One of the sisters in our ward, Marie, is a health care professional. She is affiliated with an organization called Healing Hands for Haiti. Five years ago she went with a team to Port au Prince. She said she cried for the first 4 days (and this was before the January 2010 earthquake!) She taught the Relief Society lesson on Sunday about Haiti, a brief history, their sad living conditions and their needs.
One of the places she worked was in an orphanage; every baby she picked up was wet! The workers there wash their clothes in the river on rocks, most of the children have never seen grass.
Her team is going back again in October. Her desire is to provide All-In-One (AIO) reusable (aka cloth) diapers for these orphanages. The minute she held up her little sample diaper I wanted to hold it in my very-own-hands! I knew this was something I HAD to do.
I've collected so much fabric over the years that it is ridiculous! One of my passions is flannels! For a time I was making those raggy-quilts, but all that clipping is so hard on my wrists and, believe it or not, my elbow! WELL, do I ever have a need for all that flannel now!
I spent much of yesterday morning researching AIO diapers! Stinkin' Cow! there is a whole mommy-movement back to cloth diapers and specifically these dandy AIO. Mommy-makers frequently use a Polyurethane laminate [(PUL) is generally a polyester interlock knit fabric that has been laminated to a thin film of polyurethane] for the outer cover so they are waterproof. The other thing I learned is that Velcro doesn't stand up under the constant wear and use so makers use a hook and loop product called Aplix or Touchtape that is more durable. [Again, with the Stinkin' Cow! I had to learn a whole new language!]
The consensus on Sunday was that we probably didn't want to have a waterproof outer barrier which might mean that the babies would be left in wet diapers longer so I didn't have to worry about PUL.
I stumbled upon a pattern that I really like from a very unlikely source. Rita over at CoffeeShop.com, whom I know because of all the wonderful actions she writes for PhotoShop and all of her wonderful photography, mentioned in a blog post yesterday that she was using a piece of leftover Minkee for a backdrop from when she made diapers for her boys! Who would have ever guessed? So I went straight to Rita's Rump Cover pattern.
I cut out a bunch of diaper pieces AFTER I'd made my first sample diaper. I found that I like using pieces of thick terry bath towels for the soaker pad. I sewed this directly to the lining of the diaper and I added two vertical lines of stitching to keep it from shifting with all of the *rock washing* it will have to endure.
Here's the right side of the lining.
I have the above featured 6 diapers finished, except for the hook and loop which I had to order online. There are another 14 cut out and in various states of completedness (is that a word?). Then I have another two dozen soaker pads ready and waiting for more flannel... which I just happen to have!
So, now I will make my point... service is good for the soul... particularly a soul that tends to grieve on this day for the last 29 years... Yes, the Lord is so good to give me things to do, serve my fellowman or in this case, fellow baby, and rejoice in my blessings. Yes... so very good and kind.
If you are interested in helping with this humanitarian please let me know and I will hook you up!
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