Sew Natural: A Review

{The backstory ... A few months ago through the wonder that is Facebook, I got reconnected with a high school acquaintance. Not that we weren't friendly, but in high school I was not very good at making friends if they weren't in band, choir, or orchestra. I regret that attitude now, but that's what the internet is for. It's the great equalizer. Zesty is about three months younger than her littlest girl, and Pinky is just about 36 hours younger than her littlest boy. Maybe someday we'll get to have a playdate. :) }

Christine of Naturally Sewn (the blog of the Sew Natural Diaper Company) offered to send me her Watch Me Grow! Pocket Diaper to try out and review*. It was just what I needed to get my cloth diapering rear in gear. I may or may not have practically stopped cloth diapering. I also may or may not have left three diapers in the diaper pail for close to ten days. I almost, almost, wrote that I "don't have time" to cloth diaper with two in diapers, but then I remembered that Caroline Ingalls had two in diapers ... with no electricity ... and her diapers didn't have velcro and snaps.

So I'm trying to get over my slump. Maybe now that there is sunshine it will be easier. I know that the butterflies on this sweet bottom make me smile!



The lining on this diaper is fantastic. It wicks away the wetness quickly. I did notice some wicking to the onesie, but [insert Mother of the Year Award here] it had been about 3 hours since I changed her.



I used my bumGenius regular insert with this. Sew Natural stocks inserts of several absorbancies which would probably be a trimmer fit. My insert worked fine, but it was a little tight to stuff the diaper.

The diaper she sent has snaps identical to this solid colored diaper, instead of overlapping snaps on the butterfly diaper shown here, just to clarify.

Look at those yummy rolls!



Zesty hasn't worn it because when I stuffed it and snapped it on him, it was a leetle too tight on him with the insert. This summer when we are vacationing (in Florida! I KNOW!) I'm hoping to put this on him without an insert and throw some boy-colored trunks and a swim shirt over top.

Christine and I have exchanged a few emails lately, and she agreed to an interrogation interview about her cloth diapering journey.

1) How did you get started cloth diapering?
Not to be cliché, but I always knew I would cloth diaper. My parents had cloth diapered my sisters and I and for me disposables were kind of foreign territory. I have this very clear memory of helping fold diapers for my mom and laying them on the woodstove to warm while I folded - I must have thought I was ironing or something, I ended up scorching one! When Will was born I had all of my cloth diapers ready to go! I started with prefolds, pins, and covers. I loved the Bummis wraps and used them for the first 2 children exclusively. If you are looking to cloth diaper on a budget, prefolds and covers are definitely the way to go. By the way, be watching this next week for my new prefolds, "Mossies" to debut in my shop!

2) What inspired you to begin sewing your own diapers, and growing that into a business?
In all honesty I don't know why I didn't start making my own diapers from the beginning! I'll admit the cloth diapering world had become a bit overwhelming with all of the choices and I was content with my first baby to stick with what I knew! Just before Autumn was potty trained and Wyatt was yet to be born I decided I needed to restock my diaper stash and this time I was going to do it myself. I spent the next 7 months perfecting a pattern and researching all of the options for fabrics, styles, etc. I already had a children's boutique clothing business that I had been working on for a couple of years, and decided that I was ready to take that into a new direction. Thus, Dewdrop Handmades became the Sew Natural Diaper Company.

3) You and I are from the same hometown region. Do other moms and dads that you associate with think you are insane for cloth diapering?
Well, yes, yes they do. I'm trying my hardest to convert people though! I'm really hoping to do a home party or two in the next year mainly as sort of informational session more than sales. I have a funny story about that in fact. When I was pregnant with my first, the church wanted to host a diaper shower for me, my mom told the ladies that I was planning on cloth diapering - they scoffed! That's right, scoffed, and told me to my face, "you'll never stick with it." Four kids later I think that we have only used disposables for a handful of occasions and every time it made me cringe! For instance, have you ever noticed the smell? I actually got a headache from the newborn diapers at the hospital.

4) Chrissie, your sewing studio is amazing. Props to your husband for supporting your passion!
Thank you! He is pretty great :) I have high hopes for this to blossom into a more full time vocation in the future. For now it is a perfect outlet for me as a stay-at-home mom, and I enjoy it much more than washing windows!

*In case the FTC cares about my little ol' blog, I received no payment for this post, other than to keep the sample she sent me. It is an honest product review without regard to personal relationship.