Wool Sweater Longies - Winter Diaper Covers

See my logic on why I use cloth diapers and why I make them this way here.

So there is one draw back to the wool diaper covers. They don't open from the sides, and so it takes a few extra seconds to completely take off the diaper cover to change the diaper. In the winter time, you can make wool longies - essentially diaper cover pants to eliminate the need to take off pants and a cover (besides they are warm!). No need to buy more material, you can use the leftovers from the sweaters you made covers from - the sleeves!

First, when cutting the cuff off the sleeve for the diaper cover, leave a teensy bit of the cuff behind. Don't cut into the non-cuff part of the sleeve so that the longies won't unravel easily. Cut up as far as possible because you need room for the baby bootie and hemming up on top.

Get a pair of pants that have about the same inseam leg length from the kiddos clothing and use it as a pattern for how much you need to cut into the top of the longies for the crotch by folding the pants in half lengthwise.

Cut one side of each sleeve to match the crotch inseam, but each sleeve should have the opposite side cut out. If you mess up and cut through both layers or your original diaper cover cut into the longie material area, take some extra sweater scrap and sew in some more material. You should have two identical looking sleeves.

Turn the legs inside out, turn them toward each other and pin a seam all the way from the top to the crotch and back up the back.

Sew this seam. Be very careful to catch the crotch area; I miss catching it a lot and have to go in and sew it up.

When you are done with the seam, turn it right side out and even up the top waistband if needed and make a preliminary hem to see where you ought to put the buttonhole which will serve as the drawstring hole.

Sew the button hole. Make sure you cut it open before going to the next step!

Turn it inside out. Now sew the hem down around the whole waistband.

Braid a piece of yarn (or crochet or use ribbon) long enough to have the ends dangling out of the longie for tying. With a safety pin, put the pin in the knot end of one of the yarn ties and thread it around through the waist band and back out through the button hole.

And here is the finished cashmere wool longie!

Here is my kiddo sporting a blank angora hair longie.