DIY Pads

Here's my advice on how to make Flaparap pads.

Fabric

100% cotton interlock fabric makes the best pads because:

It doesn't roll at the edges when cut (jersey does - so watch out for that)
It won't fray when cut so there's no need to finish the edges in any way.

Lots of interlock has a little bit of elastane (usually 5% or less) to help it hold its shape during washing. That's fine.

Watch out for:

Jersey - the edges roll when it's cut.

Terry towelling - the edges fray when cut so need to be hemmed or finished in some other way.

Fleece / microfleece - they're not nearly as fast at absorbing liquid as well washed cotton interlock.

Absorbency

Wash your pads a couple of times at 60C before use! If you have a tumble dryer, put them through that too. This really helps increase the absorbency.

Dyes make a difference to absorbency. Don't assume that because you've bought fabric of one colour from a manufacturer, another colour will be much the same. You can't tell how well a fabric will absorb until you test it. I've had all sorts of colours work really well, but I've also tested colours that look nearly identical and one will work brilliantly while the other will be useless.

Test for absorbency by gently pouring water onto a pre-washed, folded pad. If the water forms droplets on the surface, or pools on the surface, or rolls off, that's not good. You want the water to disappear instantly.

Watch out for:

Fabrics that have a 'soft finish'. Fabric finishers can be oil based. They don't wash out (that's the point after all) so your fabric doesn't get any more absorbent when you wash it. It feels lovely, but it doesn't work as a pad.

Dimensions

You want your folded pad to have a width of 8.5 to 9cm to fit neatly inside a Flaparap.

Vary the length depending on how big your child is and whether you need to cover all of their bottom to catch poos. 25 - 35 cm is about right.

Small Pads :

8 layers
Fold into quarters and then in half again
Cut pre-shrunk fabric to: 37 cm x 60 cm (check my numbers: 4 pad widths x 2 pad lengths)

Large Pads:

12 layers
Fold into quarters and then into thirds
Cut pre-shrunk fabric to: 55 x 60cm (check my numbers: 6 pad widths x 2 pad lengths)

Watch out for:

Shrinkage! Pre-shrink your fabric before cutting if possible (wash at 60C a couple of times). Or test a square for shrinkage and then calculate what pad size to cut (I would use 50cm squares of fabric for this.) Interlock fabric does not shrink evenly. It shrinks much more down the grain (when the lines on the fabric get shorter) than across the grain (when the lines on the fabric get closer together). Across the grain expect 5-10% shrinkage. Down the grain expect 10-20%.

Wonky pads! If you're cutting before shrinking, It's likely that your pads will go wonky after washing, so brace yourself for it to happen. To minimise wonkiness you need to cut perfectly along the grain and exactly at right angles to it. My professional cutters don't always achieve this, even with their fabric tensioning machines and laser cutting guides, so if you're chopping fabric on your living room floor while avoiding the baby and sofa, don't beat yourself up if it's not perfectly straight when it comes out of the wash. It's a nappy!

Stretching on drying: When you hang your wet pads, they'll stretch. But they'll stretch much more down the grain (where the knit lines in the fabric get longer) than across the grain (where the knit lines get further apart.) If possible, try to cut the long side of the pad across the grain, so when you hang them by the short side they don't stretch too much. Sometimes it wastes too much fabric to do this, but it's worth bearing in mind.

What about upcycing?

Well washed cotton t-shirts make very absorbent pads, but they're usually made of jersey so they'll roll at the edges and give you a lumpy bumpy pad when folded.

Where to Buy Fabric

Fabric shops come and go. If you google 100% cotton interlock fabric you won't go far wrong. I like Tia Knight Fabrics for UK based, reasonably priced small orders.