sew your own diapers

New to diapering and don't know the lingo.  Can anyone give me advice on sewing my own night time diapers for heavy wetters (ages 2 and 4)?  I have started with an online fleece pocket pattern with fleece fabric scraps and they work sometimes.   I put 2 cotton flannel inserts in (4 layers each) with an additional microfibre long insert folded into six layers.  I cover it with a wool shortie that I made as well with old sweaters.  Well, they leak through the sides if my son lays on his side and sometimes he's dry in the am.  I'm looking for suggestions. Do you think I need to buy better quality fleece and how could I get that for very cheap? 

I'll try to help, and hopefully others will also chime in!  I'm a little confused about the system you're describing:  you said you're using a fleece pocket diaper, AND a wool shortie?  I think I've only seen pocket diapers that have PUL on the outside, and a fleece liner.  How exactly did you make yours?  Without knowing that, the other thing that I could suggest that has helped me ENORMOUSLY for night time is using a hemp fleece (or hemp terry, but I think the fleece holds more) soaker in addition to a microfiber insert.  In fact, with my 8 month old daughter, I use one microfiber insert and TWO hemp doublers at night.  Sure, we have an occasional leak, but for me it's a combo that works GREAT.  Hemp isn't the cheapest, admittedly, but it does work well.

I have also heard great things about the Very Baby Simply Nights diaper, but you would have to buy a Very Baby pattern and follow the tutorial.  If that's something that's an option for you, take a look at the tutorial on here (just type in simply nights or night time diaper).  Maybe you can even use your current system and incorporate some of the Simply Nights features!  Hope that helps some!   

OOPS!  OK, so I forgot that the main word in your subject line was CHEAP.  Sorry.  Hopefully I helped a tiny bit.  I'm a fabric junkie, so I'm always trying new fabrics, but I know how it is when you're trying to make stuff without draining your bank account!

I also just realized that you had posted this under the "Step into my office" area.  More people will probably read it if it's under the diaper forum topic "Sewing--How do I?"  Also, I know lots of other moms on here use recycled fabrics, and primarily cottons, so they might have more advice (unlike me, suggesting hemp!).   

We made some simply nights diapers.. I think it worked otu to be 7-8$ a diaper when it was all said and done.  They work great for my oldest but for some reason not so much for my middle guy....  I THINK it is the lining fabric.. THe oldest's diapers are lined with microchamois and the smaller ones in suedecloth.....  

The other thing I do with our nb is stretch terry OS fitteds (vb pattern) and then I have doublers that I made out of bamboo french terry that Iuse.  they are about 4"x11".   I also have some smaller ones that I fold over so they are in thirds and put that right up front.  Then I take the longer ones and put that down the front of the diaper going to hte back.  Cover over that and they have done great!  Since they are doublers you can get a lot of them from a yard and put as many layers as you want in.  

ETA:  We are still working on night time diapering but this has been working lately.  It seems like it changes every few months.. hahaha  The middle guy is the one we are struggling with night time diapering right now...... 
Cristy

Thanks Kardanmom and Cristy.  That's a start.  Unfortunately I live near a small city which doesn't have stores that carry these great fabrics.  So unless I can get myself to a major city I will have to make do with cutting my old housecoat or something.  I was thinking of trying the VB night time diaper and the housecoat will give me the microfleece but I need something stretchy and absorbant for the body and soakers.  What else could I use.  I am pretty sure I don't own any hemp or bamboo clothes as I am not so trendy.  I only need about 4-6 of these diapers because I can wash every day and they are only for nights.  Any ideas?

Also I have no idea how to move this thread to another place on the website as I am also new to forums and such.   
Heather

  I don't either!!!     I just meant for future reference.     Cristy and I seem to be similar, in that we both seem to check out ALL the posts and try to respond (even if we can't help!).

OK . . . I've heard of folks having success using old t-shirts for the absorbent layers of their diapers.  Or good ol' flannel . . . lots of moms use flannel.  Got any flannel sheets you can cut up?  Or birdseye (like the Gerber cloth diapers you can get at Wal-Mart, Target, etc).  OR, do you have any old baby towels?  You know, the hooded kind they make for infants?  Those are made out of stretch terry, and would work great for the body and soakers.  Regular terry won't work as well--it's pretty bulky, and it gets kinda stiff (whereas the stretch terry stays soft and pliable).  Does that help?   

the only thing i could add is the pocket diaper issue!!  my dd#3 was a side sleeper and a pocket diaper did not work for her at night!!!  she really needed a full cut fitted with absorbent sides where the moisture would work its way around the diaper. fleece lined pockets don't have and absorbency beyond the middle stuffed panel.

i love our simply nights diapers, but what makes those diapers AWESOME is the crazy absorbent fabric in multiple layers.

keep us posted!

Those were great ideas.  I think I will try using some old tshirts and perhaps look for those infant towels at a second hand store for now and make the night time fitted from the tutorial link here.  Perhaps I can even squeeze a few metres of Bamboo Stretch Terry or Hemp Fleece out of the grocery budget if I can get it cheap enough online.  Where is a reputable site for selling discount quality fabrics that I could mail order a couple of metres from? Thanks for all your help.  It really does help.  Heather