Ruffled Diaper Cover 2: Baby Layette Sewing Tutorial

Ruffled Diaper Cover 2.
Baby Layette Sewing Tutorial
The sweetest diaper cover ever,
but easier than “Ruffle Butt” style.

Last week we debuted our pattern for a Ruffled Diaper Cover in this post.

You can also download the free pattern from that post for a short time. After that it will be available in our baby shop.

We ended the post at cutting the fabric.

This post continues the tutorial with the sewing directions.

Ruffled Diaper Cover DIY Part 2

These are the pieces you have cut:

Step 1: Sewing the Leg Openings

Begin with piece 4, which is the crotch front and back piece.

If you cut your diaper cover out of knit, you can fold the leg edges under 1/2″ and stretch and stitch. This will create an elastic casing.

If you are using a non-stretch fabric, cut 2 pieces of bias from the fabric, 1″ wide by the length of the leg opening. Serge or zigzag one long side of each bias strip. Sew the bias piece, right sides together, to the leg edges, with 1/4″ seams. Turn to the inside and top-stitch 3/8″ from seam to create the elastic casing.

Attach a small safety pin to 8″ of 1/4″ elastic, and pull through the leg elastic casing. Secure at both ends, 1/2″ from raw edge (both knit and non-stretch fabric, on both leg openings).

Sew the side seams together, front to back, with 1/2″ seams, catching the elastic securely.

2/ Sew the Ruffles

You have 6 ruffle pieces (number 9).

Place 3 ruffle pieces, right sides to the inside, and pin the straight seams.

Sew 1/4″ seams. Turn and press the seams open. Or serge if using woven fabric.

Knit Fabrics: Sew a lettuce edge hem. Set your sewing machine at a 1/8″ wide zigzag, with the stitch length between 0 and 1.

Test on a scrap of knit (this doesn’t work on woven fabrics). Place the presser foot right on the edge of fabric, begin zig-zag stitch, then stretch fabric as you sew. The more you stretch, the curlier the lettuce edge will be.

Hint: Use a contrasting thread color for a cute accent.

Woven Fabrics: Hem the ruffles with the serger rolled hem stitch.

3/ Sew the Ruffles to the Diaper Cover Pieces

Pin the raw edge of the ruffle to the top of the crotch section of the diaper cover. Sew together with 1/2″ seams.

Knit Fabric: If the ruffle is wider than the diaper cover, simply stretch as you sew the ruffle to the diaper cover.

Woven Fabric: Make small tucks in the ruffle if it is wider than diaper cover edge. Space the tucks across the entire front and back. The front will need more tucking, since the back pattern is wider than the front. Another option is to measure the ruffle to the diaper cover edges and cut the ruffle off to fit. Then sew the ruffle seams and sew the ruffle to the diaper cover.

Repeat this step with Diaper Cover pieces 2/7, and 3/6.

4/ Sew the Waist Pieces and Finish the Cover

Sew one side seam of Front Diaper Cover Piece 1 to Back Diaper Cover Piece 8.

Finish the waist edge by zig-zagging or serging if the diaper cover is made of woven fabric.

Turn the waist down at fold line as shown on pattern. Decide the width of your waist elastic, and sew a casing 1/8″ wider than the elastic. (For 1/4″ elastic make a 3/8″ casing.) Pull a 12″ length of elastic through the casing.

Sew the remaining side seam, tacking the elastic in securely so it can’t pull away from the seam.

Pin the remaining raw edge of the waist piece to the Ruffle/Piece 2/7 combo section, right sides together. Sew a 1/2″ seam.

Repeat this, sewing Ruffle/2/7 section to Ruffle/3/8 section.

Now sew Ruffle/3/8 to Ruffle/Crotch section of diaper cover.

Turn right sides out.

Trim the seams if they are too bulky. For woven fabric, serge the seam allowance off to create a narrow seam on all pieces.