Get your covers ready!

We are quickly approaching the beginning of the Flats and Handwashing challenge. It starts in just 6 days. I am so happy that I will be able to participate in the challenge this year.
When this year's challenge was first announced I thought I might not be able to participate because BG is such a heavy wetter, we cannot use cloth at night. There was no way we could use just flats at night and not have her waking every couple hours with a soaked bed and jammies. Right now she sleeps through the night and I really don't want to break that. That is when Kim so kindly pointed out that the rules have changed since the first challenge and I can use my diaper of choice at night. What a relief! I quickly signed up to participate.
Now I have the fun of making sure we have the flats and covers to last us the week. Flats are not too much of a problem. We have a bunch and I have hundreds of t-shirts sitting upstairs unused. I can easily have more than enough flats to last a day or so between washing. I also have my camp style washer from the first challenge.  Now, the covers are a different story. We would have had enough if we didn't have to retire two awesome covers. We have two Mother-ease covers that I really liked. They worked so well and covered so many different diapers. Well, Bg's legs don't like those covers. The elastic around the legs always leave bright red marks that seem fairly irritated. It was saddening when I had to stop using them. I really did like them. I have even considered if I could redo them with new FOE and see if that makes them better for her. Who knows.
Well, luckily I get in kicks of wanting to sew. Yesterday BG got a brand new mommy made fleece pull-on cover. I even put a piece of PUL on the outside of the wet zone to help hold in extra wetness. I literally whipped it up in 30 minutes. It was so easy to do and I may end up making more because of that ease.
So, what does that leave me with for this challenge?

I have these four covers plus two more that are either on BG right now or in the wash. thepink one in the upper right corner is the one I just made. I am thinking of making a tie on patchwork kind of cover to use up some fleece scraps I have filling a drawer upstairs. That could be pretty cute. I want to use things I have already on hand to complete this challenge. Cloth diapering does not have to cost a lot of money. Even my regular stash did not cost as much as some. I got many for free or very cheap (used). I also tried winning as many as possibly. I believe I have maybe 4-6 that were won. This point is one thing that I always try to stress when talking cloth to those who do not know.

Are you preparing for the Flats Challenge? Would you ever consider participating? Tell us your thoughts!

Until next time... Happy Prepping!

The Best Chocolate Sauce EVER!

I must say, Hubby loves his chocolate milk in the winter time. And LJ will only drink chocolate or pink milk; though this is partly due to us giving him two pediasure drinks each day. For many many years we have always had to have a fairly large container of Hershey's syrup in our fridge for those moments of chocolate need. 
As many of you may know already, I am a pinterest addict! A few months back I started seeing many ladies pinning recipes for chocolate sauce. Many said they would never go back to Hershey's because theirs was loved so much more in the house. Really?! Better than Hershey's? My curiosity was peeked. I had to try it at least one time. Wouldn't you know, not long after finding those recipes, our chocolate ran out. Time to try some homemade chocolate sauce!

I just used one of the first recipes I found. It only has a few simple ingredients and really simple directions. The recipe came from Jillee at One Good Thing by Jillee. 


Homemade Chocolate Syrup

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• dash of salt
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (or less if you like darker tasting chocolate syrup)

Now, In a small saucepan, combine the first three ingredients. Whisk them gently just to mix them well. Now, put away that whisk! Add the water and turn on your heat. Bring the mix to a boil, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to over stir and add too much air. I have made that boo-boo  and while it doesn't change the taste, the air bubbles just don't seem to want to go away even once in the fridge for a few days. Once I even just used the whisk to save on the number of dishes and it worked way too much air in. 

The original recipe says to turn down heat and cook for 1 minute. I change that. I let it bubble (be sure to not let it boil over) on the stove for a few minutes until I can tell that it is thickening up nicely. 

Once it is how you like it, take it off the heat, and add the vanilla. 

Let it cool, then store it in the fridge. This recipe fits perfectly into a pint jar. 

Just look awesomely thick that sauce can be. I do not add quite as much Vanilla as the recipe calls for because Hubby likes the darker flavor of less Vanilla.  

Really, I don't know that we will ever have to buy the chocolate syrup in the store again.  If I use this to make chocolate milk for the kids, I can't help myself but add a little extra syrup to the spoon before licking it off. ;) 

One more way to save the family some hard earned money and make sure I know what we are putting into our bodies. 

Have you ever made your own chocolate sauce? 

What do you make homemade?

Until next time... Happy Cooking!

This post is linked with:

Can baking bread really be This easy?

Pinterest is an awesome tool. The one problem is that I can always find a ton of things I really want to pin and remember for later, but never really end up doing. I am working on correctly that. Today I ventured into bread making. Not only bread making, but baking it in the crock-pot. Yes, you read right, the crock-pot. How did it turn out? Pretty tasty!
I will start by providing the pin I used as my inspiration...

Source: tolland.patch.com via Lynanne on Pinterest

Now, the recipe calls for making whole wheat bread. I do not have wheat flour, I have regular unbleached flour in my house. What did I do? Just used the white flour. It worked. Also, I used an equivalent amount of instant (rapid rise) yeast instead of regular yeast, because again, that is what I have. I made sure to reference a few different websites as to how to convert dry yeast to instant yeast before proceeding.

Otherwise, I followed the recipe using my Kitchen-aide mixer. After "kneading" my bread for a few minutes, I put it in my crock-pot, which I had lined with parchment paper to help with removing the bread. Line the lid with paper towels and let it go. When I thought it might be getting close to done, I would check it every 30 minutes or so until I liked the level of brown creeping up the edges of the loaf. 
Please note, that when baking bread in a crock, the top will not brown. When I thought the load was ready to be pulled out of the crock, I fired up the broiler. Then I a transferred the bread, parchment and all onto a pizza tray and put it under the broiler to brown up on top. This is a tip I found while cruising the many different crock-pot bread recipes. When browned, remove it from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack. 

I was going to let it sit on the rack until Hubby got home. I just couldn't do it. I did let it cool completely, but I had to cut into to see what it was like inside (hoping it wasn't a dense mess). It looked good to me, though I thought it might rise a little more, which I may let it do next time. Then I trimmed off a little slice to taste test. Yup, it's good! I have a feeling it will be eaten up tonight and maybe last to tomorrow. Who knows. 
One thing is for sure. Bread making will be happening in this house. And some of that will be happening in my crock-pot! I am thinking of those hot summer days when heating an oven is right out.

Have you ever tried making your own bread? Have you ever used a crock-pot to do it? Will you try?
Let's hear your thoughts, recipes, and ideas in the comments!

I did it!

It isn't often that something I pin comes to life. Truly. There are a ton of things I would love to complete from pinterest, but very very few actually happen. This time, I completed one project from a pin, and then I pinned it. Now I have made two things from this pin. What am I talking about?

Source: crochet.about.com via Lynanne on Pinterest

Dishcloths! I have renewed my strong liking for crochet. Heck, now I am really loving to crochet. It is something I can do when I have time, relax a little and then put down when I am needed. I do not have to worry too much if my needle comes out of my project (like with knitting), and I can usually stop myself in a spot where I can easily pick up with the pattern again, if I am using one. My mother in-law uses dishcloths like the ones in this pin, and I have always been curious then to try making some. Now I have two!

I love these because they are so useful, and I can make them fairly quick. I don't do many of the "fancier" stitches, so this pattern is great for me. I need things that are easy to understand since I have completely taught myself how to do all of this. I am in love, and can't wait to make more!

Are you planning to teach yourself something in this new year? How about crocheting? Tell me about your resolutions or plans in the comments. I love to hear what others have to say!

Until next time... Happy Learning!

I feel so accomplished!

As the years have gone by, I have gotten more into the idea of canning my own sauces, and other things. I have wanted to make more foods from scratch and can what I can for times when items are just not available, but also to save a little money. I guess some could say canning was on a bucket list of sorts for me.
Now I can cross it off that list too! Monday was the day I finally made applesauce and then I canned it. It felt great to make and can something.
I did learn some things from all of this.
The size of my first batch was just right for me. I only got a small basket of apples and I am glad I didn't get more. The jars are actually half pints. I thought we had gotten pints, but was wrong. The batch I made filled ten half pints with a little to spare for our fridge.
I should have flipped my pots around. I used the larger pot for making the sauce when I should have used the smaller pot for the sauce and larger then for canning. As it stands, I quickly cleaned the large pot and got it going for canning the second batch of jars after learning my lesson.
I am very glad that a wonderful lady from church lent her food mill to me for making the sauce. It went so quickly and you better believe that a food mill is now on my Christmas list. :)
I also learned that I need to put an actually canning pot with rack on my Christmas list. I am too cheap (especially with our big trip coming before Christmas) to spend the money on the mill and pot, so on to my Christmas list they go.
I am now hooked! I loved making the applesauce, filling the house with nice apple smells, and I loved canning it. Now I am just thinking of things we eat that I could can. I felt so good at the end of the day about what I had gotten done. Two things I have wanted to do for ages, but thought is was harder than it really was.

Until next time.... Happy Canning!

Can I have your Autograph?

Our trip to Disney World is getting ever closer. I can't believe it really. There have been a few things that I have wanted to make for the kids for this trip. One was a quietbook. We are driving down with the in-laws and that is a long trip. We are taking two days to drive down. Things to keep little ones occupied are a very good thing.
From the get go, I knew both kids would need an autograph book. Of course if I were to go to like a disney store or something, I am sure I could find some really cute books for the kids, but how much would they cost? Too much, in my opinion.
I decided I was going to make customized books for each child. I would find some form of a book with blank pages, and some cute fabric to cover the book. After searching long enough (like, every time I went to a store that had any form of fabric) I found two cute patterns for Disney. A quick trip to Michael's gave us our books. Hubby and I decided to use small sketch books. I had found some colored scratch pads at Big lots for a buck, but decided I didn't like them as much. The sketch books are spiral bound, whereas the other was just glue. Glue can easily fall apart and lose pages. Not Good!
Today I finally got around to making the books, and I am so happy with how they turned out. What took the longest time (once we had the materials) was figuring out exactly how I was going to put everything together to create the finished product I saw in my mind.
I love them! The kids seems to like them too. ;-)  Next I will have to share about their matching wallets...

Until next time... Happy Crafting!

New Product Testing

(Note: Please pardon the not totally awesome photography contained in this post. These were taken quickly with my cell after whipping up the sample.)
I am always thinking of new possibilities for Lynifer to make and sell and all that fun stuff. One thing that I have had on my mind a lot in the past, but then let slide, was reusable produce bags.
Reusable everything is big. For some families reusing/recycling is the name of the game. Reusable diapers, Reusable grocery bags, recycling, gardening, composting, etc. You name, they find a way to rethink, reuse, and recycle. I like to try to reuse and upcycle as much as possible. I am trying to instill that mentality in LJ and BG too.
Okay, now I guess I should get back to the point of this post.
I use cloth grocery bags as much as I can. I keep them in my car to try to remember them when I make those quick trips to the store. One thing that has grown to drive me nuts are the plastic bags for the produce. If I can do without, I do. Well, now for those times when really I need a bag for my fresh food, I can whip out a produce bag.

Now, this is my first one, and it is going to be in a bit of testing. There are many things that I make that really never end up making into the Lynifer line-up.
Now, like many of you may know by now, I like to reuse what I have around the house/sewing room already instead of getting specialty fabrics at the store all of the time. This bag is no different. The inpiration for this bag came from a great little tutorial I found through Pinterest. The blog is, Delia Creates. While I have a million and one t-shirts hanging around my sewing room, I wanted to try something that would not add that much weight to the final product. That is one thing that many people are worried about with reusable produce bags for store shopping. As you may be able to see from the picture, this is a fairly sheer material (you can still vaguely see the ruler lines through two layers of fabric). Do you know what I used?
Sheer curtains! I had a curtain laying around from when I still lived with my parents. In its previous life it helped make a separate space for me, under my loft bed. I don't have use for a curtain this size in my house (let alone just one curtain like this). That is how it came to stay in my sewing stash. I knew for some time now that it might work nicely for a produce bag, but I wasn't sure how to really do it.
The above link to the tutorial I found really helped me over that hump. How simple is it to stitch up the side and bottom of the bag and then do this to it?

After sewing the bag, I used my scissors to cut slits in it. This helps it to expand when the produce is in it. I did the same thing for the handle as well, except for the handle I took a lighter to it to seal the raw edges of the material.

Have you ever considered using a reusable produce bag at the store? If you haven't, would you once knowing it was an option and could get them at a good price?

I am not sure where this bag and design will go from here, but I wanted to share it all with you. What are you thoughts on it?

What to Make next!?

As a follow-up to my last blog post, I had been a little inspired. I really want to get a bunch of things that I can make relatively quickly to sell at craft shows this season. After LJ's preschool and lunch with my mom, I came back and perused my sewing room to see what inspiration I could find. I found a bunch of pieces of holly fabric that I cut in strips to make napkin rings. Well, the napkin rings I was making are just too much work for the outcome. I wanted to think of something I could use these for. So, What did I make, bias tape! Okay, I know it is not try bias tape as it was not cut on the bias and all, but it worked out nicely.
I sewed three of the strips together and then found that they were about twice the width I needed. So, I cut the strips down to make two long 1 inch strips and then sewed those two strips together. After ironing everything flat, I was ready to start putting the strip through the bias maker I had bought months ago and not used. I was amazed at how quickly it came together. The maker I have makes 1/2" bias tape. Of course that is with just the two sides folded over. So, I folded it in half then to make some great double fold bias tape.
I ended up pinning the double folded tape while I ironed it so it would hopefully hold a little better. That is why you see it pinned while being wrapped around the cards. Once it was done I was ready to wrap it around something to store it until I could use it. I got out two of my business cards to act as the cardboard core.

I couldn't think what to use it for at first but then another crafty idea hit me. While perusing the internet for ideas I came across some ideas for a glasses case. I put a few of the ideas together and then used this tape to compliment the holly fabric I used for the case. This bias tape circles the top of a glasses case now. :)  I don't have any pictures of it yet, but I have a second case already cut out and ready to sew up. Maybe I will make a little tutorial or something of it. Who knows!
You know, now that I think about it, I have had a very crafty week. Earlier in the week I made a very cute little bag that I think I will have to make more of since they are so cute!

Until next time... Happy Crafting!

Dont forget to enter my giveaway for a nice big bottle of Prefense's Alcohol free hand sanitizer! Giveaways ends October 14th.

One Size Wool Cover

I like wool. I also have to be careful with what wool I use. One of the first set of shorties that I bought for LJ ended up with a all around bad combo of events to leave him with a sore for close to a week on each leg. Not only was the wool a little too rough for him, but of course it was an explosive diaper mess at the same time as trying the wool for the first time. I always have to be careful with the texture of the wool. When I learned that I might be able to use wool suiting to make covers for LJ, I was thrilled.
I have been playing around with cover patterns for a little while now using some covers I already own to get an outline and then modify it to make it my own. I love the idea of one size covers. They make sense to me. So, I made my very first "One Size" wool cover for LJ.

Now, I know this cover needs some tweaking, just by putting it on LJ this first time. LJ will be 3 in April (three months), he weighs maybe 25 pounds. He is a skinny skinny boy and this cover is snapped almost as big as it can get. I think each side only has one snap on each side behind the tabs. It is also on the highest setting, but I do like having covers and such that have a lower rise. I did learn one thing through this, these take a decent amount of FOE to make each one. :)

What do you think? I would love to get more patterns and things for working designs for Lynifer. Maybe I need to try making a few more and get none LJ testers. :)

Until next time.... Happy Diapering!

This is just too Cute!

Okay, you may not think so, but I do and that is why I am posting this. :) Yesterday I told you a little about a shirt that my mom bought for LJ that gave me the idea to make a matching diaper. Well, here is the post!
First the shirt that inspired the whole thing:

The Shirt

As it turns out, last year I bought some material that I wanted to make some children's placemats out of, but I could never find a coordinating material for the flip side, so it didn't happen (well, not yet at least). Here is the material already cut in to the diaper pattern (I used the Cloth Revolution Pattern for this diaper).

A little closer shot

Being as this is a very directional pattern on the material, I even had to do the whole cut in the middle of the diaper to flip the pattern, so the front and back will both be upright. You can see the line in the bottom picture where the material flips over. 

I have been working on sewing encased elastic instead of sewing it on to the serged edge, so that was a bit fun with the way that the CRP has you doing elastic. I did have to rip a few stitches out and redo them, but luckily I noticed the problem pretty quick and was only having to rip like ten or so stitches.

So, now you have seen the pieces of this total cuteness separate, now for them finished and together:

I love it!

Of course this diaper wouldn't have been possible either if I had not gotten my snap pliers yesterday either. I used neon yellow caps because I think they are just too cute on the Peanuts material.


Do you have any really cute sets with your diapers matching some piece of clothing? Have you made any diapers that you find just too cute? I would love to hear about it!

Until Next time... Happy Diapering!

do I have enough?

The time is winding down before I get to meet my little Baby C. As you may have read in my 32 week update, the doctor thinks she might actually get closer to 8 pounds, unlike her brother who was born at 6.3 pounds. I had been figuring I would probably have another small baby and making the fitteds in small newborn sizes (some of which fit up to like 7 pounds).

Well, the news of this baby maybe being bigger, had me freaking out a bit. What if the diapers I have made for Baby C don't fit her ever?! What if she is born too big for them? Some of them are just so cute, I would hate if she never had a chance to wear it. The picture at right is one of my favorite ones that I made for her as it ties closed but has the snap down front for her cord and is a cute pink stripe fleece outer. The tie is a pink ribbon I found lying around my sewing room that looked too cute when next to the diaper. :) So, yesterday I found a bunch of sites on different ways to make prefolds at home and some good size charts for the various prefold sizes and ages.


So, now I come to you, fellow cloth mamas! Help me know if the stash I have is good enough (ie big enough) for Baby C's starting stash.

Baby C's stash right now.

Okay, so right now I have an XS AIO (mommy made), 12 Small pockets, 1 OS pocket, 2 OS fitteds, 3 small fitteds, 5 newborn (small) fitteds, 3 newborn prefolds (mommy made yesterday and today), and five covers (1 OS, 3 small, 1 XS). 

I am hoping for maybe a few diapers in Baby C's Christmas gifts, but I am not holding my breathe as they would all need to be bought online and not all our family does online shopping. I am hoping to make a few more prefolds to use as they are quick and it would build my stash quickly. I just want to make sure I have what I would need to cloth diaper my child full time. I don't want to use disposables if I don't need to. I hate that I can't CD full time with LJ, but I am also hoping that soon he will be potty trained. Then his OS diapers can become Baby C's diapers, too. 

Do I have enough diapers to at least start a full time cloth routine possibly while even in the hospital? What style of diaper do you like best for CDing a newborn?

Until next time....Can you help this Momma Out?!

Two Diapers in the works!

So, I have been renewed in my love and quest to make our own cloth diapers. I have been looking at supplies online and all that fun stuff, but at the same time, we don't have the funds to be buying all the hook and loop or snaps (snap pliers in particular) to make enough diapers to sell them and keep some for ourselves. So, I found an awesome diaper online the other day and it made me realize that we don't need hook and loop or snaps to have a diaper. I mean, yes, I know there will always be pins and snappis, but what if you don't have those either?
The solution: Tie diapers!

 

My first tie diaper

With ties, you don't need to have a snappi, pin, aplix, or snaps. All you need is already with the diaper. Now, yes these diapers do not have PUL, but they could. 

I have been looking online to see what kind of tutorials or patterns I could find that were for tie diapers. Well, there isn't much out there. I did find one or two sets of pictures that showed me what one style of tie diaper looks like, so I used that to draft my own patterns.

I now have two different patterns for tie diapers. Of course they need to be tweaked a bit and I have been making things sized for my LJ, but the one in the picture above can be more of a one size diaper.

 Outer of diaper

 Inner of diaper

Pocket in front

I made this out of an old T-shirt that I had. When I laid things out on the shirt, I realized that if I lined the front of the pattern up with the bottom of the shirt, I could use the finished edge of the shirt to make this an awesome pocket diaper. I like pockets that are in the front and have nice big openings. This is more of a Size 2 of a two size diaper system in that the way it is currently designed, the waist would not get small enough for a new newborn, but it will get for a kiddo that is maybe 20 pounds or more. The rise is adjustable in that you just fold down the front to the rise you need. 

Yes, once this is tweaked and we think it is ready for Lynifer, we are going to offer it in our line-up of items for sale. I am super excited to get some patterns ready for diapers for Lynifer to sell. I think it is a good way for the business to go. Lynifer will also be going more in to the world of Etsy too once we have more items actually made that we can sell. 

So, keep your eyes peeled for new things coming to Lynifer and for diapers to be coming soon too!

Until next time... Happy Diapering!

My first Diaper!

I have finally done it! Ever since I found out the Peanut was on the way, I have known that I would like to be the one to make almost the entire stash of cloth for him/her. About a week ago I started cutting out the pieces of fabric following the free Newborn Darling Diaper Pattern. I used the red pattern since LJ was so tiny at birth and I have a feeling Peanut will be as well. The pattern has the option for a snap down front to accommodate cords on new babies. I loved that about this pattern.
Well, would you all like to see it?! Here you go!

Of course, being a picture of just the diaper, it is hard to tell that this is such a cute LITTLE diaper! So, I took another picture that shows this diaper along side of a CD. Check this out...

I didn't add any closures since I may make most of the diapers to close with snappi's. I am not sure. Now seeing the diaper "finished" I am thinking at some point I may add some hook & loop closures, but that will be determined by my mood and how well this works with just a snappi. :)
I just had to share this all with you! I can't wait to sew up a bunch more!
Until next time.... Happy Diapering!

I took the plunge

Today I have been decently productive. I have had motivation, who knows from what, but I have wanted to keep going on sewing. Well, today I finished up a bunch of cloth wipes that I had cut out months ago. See where I am going with this?

 Wipes before finishing the edges

Well, today I actually used some cloth wipes from two of LJ's messy diapers. I never thought that I would use cloth wipes. But now with Peanut on the way, I am rethinking things a little more. I know that new baby poo is mostly liquid so I am not too worried about having too much solids on the wipes when I am done with them. I just sort of can't believe that I used cloth wipes, but I must say, it was nice. :)
I use disposable wipes at times, and I had been making my own flushable wipes, but since the move, I haven't made any more of these and don't totally feel like doing it. I don't mind the flushable wipes, but with everything that is going on right now, I don't feel like taking the time to separate the paper towels from each other, folding them to wipe size and then making them in to the pop-op stack.
So, for all my cloth mamas, do you use cloth wipes all the time? Have you gone to disposable ever or done flushables? If you use cloth wipes, do you make them or buy them? What is your favorite brand?

And the Winner Is...

The time has come for the winner of the two Lynifer Diaper Inserts to be drawn. I was hoping for slightly better numbers, but this was my first giveaway. Thank you to the ladies who did enter and for you ideas for blog names.
Now on to the good part...

The winner is....

Anonymous said... 

groovers4him@bellsouth.net
I like the title of the blog,
"Love Worth Waiting For" 

The winner has been notified and will have 48 hours to respond to my email or I will have to draw again.

Thank you again to the ladies who entered!

Lynifer's Diaper Insert Giveaway! ~CLOSED!~

I know this has been a long awaited post.  I have wanted to post this for weeks now, but life has kept me from it. Well, now here you go!
The time has come for my very first giveaway. I am super excited for this one for many reasons. One, it's the first giveaway for my blog. Second, these items were made by Me. I have a small little in home venture where I sew all kinds of things. I call my venture Lynifer. Now, seeing as I am the one that made these inserts, having me review them, wouldn't be right. I had two wonderful mommas test two different styles of my inserts. Now for the reviews given by the testers...

I love Lynifer's cloth diaper inserts! My favorite is the contoured insert because it is so absorbent and is super soft. It fits perfectly inside my Bum Genius 3.0's! The insert washes up very nicely and it is my "go to" insert for nap and nighttime diapers. Thanks!

These cloth diaper inserts are the best I could have hoped for! I am a big fan of her contoured design that I slip inside my MotherEase diapers. They are obsorbent and soft without being too bulky. Lyn has hit the mark with this design that washes just as nicely as it wears. I've had them for months and they still look great! 

About Lynifer's Inserts: Each insert is made from a total of 5 layers. The top layer is soft flannel. There are two inner layers of microfiber terry, and then there are two layers of cotton. Liquid tests that I did showed that these inserts could hold up to 7 ounces of liquid.


Buy It: These diaper inserts can be purchased through Lynifer's website for $2.50 each.

Win It: I am giving one winner a set of my diaper inserts. One winner will receive a straight cut insert and a contoured insert as well.

Mandatory Entry: Okay, so right now my blog's name is just Lynifer's blog. I am thinking of changing this to a more catchy or fun name. For the mandatory entry, I would love for you to either give me an idea for my blog's new name, or tell me your favorite blog title/name. One name idea that has been thrown around has been Sew Thrifty Lynifer, as an idea of where I might be going with the name and theme. If you cannot think of a blog title, feel free to name your favorite diaper.

Extra Entries: (be sure to leave a seperate comment for each entry)
1: Publicly follow my blog via Google Friend Connect. - 1 entry
2: Subscribe to my blog emails via feedburner. - 1 entry
3: Blog about this giveaway and be sure to leave a direct link to this giveaway as well as Lynifer. - 2 entries
4: Become a fan of Lynifer on Facebook. - 1 entry
5: Follow me on twitter. -1 entry
6: Tweet about this giveaway. Be sure to include @whocg23 in your tweet. This can be done daily until the end of the giveaway.  Please comment with the link to your tweet.- 1 entry per day


This giveaway is open to US residents only. Giveaway will end on August 10th at 11:59 pm. The winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours from the time the email is sent to respond. I will also post the winner on my blog. I will pick the winner via random.org.

YAY! I did it!

I have been wanting to make a wetbag duffel of sorts for the longest time. We have a large lidded trash can in my son's room that used to be for the disposables. Well, since we now only use max like one (maybe two) a day, that seems sort of silly; and by the time the bag is full enough to take out, the stuff in the bottom is totally gross. So, anyway, a few weeks ago I ordered a yard of Kelly green PUL from a great little online store, Kids in the Garden. I think I mentioned them in a previous post, as I also got a great little sample pack of her PUL. Anyway, I finally got to use my PUL. About the time that I ordered the PUL, I measured my trash can so that I knew what size to make my duffel. Two nights ago, I finally got to make my wetbag duffel and put it to use!

That is my new wetbag duffel! I am so happy. It works great!The patch of flannel in the upper corner is so that I can put oils on it to help with the smell. I have vanilla and love it. I made it a drawstring so then I can pull it tight against the rim to hold it in place while in the can and then close it pretty tight when carrying it to the wash.
The way I did the seams makes it so that it doesn't leak. I put a bunch of water in the bag and swished it around and nothing. Bot even bleeding from where I sewed on the flannel or where I had to resew a section when my bobbin ran out.
So, now the plug for my business. Yesterday I was so thrilled with all that I have been accomplishing, that I added this to my website already, and it is available for sale on Lynifer. I make them the size they need to be. So, if your can is 45 inches around at the top and like 30 inches top to bottom (on the inside) then that is what I make it to. :-)
I even have enough PUL left over to make a smaller travel wetbag some day and maybe something else. :-)

What I do...

So, I know that I have done sewing posts. Well, this is another one. But, this is not diapers. One of the biggest things that I do is make bibs. I think they are a cute gift to give any little one. 

A week or two ago I finished up an order for three bibs to the sister of a good friend. That good friend had ordered two large pocket bibs from me and so did her mother (Mom may have only bought one, I can't remember off hand). The sister loved them so much she had me make three more, which I was so thrilled about.






Now a couple days before my birthday, my nephew became a daddy to a very cute little girl. We hopefully get to meet her tomorrow at a family get together. Of course I had to make a cute little bib to go with a cute little girl. I tried my hand at a reversible bib.

I know that in the first picture the fabric looks a little weird in the middle, that is just where I put a scrap over the name that I put on. I like to personalize the bibs if I can. So, this is some of what I do. I still have diaper inserts to make and I want to do more with that whole side of sewing, but this is what I started Lynifer with and this is what I love to be able to do. :) While store bought bibs can have some really cute sayings or what not (they truly can be super cute), there is just something about a bib that was made with the wearer in mind.

I did it!

I did it! I have finally gotten the time and design to make my first diaper insert. I think some of the most time consuming part of the design process was the research into size and materials to make the best insert I could with materials I would not have to order online in order to make the insert. I came up with one layer of flannel to make the insert nice and soft against the skin (if left to be against baby's skin), followed by two layers of microfiber and two layers of quality cotton. I decided to use a fairly common measurement of 5.5" by 12".
I like microfiber for the absorbant layers to quickly take in the wetness, but the feeling it has whenever I handle it and the way it loves to cling on for dear life to anything it touches in the dryer, made it that I didn't want it to be the only material I used. Anyway, here are some pictures I took of my insert.