Some new things up for grabs

I listed a few new infant diapers on Etsy recently. Rainy Days fitted diapers in size 1 which fits from 6 to 18 pounds. I really love the way these came out. Ooga Booga is a very popular print right now and great for boys or girls. I used the Primary, Koi and Bright colorways for these. They cotton knit outers, a hemp/cotton hidden layer, cotton velour inners and the snap-in doubler is 2 layers of hemp/cotton topped with cotton velour. Spoil that newborn bottom~your sweet little newborn deserves it!

These are so cute the original set has already sold! I have plenty left though and will be listing some custom slots for other colorways later today.

I am also listing custom slots on Hyena Cart for both sizes. There will be several new items for babies and big kids in that stocking! That stocking will be on Saturday April 16 and previews will be going up from now until then so stop by and see what's new. :)

Look what I've been doing...

Between being a full time student and a more than full time mom I haven't been sewing much....until this weekend! YAY!! I've got just a bit of finish work & photos left to do then I'll be adding 2 boy sets, 2 girl sets and 2 neutral sets of g-tube pads to the shop. If you look closely at the photo you can get a sneak peek at the patterns available too. ;)

A few diapers are next up!

Hi! I’m Suzanne…

I’ve been going back through my blog and I realized that I’ve never done this so here goes. Who am I and what brought me to making and selling diapers and special needs items.
Who is the “Suzanne” in Suzanne’s Special Kids?
I’m a late 30’s mom of 2 wonderful kids. Both of them are challenged but in very different ways. My oldest is extremely bright, high IQ, and is an Aspie. She has OCD tendencies, ADHD tendencies, and sensory issues. She loving and wonderful and turning 14 so becoming an independent young lady. The tendencies she shows makes her a bit challenging as does the fact that she is now a teenager.  My youngest is multiply challenged on the other end of the rainbow. He has so many physical and cognitive challenges yet he has the most gentle and loving personality. I am first and foremost a mother. It’s all I ever really wanted to do. I love to sew. I got this from my mother and her mother who both sewed regularly. Now I have the opportunity to provide options to other mothers with challenged children. This makes my passion well worth it.
I also love to read, cook and bake. I picked up a love of gardening from my grandmother and I always have plants inside and out. I am a Christian and very proud of that. I believe that God doesn’t make bad things happen to people but he does sometimes allow them so that we may grow. I believe that children like my son are born different so we may be reminded of what pure love is. I am honest, trustworthy, and humbled that God chose me to care for 2 of his precious souls. I’m happy to be a mom and wishing for more.
Why do I sew cloth diapers?
I used cloth diapers part time for my oldest because they just weren’t that easy to use. When I got pregnant with my son I found the PooPockets pattern. I loved the idea of a “one size” diaper. Birth to potty training all in one…YEA!! Just add a few pairs of plastic pants or wool covers and diapering is done. That pattern is so quick to sew and uses easy to find fabrics. I fell in love with making them and how cute they look. The creative process just took over. I could use any soft flannel and have unique cute diapers that were easy to care for. The best part was that I only had to pay for them ONCE! No buying more every few days and throwing them in the trash after each use. I began buying other patterns and drafting my own. I think I printed off every free pattern on the web! LOL!! If you love cute baby bums and even tolerate sewing….this is addictive!
Why sew with special needs in mind?
At my 20 week ultrasound we were given some challenging news. Our baby has congenital hydrocephalus. He may or may not have spina bifida. We were sent to see a few specialist and my journey into the world of special needs began. Our son will be born at 30 weeks with parts of his brian never forming. He will have cerebral palsy, epilepsy and lung disease among many other issues. It is a learning process every day. My designs are based on what works or doesn’t work for my son. Many of my testers will never see anything but my son’s bum…they aren’t all wonderful. ;) Every so often…one really works. It fits well, absorbs wonderfully, washes thoroughly, and dries in a decent amount of time. For me…that’s the perfect diaper. I really like 1 piece items since issues with high tone during a diaper change make it hard to get things fastened sometimes. I look at our challenges when diapering and use them to work toward the perfect diaper.
What made me choose toddler sizes and larger?
I’m usually up for making some wonderful itty bitty diapers so feel free to ask. However, I decided there are so few options for toddlers and larger. My son is now in kindergarten and wearing little boys clothes-not from the toddler section anymore. The options are, well, not that great. I will continue to redesign my patterns to fit as my little guy grows. I have patterns for newborn all the way up to 2XL.
I know that kids and adults alike will need undies. Just because their body gets larger doesn’t mean they can always use the potty. More likely than not, my son will always need absorbent undies. I prefer that phrase to diapers. “Diapers” just seem so babyish and he’s a big boy now. Besides, adults don’t wear diapers…they are absorbent briefs or tabbed briefs or something like that. It’s about preserving dignity and being respectful.
What are my favorite fabrics and why?
I’ve tried sooo many fabrics. I am currently in love with a bamboo/hemp blend. It’s super soft, highly absorbent and just a wonderful diaper and undies fabric. It stays soft when line dried and doesn’t hold odors. Honestly, I love most fabrics so this is a difficult question to answer. I still love cotton flannels, hemp/cotton fleece, and the old standby… cotton birdseye weave. I have really begun to love wool. I know, when most people hear “wool” they think “itchy!”. That is deceptive because it becomes itchy based on how it is spun and processed. I have a wonderful supplier, Jeanne, at Natures Fabrics. She carries only the best, softest wools. You’ll never believe it’s wool, honestly! I’ve had my mom rub it on her arm (she allergic, btw) with NO REACTION. It’s all in the way it’s spun and processed. If you aren’t sure…please, go to NaturesFabrics.com and get a sample…you’ll be very pleasantly surprised.
WOW, this got longer then I planned. Well it’s by no means everything but it’s a little insight into my mind and my life.

Slow sewing...

Well I'm cutting and pinning and even creating new youth diaper patterns. You see no sewing listed...umm well that's because the machine ended up in the shop. I do have the serger still and the "diaper" sewing machine is here but they are buried in my closet. There have been a few emergency changes here so the sewing room is now our bedroom (long story...if you're curious just go to my family blog for the basics).

I'm still working on setting up a sewing place so I figure this was a good a time as any for the machine to need fixing. Any way I'm going to work on sewing diapers and serging g-tube pads over the next week. Life happens and I just work with what I'm handed. :)

A New Year and A New Shop!

I'm finally ready to re-open my Etsy shop. I will be starting slow and will only take on minimal custom orders right now but I am finally able to start sewing again!

I am making a few changes too. I will be streamlining my fabrics including the prints. I'm going to be using primarily bamboo based fabrics or cotton birdseye and Zorb for the extra boosting power. (I really love that stuff!) I also plan on adding wool blend covers and PUL covers.

I won't be doing KCK Ones right now. My license is expired so I do not have the right to sell them. (If they are your preferred style, please check the KCK One website for a licensed seamstress.) I have other patterns I have used for years with great success so I'm sticking with them for now.

I will be listing the last of the flannel prints I have shortly and I'm probably going to list some fabrics for bulk sale so if you like to sew your own then I've got some fabrics for you!

Please bear with me as I slowly get back into the swing of things. I'm planning on making this new shop a much bigger thing than ever before so I'm working into this and all the new legal requirements carefully and taking my time.

I can't wait to start working with you all again!

All better now!

Thankfully we are all better now. This crazy cough is still hanging around be everyone is better and I'm even finally getting the sewing room rearranged so it's more effecient and usable.
Custom orders didn't even need to go on hold so the 2 I'm working on should go out in next week's mail. Thank for all the patience everyone-I really appreciate it.

Back to the binder

OK, I have once again become the most disorganized person! Everything is a mess and I can't take it. It hasn't helped that DH has been laid off for 2 months and DD & DS are out of school due to snow for the last week.
I've decided to go back to using a homemanagement binder. I started using one early last year and once I got started it was WONDERFUL! Things got done and I wasn't overwhelmed every day. Well, too many trips to the hospital and laziness on my part (yes, I admit it-I got lazy!) and now it's all a mess again. I need a simple system that anyone can fall into my shoes can follow. I found an e-book for under $9 that got me started. I tweeked it for me & life was much simpler. I've seen it put into a card file instead of a large binder and that was really cool too but it would be lost in our house-guaranteed.
I spent last night with the old binder out going thru all of what I had and deciding what will & what won't still work. It wasn't as hard as I thought. Most things just needed updates for our current needs. I don't use all of the sections in the e-book since some don't apply but they are a reaaly nice staring point. I have also begun researching other types of checklists for cleaning. I need something to keep me on the right track and there are so many great ideas out there.
I find my creativity goes out the window when I get stressed. A messy house is STRESS. Now it's probably gonna take me a few weeks to fix this mess but I've learned to not try to do it all in a day or two. It didn't happen that way & I can't fix it that fast. Don't think I haven't tried-it never happens and I get too frazzled.
I got my e-book from http://myblessedhome.blogspot.com/
It's a great starting point and she's got a lot of information about making this "yours". I have the previous version but it's been updated now and I'm thinking about getting the newer version because it's that good.
Simplemom.net also have some great checklists and ideas to incorporate into this. Just remember it will never be "finished". It should evolve as you do, parts will come and go as needed or not used. My challenge was to tweek it for a special needs family-try one of these if you find yourself feeling scattered. It doesn't have to be a binder, the card box is one of several options that take up very little space. I like the idea of having a 31 daybox and just rotating out the day as needed. Pretty nice way to keep track of things, huh. Good luck and God bless!

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!).

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!

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!

Happy Holidays To All!

I usually don't like to say that so I'll be more specific. :D I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and will have a Happy New Year! I also realize many other holidays fall this month so for those of different beliefs...have very Happy Holidays!

There have been many requests for weighted vests and onsies for older toddlers and children. I am working to get them up and available early in 2008. I have one of those little ones who loves to "pull on the tube" so a onsie style t-shirt is first on my list. I'm honestly not sure how long it will be since I am back in school part time starting in mid-January. My goal is to have it done before school starts so lets hope it works. I do know that it will be a simple shirt that snaps someway in the crotch so if you have snap crotch pants it will be easy to access for diaper changes. I am also considering an access patch on the front so you won't have to unsnap the bottom to feed or give meds. I'd love some feedback from you tube feeding parents! I think that will be an option rather than a standard. I am also thinking of having them listed (ready to ship) on both Etsy & EBay, along with custom ones on Etsy. Lots to think about. On a less cheerful note..the cost of good quality fabrics is getting higher. I'm not turning ANY profit on the things I am making. Litterally less than the cost of my time for nearly everything. I'm, unfortunately, going to be raising my prices for most items beginning Jan 1, 2008. I hate to do that since I know how expensive having a special needs child is but I barely cover the cost of materials and shipping and there is nothing left for my time/profit. I am going to do my best to continue to keep them low but I've got to make some profit or I can't keep doing this as I will have to go back to work outside the home. This is so much more satisfying so I'm going to try to find that balance. Thanks for understanding!

Reopening my Ebay listings too

After much deliberation, I have decided to begin listing on Ebay again in January 2008. The Etsy store will remain open for my custom work and some ready to ship items. My Ebay will be listing for ready to ship items for special needs such as weighted blankets and snap-crotch pants in children and youth sizes (maybe some Adult sizes too). I will be selling my Ebay items under the user ID kittypal10. Sometime during the spring I have plans to open a store on Ebay but not immediately. I am hoping this will allow more people to access the items I create and sell for their special loved ones. I am hoping to start a once monthly newsletter with information about my specials and other shop related topics. Keep an eye open for lots of new items on both places!

A special thanks...

I just wanted to give a special "Thank you" to the members of Special Child Exchange. Thanks to Steve for starting it and to all the wonderful members who allow me to help out their very special kids. It is my privilege and I am very thankful for it!