It’s here! The new issue! The issue with my cloth diaper article in it! (Excited? No. Why do you ask?) As I type, thousands of eager BHM subscribers are retrieving from their mail boxes the September/October issue of Backwoods Home Magazine. And the first thing they’re doing is flipping over to read all about cloth diapers. (Right?)

And so, as stated in the article, you can now download the full, multi-sized diaper pattern right here! Cool, huh? (The file will download as a PDF that you can print at home. Just match up the guides [1A to 1A, etc.], tape or glue the pieces together, and pick your size. Seam allowances are already included.) So far the instructions are only available in the magazine, but I know you’re a clever lot.

Now I hope you’ll bear with me for a couple of weeks while I make any needed adjustments to the download. I’m deep in the chaos of packing, and our moving party is Saturday, but if you have any trouble I will try to help you the first chance I get. I’ll be adding the download button as a permanent fixture to the sidebar soon, too.

I hope you enjoy! (And please note that this pattern is for personal use only. Please don’t make diapers from this pattern for sale.)

Deadline is over at last, and I’m particularly pleased with how well this issue came together. And I’m even more pleased that my cloth diaper article that I’ve been whining about telling you about for ages is finally going to print! Hooray! (And incidentally, it turns out that Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream is even better than the best chocolate for getting through my writing fits… especially when it’s my very own pint hand delivered by my charming husband.)

So for all of you who have been sitting on the edge of your seats wondering, “When will she finally finish that dag nabbed article,” you can rest assured that it will hit your mail box in mid-August.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to do the happy dance with the kids… and wash diapers.

Deadline is over, we’ve all pretty much recovered from our colds, and the weather is beautiful (it has been in the 70s or low 80s for weeks). But instead of being outside as I ought to be, enjoying spring and my beautiful seedlings, I’ve been glued to my computer, writing.

Writing is hard. I’ve been trying for months (and months) to finish writing my cloth diaper article, but one thing or another always causes me to run away and seek the nearest source of chocolate (which, unfortunately, is almost never my cupboard). But I’ve been toughing it out for the past few days, and I feel like I’ve finally finally gotten into a rhythm. I’m not sure I’ve made a breakthrough, yet, but I’m getting there.

Truth be told, I’m a bit nervous about finishing the article and turning it loose on the world. Will it be any good? Will you like my pattern? Will I die of embarrassment when I discover a typo in print? It’s been years since I published an article in the magazine, and even though there have been many requests for me to start writing again, I worry that I won’t live up to expectations.

I’ll just keep working at it, anyway. With and awful lot more work, a fair amount of luck, a couple pounds of chocolate, and a hearty scoop of courage, I’ll make it into the next issue.

One of the benefits of completely immersing yourself in a pursuit is that you learn so much about it. As a matter of fact, you can learn so much that you might start to think of yourself as somewhat of an expert. An authority, even. You might get the idea to spread the word about said pursuit, and while writing an article about it you might do a little research in order to locate studies to backup your claims and opinions.

This is where we pause to discuss the ramifications of this step.

My “intro to sewing cloth diapers” article has exploded into an eight page and counting thesis.
My instructions for sewing a basic fitted diaper now have a bazillion options for turning the pattern into a contour, an AIO, a stay-dry, a pocket diaper. Turn and topstitch, serger edges, FOE binding.
The section on washing diapers now has info on detergents, pH, additives, pure soap (and why it’s baaad), and how to take care of “problems.”
The section on cloth diaper benefits now includes a “myth buster” section to dispel all the nasty rumors you’ve heard about cloth, and all the dark secrets disposable diaper manufacturers don’t want you to know.
Now I have realistic figures to show how much money one can save by cloth diapering vs. disposable diapering, even factoring in the cost of the diapers, the utilities, and detergent for washing them.

Not all of this information will fit into my article. Much of it will remain as a supplement online either here on my blog or on a website I’ll be launching shortly (don’t worry, there’ll be a big huge link to it from my blog). It’s hard to decide what important information to cut, but when it comes right down to it, I have to keep in mind my original aim: an article to make cloth diaper sewing and using accessible to EVERYone. Not just people with sergers. Not just people who can order hard to find fabrics on the internet. Not just people who live a few miles away from the perfect stocks-everything-you-need fabric store.

I know you’re dying for more info, too, so rather than tease, check out some of these great links:

I just can’t believe how much information there is “out there” about cloth diapering. Many of these I’ve seen before, but some of them I’m just discovering.

Check out Real Diaper Association, a non-profit cloth diaper advocacy group.

Several excellent diaper information resources:
The Diaper Pin
The Diaper Hyena
Diaper Jungle

Great cloth diaper fabric retailers:
Wazoodle
One Stop Diaper Shop
Malden Mills
SewShoppe

Some super diaper patterns:
Chloe Toes Diaper Pattern
PooPockets and Diaper Covers Deluxe
HoneyBoy!
Cuddlebuns

Free Diaper Patterns and Sewing help:
Diaper Sewing
MamaBird Diaper