KCK One Larger sizes & CPSIA

I'm finally getting a few new things listed....YEA!! Actually, I opened up 2 listings for the new KCKOne Large Child and Tween sizes. I'm finally getting caught up on a (very) few things around here, thus getting ready to sew up all the precut items I have. I think a few large child and tween diapers will be listed soon.

I'm only going to do a few since there are new "rules" going into effect on Feb 10, 2009. They're going to require testing for each batch of items for lead. My problem is that, while I want our kids protected, all my things are individual and unique so "batch testing" is impossible and seriously expensive. Most of us that make handmade are hoping that the Feds get things fixed and only require the testing slips for the componants. Lets get real, if each componant passed testing then why is it necessary to test the final product. I mean these are diapers folks! They go on the bum not in the mouth and if all the parts are lead free or within the miniscule proportions then the final product will be too. Lets hope all the fuss we are raising will get realistic rules and regs. I will be compliant but at a huge cost if they don't fix this mess. It will mean that I cannot produce anything intended for anyone under age 12. Bummer!!

I'm really nervous about this and contacted our IN state reps...guess what-they have NO CLUE about what is exempt and what isn't. This legislation was orginally for toys and such but seems to have extended to ANYTHING for those under age 12. For those who are as confused as I am, this legislation was passed earlier this year because of the lead paint in toys and bibs from China. I want my kids safe-thus buying handmade from here in the US by WAHP's (work at home persons). The legislation was vague (to be polite!) and passed quietly. We, the general public, were told about the basics but not a firm list of what products were included. Most people thought it is just for toys-NOPE. The legislators figured they'd tweek it and come up with specifics later. Well later is here and they haven't finished it. Search "National Bankruptcy Day" and see what you find. Scary. On the upside there is some reform getting atleast thought about. I just got a legislation proposal link in my email and it talks about some of the testing & possible exclusions. Natural fibers like cotton, silk, wool, hemp & linen are excluded provided they are not dyed in any way. That's nice but my concern is now what other items even need testing? No one can seem to decide.

I'm just going to keep praying that certifications on the fabrics will be enough to make my products legal so I can keep selling for everyone. Otherwise it's only for those 12 & up after 2/10/09. Your prayers (and calls to legislators!) will be VERY APPRECIATED by everyone with little ones, especially small US businesses. We all want our kids safe. Plus, I don't want everything available to be from China or Vietnam (they can afford the testing) and not by the small business here. My money wants to stay in the US economy all the way around. God Bless and have a safe and happy New Year!
Suzanne W. :D

YEA!!!

Yea!! My new machine is due here via UPS on 12/3/08. This means that I should have atleast several pairs of g-tube pads ready to immediate shipment-just in time for Christmas! I'm working on them now and sometimes my sewing machine decides it will work so I can get 1 or 2 done before I need to fix it again. The stitches are fine but the machine decides to tie up the bobbin threads every so often so I can't finish until I take it apart and fix it. The new machine will be a blessing and maybe I'll get lucky & it will be here sooner than planned. (keeping fingers crossed and prayers going!)
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
I'm making a small turkey and most of the sides to pray I don't mess it up too-it's been a while since I cooked a turkey. If you've got any good turkey recipes let me know.

Sewing machine death!

Grrrrr....just when I get things ready to sew (and have orders waiting!) BOTH machines die. As irritating as that is I did buy a new one last night and it's on it's way so I should have it here by Tuesday. I'm just irritated that I can't get things done on the weekend for Cyber-Monday. I am planning to have a few larger sized items ready for the holidays (as long as no one disrupts the plans again). If anyone would like to see anything special in the shop let me know. My machine isn't here but I can get things cut out and ready (& the serger is here to do some of the seams on pants and such). Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Suzanne W. :D

Official KCKOne Larger Sizes License is HERE!!

It's official! I can sell the KCKOne Larger Sizes in my Etsy shop. While I continue to do the "happy dance" I'm prepping the pattern and getting ready to cut out a couple. I will be including 1 soaker with each pocket diaper and will also offer additional soakers in separate listings. The sizes for these are:
Large Child- 4-10 years
Tween- 6-14 years
Adult- 25-40" waist
Large Adult- 34-50" waist
I am currently using this diaper on Nikolas and it is my FAVORITE! The school can't mess these up so they got 2 thumbs up from all of us, even his teacher & aides liket them. I think one of my favorite things is that these will grow with him so I don't need to "make more" in 2 years. I'll just have to come up with another excuse to keep buying all the great fabrics for his diapers. :D
I am licensed for the larger sizes on my website, however not the infant/toddler size (I can sell those locally though). Currently they only allow 15 online sites for the smaller sizes and I got my license too late. No worries though-I'm really in this for those of us who have bigger kids and are tired of, don't want to use, or unable to use the disposables.
Personally I'm really getting into this whole going green thing. I mean it's really not nearly as hard or time consuming as I thought it would be and look at what wonderful things we are doing for our kids. Just my 2 cents. Have a great day!!
Suzanne W. :D

New listings-Diaper making kits

I have decided that in order to get more fabrics, for my kiddos new things and thin my ever-growing stash of fabric, I am going to offer "diaper cut kits". These will be large sized diaper cuts of PUL and an inner fabric. All you need is the type of fabric you prefer for the center soaking part, notions like thread & elastic, and a pattern. If you don't have a pattern I'll be more than happy to suggest a few I've tried and LOVE! I figure that this will allow my stash to thin and you to have tons of different prints and colors on your little one's bum. If you are sewing for a larger child, tween or adult-let me know. I can make a custom larger sized cut for you. I know those can be quite hard to find.I'm also going to offer cuts of soaker fabrics like hemp french terry and plush microfiber (way better than the auto towels we get at the discount stores!).

We're home-again

Boo ended up in the hospital again so all orders went on hold....again. Thankfully we're home reasonably healthy. I'm just about ready to say "only ready made" for awhile. Anyway I'm getting caught up and things are going out this weekend so I feel a bit better. If you're one of those who got stuck in this I am truly sorry and will get your items out ASAP!

On a much happier note I got to catch up on some blog reading and found the most wonderful post from Angie (Audrey Caroline's mommy). It's a 7x7 post. It's a list of 7 prayers we should pray over our children. They are 7 times each day and the challenge is to do it for 7 days (or more :D ). Please join me in prayer for our children. God has wonderful things in store for all of us and with prayer anything is possible. Also please thank God for the miracle he performed in baby Stellan who was born so very HEALTHLY!!!!! I'll get a link on mine later but there is a link on Angie's blog (I've already linked her on the sidebar). It's also a very touching story full of miracles. Have a wonderful weekend!
Suzanne :D

Recent News & temporary changes

OK, my surgery went fine but it's been a LOT harder to recover this time. You'd think it would be simple since it was just a laporoscopy-a few small incisions and a few stitches. HA! No such luck. Now I'm swollen and can't climb the stairs very well so I can't even get to my sewing machines. I have 1 downstairs-it's my older one and it needs serviced. I thought I'd be "cute" and go upstairs anyway and use my new one. Bobbin threads everywhere when I sew. It's a computerized sewing/embroidery machine and it looks like it needs to be taken in too. I've cleaned them as well as I can but.....GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!
I'm gonna put this down to God telling me to take a short break and give myself some more time to heal. I'm just going to stop taking custom orders and sewing diapers for a few weeks. Hopefully that will allow me to heal and get these machines worked on. They really don't like the thicker/plush diaper fabrics very much. I'm considering a commercial machine instead of another less expensive one. Maybe I can find one gently used.
Well anyway I hope to start taking custom orders again in November-we'll see. Have a wonderful weekend!

FOE finally here-YEA!!!

OK so here's the deal. I didn't get hardly any diapers ready & posted for the promotion we did at the end of September. :(
I just didn't have enough FOE. It was on order but didn't make it here in time. The foe (elastic binding) is finally here! Better late than never. :)
I missed having a bunch of diapers posted for the Real Cloth Diaper week but now I can finish all the ones that are cut out and waiting for FOE. Now I can also finish the trainers I've working on too. Yippee!
Now I just need to find the time to get all this sewing done. I suppose this means that I will have plenty to post over the next few weeks.

Enough about that-it's too much planning for this late at night. I will also be MIA during the middle of October. I'm due for (a relatively simple) surgery but it will keep me in the bed for awhile and doing only easy things for a bit after I'm allowed to get up. No sewing then...grrrr...after I finally get my supplies and the momentum and some "free" time......

Ahhh well it's past my bedtime and we've got church tomorrow so I'll update as I can. I'll also post here when I get the new stuff listed on Etsy. Have a wonderful night everyone!

"REAL DIAPER WEEK" has started!

I know I just posted about this but you've got to hit the blog and see what's being offered! The selection is amazing. Many of the shops have tons already in them, others are like me and posting thru the week.
I'm going to try to get several more items in this weekend and custom orders are always welcome. There are some seriously cute products that are VERY easy to use just waiting to be on your little one's bum!
If you have older toddlers and children who use diapers, be it for bedtime only or all day, we can help you out there too. Why waste money on disposable pull ups and nighttime undies, still end up washing the wet PJ's and bedding, when you can buy 3 or 4 pairs of reusables and have them for as long as you need them.
I've got 6 different colored child/youth sized diapers (equal to a size 8-12 in kids) that will post, hopefully, this weekend sometime. (I'm still putting the closures on them.) Some will have snaps, others touch tape (like velcro but stronger). For those with bed wetters, I can make them pull on style so they don't look like diapers. These undies/diapers are waterproof on the outside, have elastic binding around the waist and legs, and if you prefer snaps they will match the outer fabric so they blend in. I'm also about 1/2 way done with 4 that fit little ones in 3T-6X range. If you need or want specific colors or patterns just contact me and I'll make a custom listing for you. Have a great weekend and try out a few of these. After all you'll only need a few to replace tons of disposables. It's money well saved-trust me I've been doing it for years. :D

Real Diaper Week!! Sept 19-29 on Etsy.com

Yes, I know that's longer than a week but we wanted to be sure to get both weekends so everyone can get the chance to try out cloth for their special ones. Etsy Cloth Diaper Team is running this and most of our members should be participating. This promotion is an excellent way to get familiar with the newest types of cloth diapers. They are definitely not like they used to be! They are now as simple as disposables (some are easier if you ask me :D ). They last for multiple children if you care for them. They are also much less expensive in the long run. Trust me-I've been using cloth on Nikolas since we left the NICU (over 4 yrs ago) and only spent about $550 on diapers plus maybe $300 in washing and care for 4+ years-that includes the energy, laundry soap, etc. I thought since he's gonna be in diapers indefinitely why not. I mean honestly, who wants to sit on paper 24/7? (think about how yucky that monthly disposable pad feels!)

There will be lots of different promotional listings. Everyone has something special to offer. Check out our team blog for more specifics and links.

I cannot encourage you enough to just give cloth a try. It's soooo simple and easy to do now. No more wet pails of water or dunking in the potty (unless you just want to). Many of us have helpful links available to teach those who are new, or just want a refresher course, how to care for their new diapers. All of us are also willing to answer questions so just contact us! We'll be happy to help you choose the best fit/style/type of diaper for your lifestyle. :D

We're finally home!

OK, I didn't have any time to get this posted before or during this ordeal so here's the scoop. Mikayla got sick-sinus infection on 8/19 then Nikolas "couldn't let her have all the fun" and got sick too. Well he was throwing up anything we gave him, including his medicines. Not good since they are for seizures. Well the Peds doctor sent us to St. Vincent on Wed 8/20. We figured-over night IV fluids to prevent dehydration and we'd be home. HA! No such luck. His usual shunt series (to be sure it's working & not the cause of the illness) showed one of his cysts in his brain had grown. WONDERFUL!! (grrrrrr...) That meant that we'd be staying over the weekend and have brain surgery on Monday. PEACHY!! Now we're here 'til Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. Nope. He's now classified as a "slow metabolizer". In other words the narcotic pain medicines he got (tylenol with codeine) cannot be processed by his body like they should and almost killed him. Well he come thru ok and we got to leave Friday early afternoon.
On a much sadder note. Please pray for the family of Jacob Brokering (preschool aide's nephew). He had surgery at the same time on Monday and passed away on Wednesday from complications. He was 15 and also special needs. Also please pray for the family of Kelsey and Aaron Mock. Aaron was 38 & a single dad of a 12yr old girl in my daughter's grade. He died very unexpectedly this past Wednesday. I found out because on of my closest friends was his ex-fiance. My daughter found out at school because Kelsey was absent for the last few days.

Youth sized "Nikolas" diaper

Well I've gotten lots of positive feedback on this style so you should see it in my shop shortly! I'm diaper sewing like crazy and have about 16 pairs of g-tube pads waiting for their turn at the machine. I feel like I've not gotten anything finished this summer but school starts in 2 1/2 weeks so we're on a schedule again. Thank goodness! Regular time for things simply makes my life easier. I'm also working toward a license for the KCKOne in larger sizes. I probably won't carry the infant sizes but I am looking forward to being a provider for the larger child thru Adult sizes. I'll let you know when I get approved. :D

What's new??

Well the mini-vacation was nice but way too short! Oh well, next year we'll try for another 1 weeker.

I've added a new style of diaper to all of my sizes. It's based on a Rita's Rump (THANKS!!) with a few modifications. It sits a bit under the belly and a bit higher in the back. I'm offering it in flannel or with a PUL (waterproof) outer layer and birdseye or flannel inner. It has either hemp/cotton or microfiber terry for the soaker based on preference & availability. I will also have additional soakers with velour tops available. I've got the infant thru youth pattern ready and adult sizes are almost done. I'm hoping to have some sewn, "ready to ship", and listed by this weekend. I'm also nearly finished with several g-tube pads that will be ready to mail as well. I'm cutting back on the custom orders, but not stopping, until school starts again so I can spend more time with the kiddies. Have a great week everyone!

A "MINI-VACATION" this week!! :D

My wonderful husband has surprised me with a mini-vacation! We are taking our kids and our daughter's friend to Holiday World for 2 days of fun and relaxation. I'm sooooo excited! We're even staying at the Santa Claus lodge. It's totally Christmas themed I guess. (Well, atleast we're not expected to buy Christmas gifts!) Our daughter just "had" to stay there. After all it's Santa Claus Indiana. Don't we know anything. Hehehe. She just turned 12 last week but you'd think she was 5 again. :D
This will be nice though. We've only been on 1 family vacation before. It was before our son was born. I've taken the kids 3 years ago to Disney World but my parents went not Daddy. This is a short trip (3 hour drive) and it's only 2 days but so much better than nothing. It almost didn't happen because our lift van broke down but we all need the break and my parents are so sweet as to loan us their van so we can still go. I'll post a few pictures when we get back.

So distracted.....sorry

I've been so busy with life and family that I've been really bad about keeping my shop stocked. There have been a great deal of challenges hitting our home recently. We've had health problems with both my mother, my children and my mother-in-law. My son's 2 1/2 yr old dog (who we were training to help us with him) got very sick and passed away very unexpectedly. We miss you so much Maximillian (Max the wonder doggie!). I know some don't see the reason for such sadness-"it's only a dog". Not for us-Max and our other pets are family members. They are loved as much as our children. I've planted a beautiful rose bush for him and another will go in (if it ever stops raining here) for our other lost doggie-Sadie Mae. She passed during my pregnancy with Nikolas.

I am working on a current order and getting ready to get some instock items finished. I am adding several new cloth diapers in a range of sizes. I am also happy to add a new diaper "Nikolas" in honor of my son. This diaper is higher in the back, slightly lower in the front and comes with an additional snap in soaker. It works wonderfully for those wheelchair bound kiddos and doesn't give "plumber rear" for those who lay on the floor and scoot around. :D

I've take the best parts of several different patterns I've seen, used or simply just like the look of and meshed them all together. This diaper will come in several sizes but I am getting the large, XL, and youth ready first. Larges will fit about a 2t-3t, XL will be 3T-5T and youth fits sizes 5-7/8. They have multiple snap settings across the front for a lot of adjustability. Please remember all sizes are approximate since we are all shaped a bit differently. I will post measurements to help when selecting a size. These will be available for custom orders and I will also have some listed that are ready to ship. If life stays calm, I'm hoping to have these ready and listed on both Etsy and Ebay in the next 4-6 weeks.

Please pray for the calm times! We could all use them right now. Wishing for peace and tranquility for all of you-
Suzanne W. :D

I've gotten a new serger!!

YEA!!! I've finally gotten a new serger so I am working on adding LOTS of new items to my shop. I had hoped to have more in before now and it just didn't happen. Life got in the way-of course. Nikolas had an outpatient procedure last week, which went very well, and I got really behind in my homework for college. I'm caught up now and working on a few custom orders as well as getting ready to restock the shop. Be sure to check back frequently because I'm getting ready to add some "ready to ship" clothing and cloth diapers in larger sizes as well as more g-tube pads. These things will be already complete-just packed and shipped to you!