Attract Young Moms To Sewing
Become a Cloth Diaper Making
Destination!
By Ellie Joos
Ellie Joos for Babyville Boutique
W
hen most people think
about cloth diapers, images
of efficient and durable
rubber pants worn over cotton prefolds
come to mind. Today’s cloth diapering
families know that modern cloth diapers
are fun and “fun”ctional, and available in
many colorful solids and trendy prints
for fashionable baby girls and boys.
The resurgence of interest in cloth
diapering began in the late 90’s and has
grown steadily as reusing and recycling has become a way of life for most
families. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, about 20 billion
disposable diapers are dumped into
landfills each year. With an increased
awareness of their impact on the environment, parents began to use fitted
and prefold cloth diapers mostly purchased from online suppliers. Add to
this the cost of diapering a baby from
birth to potty training, reusable cloth
diapers became even more appealing.
Using cloth diapers can save families
thousands of dollars when compared
to the cost of using disposables, and
further savings can be achieved when
cloth diapers are reused as new babies
are welcomed into the family.
Around 2005, designer diapers
became all the rage and several years
later, major retailers began selling
cloth diapers in their stores. Online
communities and forums began to
grow with young moms encouraging
each other and sharing their cloth
diapering experiences. More and
more of these moms began sewing their own diapers and seeking
online sources for products. Today
an internet search for cloth diapers
produces quite a few results such as
manufacturers bumGenius and GroVia®. There are also numerous unique
handmade cloth diapers made by
WAHMs (Work at Home Moms) and
sold on sites like Etsy.
With the growing demand for
cloth diapers, Prym Consumer USA
launched Babyville Boutique™, a complete diaper making line of PUL fabrics
(polyurethane laminate), coordinating
notions and embellishments, how-to
books and patterns. The good news for
sewing “mamas” is by sewing their own
cloth diapers, the savings are great and
the creative opportunities are endless.
Now moms and other sewing consumers are able to find a comprehensive
supply of diaper and baby sewing
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items in retail stores nationwide, thus
eliminating waiting times and shipping
costs.
The foundation for the Babyville
Boutique program is PUL fabric, developed after intense research centering
on the important qualities of making
an excellent waterproof, breathable
product. Babyville’s PUL fabrics are
available in by-the-yard bolts as well
as in packages of three coordinating
21"x 24" diaper cuts. Consumers can
choose from baby boy, baby girl or
gender neutral motifs. Dinos, robots,
cupcakes and monkeys are just a few
examples of the charming PUL prints.
The program also includes a Stay Dry
Wicking Fabric – a unique athletic
type jersey that “wicks” moisture away
from the baby to a soaker or insert
inside the diaper. Although cloth diapering is the primary use for Babyville
fabrics, they are also perfect for many
Selling Babyville
As your community’s DIY cloth diapering destination, your store can serve as
a resource for many baby, toddler and child projects. Here are a few ideas to create
excitement in your store while selling Babyville products.
BB Ambassadors – “cloth diaper” moms love to share their knowledge about
cloth diapering. Enlist the help of one of these moms to host an event in your
store. Educate new moms about the different diaper styles and show samples in
various stages of construction. Attendees can purchase products in store, receiving
special discounts on products.
Mommy Center - space permitting, create a comfy relaxation area, complete
with a baby changing station, a coffee/tea bar and a play area for the kids. Tie in with a
local spa and offer special “once a month” mommy nights.
Show and Tell – everyone loves to show off their projects. Host a wine and
cheese “show and tell” night, offering special “one night only” discounts and door
prizes. Tie in with local businesses for other prizes.
Store Displays – use themed contests to provide ongoing window and in-store
displays with store prizes for the winners.
Local Hospitals – offer coupons to include in “new mommy gift bags.”
Churches – offer to speak at a church group of “mommies” about the
benefits of cloth diapering.
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other baby necessity items from bibs
and changing pads to placemats and
storage bags.
Since the “cute” factor is an
important aspect of cloth diapering,
Babyville Boutique is designed to
appeal to the creative spirit with coordinating appliqués and labels featuring the whimsical and playful motifs
found in the fabrics. These labels and
appliqués can be stitched on diapers
as well as on onesies or T’s for a total
ensemble, and they also add personality to other apparel and craft projects.
Colorful plastic resin snaps,
some with embossed designs, and
hook and loop EZ Adjust Tape™ provide the closures for the diapers. The
tape is also available in convenient
die-cut EZ Adjust Tabs™. Babyville’s
fold over elastic finishes the edges of
the diapers or other projects and is
available in a number of colors and
overall designs to match the fabrics.
New sewers, or those new to diaper sewing, will find all the information they need for successful sewing
in Babyville’s books and exclusive
patterns. Cloth Diapers Made Easy
is a full color book with a center pullout pattern for diapers and soakers
in sizes newborn to large. With tips
and techniques for sewing a variety
of diaper styles, it gives confidence
to new sewers while also presenting
instructions for adding appliqués
and embroidery for continued diaper
creativity. Since babies need many
more items besides diapers, Baby
Essentials Made Easy has page
after page of easy and fun projects,
everything from bibs and wetbags
to diaper bags and placemats. This
book also includes pattern templates
for an owl, duck, monkey, and flower
to make toys or to use as appliqué
designs on baby quilts.
Since Babyville products have so
many more applications than cloth
diapers, two new how-to books are
filled with inspiring and attractive
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projects designed by the Babyville Boutique Design Team
– a group of talented and creative moms. 51 PUL Projects
and 51 Babyville Boutique Projects are packed with projects
for babies, older children, home décor, organizing, outdoor
entertaining and even for the family pets. Additionally, the
program includes three exclusive patterns designed by an
experienced and accomplished cloth diapering mom - Ultimate Pocket Diaper, Simple Soakers and Totally Trainers.
Babyville Boutique is committed to educating and
inspiring sewers with a very active website and Facebook
page. Followers can find answers to questions, tips and
ideas from other creative moms and grandmas. Babyville’s
website is updated frequently with tutorials, blogs and
instructional videos. Recent updates include a tutorial,
Converting Diapers to Side Snaps and a discussion by a
popular guest blogger on using recycled fabrics for cloth
diaper linings and inserts.
As part of its first birthday celebration, Babyville sponsored a number of fantastic product giveaways, creating
excitement and generating greater interest in cloth diapering. As the program enters its second year, new products
are on the drawing board and retail stores will have more
opportunities to attract the next generation of young moms
and beginning sewers into their stores. For more great
ideas, visit www.babyvilleboutique.com.
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February 2013 | SQE Professional™
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