Can You Embroider PUL?

Why of course you can! I'm not saying there aren't other ways to do this but this is the best and easiest way I have found to embroider on PUL. You need a good cut away stabilizer and a few pieces of tear away depending on the weight of your design. You can either trace or cut your diaper cut just make sure you have enough room to hoop the whole piece. I have three layers in my hoop. Bottom layer is stabilizer, middle layer is scrap PUL cut to fit in my hoop, and top layer is my diaper cut. My tear away gets folded up and "floats" under my hoop. After I embroider my pieces that are in the hoop I remove the stabilizer and here's what I'm left with: I fold up the extra of the scrap PUL so that shiny side is touching shiny side. Carefully so as not to stitch my diaper cut I sew around the design on only the scrap PUL. Then I trim away the extra PUL so that all I'm left with is this: Finally the completed diaper cut with the embroidery backed. I hope this helps explain it some. :)

Wet Bag for Cloth Diapers: Tutorial

This is a method that I designed (and for a while even sewed for profit) for storing wet cloth diapers but keeping your diaper bag dry and stink free.  The cotton print and PUL layers are mostly sewn separately so there is minimal to no wicking.



You will need:
A sewing machine
Scissors
Thread
PUL cut to 11" x 31"
Cotton print cut to 11" x 31"
Cotton print cut to 3" x 11"

Zipper tape and pull 12" *see notes on this
Snaps (optional)



First we are going to make the handle for the wet bag.  Using your 3" x 11" cotton print fold (right sides together) along the long edge so that you have a long tube.  Stitch along the short edge and the long unfolded edge and flip it right side out.



I like to stitch along each side of the handle.  Usually between a 1/4" to 1/8" from each edge.



Line up both the PUL (shiny side facing the right side of the print) and cotton print along the top leading edge of the zipper and with your needle position all the way to the left and your presser foot next to the teeth of the zipper, stitch all three pieces together.







This is how your layers should look right now.



 Next,  line up the other short end of your cotton print along the edge of the zipper tape that hasn't been sewn.  You should have a nice loop forming of the cotton print and your fold will be at the opposite end.



This is what it looks like once the print is sewn to the zipper.

 

Now we are going to line up the PUL layer along the back of the zipper tape but instead of sewing all the way across we will leave an opening in the middle of the zipper tape to turn it right side out later.





Before we go any further we need to add the zipper pull to the tape.  Up to this point it has been absent leaving us a free zipper with no "bump" to stitch around.  Separate your zipper slightly on the end you would like it to pull from and pull it to the center of the zipper tape so it's out of our way as we sew.  At this point both ends of your zipper should be zipped shut.



Next, take your handle piece and place it at the very top along the teeth of the zipper.



Stitch carefully over the zipper tape on both ends of the zipper catching your handle in the seam allowance.  I usually stitch back and forth multiple times to reinforce the zipper and keep the teeth together.



Using your scissors carefully trim away the excess zipper teeth and tape at the top edge.  This will help eliminate bulk on the finished product.



 Now that you've done that on both sides, you need to take the piece back to your sewing machine.  Separating the layers so that you have the two (shiny sides together) pieces of PUL stitch from the point where you left off at the zipper down just the PUL layers on both long edges, and then the cotton print.



You will have sewn two separate bags at this point.



You can skip this part if you like and tack the two folded ends of the bags together and proceed to turning them right side out if you wish but I like to have a bag with gussets at the bottom because I feel like those corners are wasted space.  So I went back to my cutting mat and cut 1 1/2" squares from the bottom fold of each bag.  Remember to measure your 1 1/2" from the seam and not the cut edge otherwise it will end up being off.



Now line up those corners so that they are matching and stitch them together on both bags.





I like to tack the bags together in the seam allowance to keep the PUL from flipping outside in the wash.  To do this, match up your corners so that both mitered corners have the seams facing out.  It will seem kind of twisted but I promise it all works out if you do it right.



It should look like this if you've sewn it properly to this point.



Now, find your opening that we left in the PUL layer at the zipper and unzip the zipper all the way.



Pulling the cotton print through the opening will flip the bag so that it's right side out and everything should lay nicely at this point.

Now you need to stitch the opening in our PUL closed.  You can pin it if you choose.  You can do this as you topstitch the zipper.  Just be sure to catch that opening in the seam.





Your bag is nearly done at this point.  Add your snap at the handle and give it a good HOT wash and HOT dry to be sure to seal any holes in the PUL you made when stitching.



Tada!  If you have questions, feel free to ask.

*Note on the zipper.  I get my zipper tape in a continuous piece.  You can find them at Seattle Fabrics or at Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics.  I prefer the continuous coil zipper in size #8.  You will need the tape and the pull.  I'm sure you could use a standard zipper if you chose, I don't know how well it would hold up though.  The zipper I used will outlast the bag usually.

Bound Side Snapping Cover

I did this cover using the Very Baby Side Snapping cover pattern.  (I guess they have discontinued it so you could easily substitute the New Conceptions Quick Snap Cover.)  You could do this on any cover but I've found it easiest on covers with straight edges vs. the round corners of the Very Baby Snug Wrap or New Conceptions Quick Wrap. 

I've straightened the edges of the cover pattern to accommodate this type of binding.



I cut two pieces of PUL for the inside and outside of the cover.



Carefully stitching close to the edge (no wider than 1/4") stitch all the way around the cover so it doesn't shift.



Mark your elastic anchor points for reference.



Using a three step zig zag and 1/4" elastic, stitch your elastic on from anchor point to anchor point.



Do this at each elastic anchor section all the way around the cover making sure to put it right on the edge so it's easy to bind.



(I forgot to take a picture of this part but you will cut your PUL binding strips 2" wide across the 60" width of the PUL. (You will need two of the strips for the size L cover.)

Next you will fold your "bias" into the binder foot and load it. My binder foot is a snap on making it much easier to snap on and off. I find it easiest to snap off and on each time I load it.



Starting with the front or back of the cover, slip your cover in between the slot in the bias foot sandwiching it between the top and bottom of the binding in the foot. (We are going to be stitching the front back and leg areas first.)



Sewing with a straight stitch, stitch up to the elastic. Once to the elastic you can stop and take a break for a second. You will want to stretch your PUL binding slightly and stretch your cover so the elastic isn't gathering it and continue sewing.



Make sure to get the elastic all the way into the middle of the binding so it won't stitch the elastic again when you are stitching the binding on.



Stitch to the end and then you can stop and take it off of your foot.



Clip the edge of the binding all the way to your diaper cut so that it's flush.



Continue doing the legs and back or front clipping right next to the diaper cut after you finish.



Next we bind the sides.  You will want to leave the end pieces of your binding long enough to fold over to the back when we finish the cover.  A little tip:  If you already have your binding stitching perfectly don't stop after each side.  Just simply slip the next side in and keep stitching.  This is one less "load of the binding" that you have to do.



All finished binding.  Now you can see the tails on the side.  Don't worry we are going to take care of those.  :)



Turn them to the back side and carefully stitch it down and clip it close to the stitching.



All that's left is to mark and add your snaps.





Here is what our finished product looks like on.



These are very similar to the Mother Ease Air flow covers and I LOVE them.  :)

Here are a few more that I've made with different patterns.  The curved wings are a little tricky to do but they make a great nearly leak free cover.





If you made it through the whole tutorial and have questions please let me know.  I bought my bias foot on Ebay for $14.