they got a little warped and didn't snap properly because they weren't on tight enough. Snipping the tips solved that problem. 

Stretchy Wrap Carriers

All my stretchy wraps (one with my gift label shown)

After about a year's hiatus from the blog, I'm back! This past year has been a little different for me in terms of sewing. I started off making lots of baby gifts for one of my best friends, who had a baby in July. Then, I made lots of things in preparation for my own baby, born in December! I'm sure I'll be back to making adult clothing soon enough, but there will be plenty of baby items interspersed as well in my upcoming posts, starting with wrap carriers :)

Bonding, cuddling, and having two free hands - perfect. Moby wraps are the most popular brand, but there are many others. I decided to make my own.

My tags

What's the fabric for those popular "Muslin Swaddling Blankets"? Not Muslin in the US!

Image source: http://carly67.wordpress.com/2011/11/06/aden-anais-classic-47-by-47-muslin-swaddling-blankets-review-and-give-away/

As my own friends are starting to have babies and I've been browsing gift ideas, I keep coming across the same thing over and over again: a gauze swaddling blanket, like those made popular by Aden+Anais. Unfortunately, Aden+Anais calls their blankets "muslin swaddling blankets," confusing a country full of DIYers who desperately want to make their own creations.

Why do they call their fabric muslin, when it's not at all what we call muslin in the US? Well, apparently muslin means two very different things in the United States and in other countries, and the founder of Aden+Anais is from Australia. 

What Europeans call MUSLIN, Americans call GAUZE. What Americans call GAUZE, Europeans call CHEESECLOTH. What Americans call MUSLIN, Europeans call CALICO. Not surprisingly, "Muslin (American English)" redirects to Calico on Wikipedia. However, what we call Calico in the US is a different beast entirely! 

Here's some clarification to help you make your fabric selection for your own "muslin swaddling blankets" or other sewing projects that require a fabric by one of these names!

United States - "bubble gauze" or "crinkle cotton" or "gauze"   
UK/New Zealand/Australia - "muslin"
Source: fabric.com
This fabric is fairly soft, very thin, and wrinkly. You see it most often in flowy skirts or in the oh so popular swaddling blankets. It comes in a variety of colors and sometimes prints.

United States - "muslin"   
Elsewhere - "calico"
Source: fabric.com
This fabric is scratchy and firm but inexpensive. It usually comes in white or off-white. It's most often used to make practice garments for pattern fitting ("make a muslin"), for a distressed/rustic look, or for utility purposes.

United States - "calico" or "printed quilting fabric"
Elsewhere - no special name
Source: fabric.com
This fabric is very stiff, generally used for quilting. It does not flow well, and it's also not very strong. Technically, calico in the US has a floral print, but I think any quilting fabric with a small repeating print can fall into the calico category.

United States - "cheesecloth" 
Elsewhere - "gauze"
Source: fabric.com
This fabric is not really used in apparel or much sewing at all. Instead, it's used in the kitchen or for cleaning.

So, you want to make your own swaddling blankets? Or anything else out of that desirable fabric? If you're in the US, you want to order "bubble gauze" or "crinkle cotton," sometimes listed as simply "gauze." If you order muslin, you'll be sorely disappointed. If you're in Europe, though, then muslin is what you want!

If you're in the US, here are some sources:

Fabric.com sells gauze - click here for their selection. I've used it for my own clothing. It starts off a little scratchy, but a few washes (especially with fabric softener - I use unscented/free of dyes fabric softener) will soften it right up. I've made a blouse with this fabric that pre-dates the blog. I'll do a retroactive post on it soon! I also made a dress a LONG time ago.

Michael Levine also sells "cotton gauze - crinkle cotton" - click here for their selection. I haven't purchased fabric from them before, so I can't speak to the quality. I did get a few swatches, and it seems good.

Joann Fabrics sells gauze as well - click here for their selection. I've heard that they rarely have a large color selection in store, but they have more colors online, and you can always dye white gauze to the color of your choice!