Non-Serged Detail-Oriented Prefitted

This updated VIDEO tutorial might be easier and give a cleaner result.

Now a beautiful prefitted for those of you not blessed with sergers!

Cut out your fitted shape making sure there is enough room around the middle seam for double your elastic casing width. Leave the serging on the ends intact! Cut out the excess fabric from one side around the leg casing. Fold the outer 2 and 2 layers inward about 3/8" and pin in place leaving about 2" open at the top/back of each side. Close up of the area that will be left open. Sew down with an even straight stitch about 1/8" from the edge or closer. Use your seam ripper to pop the top 3-4 stitches at the back holding down the middle layering on your prefold. On the side without the exposed fold showing, about 1" to each side of those middle layers, cut down about 3/8"-1/2" through only the top two layers. I used a safety pin here to show the slit fabric. Now, sew a straight seam from a little beyond that slit and about 1/2" down from the edge of the serging to just past the other slit at the back to make your back elastic casing. Sew your leg casings the same way. Close-up showing the top of one leg elastic casing. Use a safety pin to feed the elastic through your small slits through your back elastic casing. Tack down, remove the pin, and then tuck in the exposed end of the elastic. Use a short length and wide width zig-zag stitch to close up the fabric and sew down the first side of the back elastic completely. Stretch your elastic to your desired tension and set in place with your pin. Cut your elastic about 1/2" longer than you need and tuck into the opening to conceal the end. Zig-zag down the other end like the first and remove your safety pin. Run the leg elastics the same way. You can sew them down normally though since there was no hole cut in the fabric. Then trim the elastics and sew up the little bit of opening at the top/back of each side by folding the fabric in again and top-stitching close to the edge. It makes for a very clean-looking finish. The front isn't quite as pretty unless you really want to mess with tucking around sharper corners. I just finish those edges by folding the edges in a little bit and zig-zagging over the raw edges to fray-stop. It is fast and secure though. :) Now here are your cutout extra fabric scraps laid over each other and trimmed down a little. Trim them down to about 4-4.5" wide and even them up a bit. Sew around the most of the outside a good 1/4" in. Invert through the end you left unsewn: Pin in that end and sew/top-stitch all around the outside of the soaker/doubler.

Here is your finished non-serged prefitted. :)

Soaker can be laid-in or stitched down on the end(s). Front. Rear-view showing the back elastic.

Detail-Oriented Prefitted

So, a tutorial my friend Eliana did this week inspired me to do this "detail-oriented" prefitted photo tutorial. She is one of those insane attention to detail seamstresses. I don't think most people would WANT to spend this kind of time and effort into a PREFITTED... but maybe some of you are like her and enjoy "making a mountain out of a mole-hill." ;)

First, here is my NB square-tab template laid over a cottonbabies.com infant size prefold. Looks good to me! Infant prefolds make perfect newborn prefitted diapers once they shrink up!

All cut out to shape. Save the cut-out fabric for your lay-in (or sew-in) doubler/soaker.

Cut off just the serged top and bottom edges.

See those excess lengths of the prefold fabric on one side...

Trim them down around where your elastic casings will be.

Now, here comes the attention to detail part. Around what will be the leg casings, fold in/down about 3/8" of the top 2 layers and in/up the bottom two layers the same. Pin together cleanly.

View of one whole side done.

Sew with a straight stitch right over those pins about 1/8" from the edge (as close as you can cleanly get without missing any fabric layers really). Do the same to the other side.

Now here are your cutout extra fabric scraps laid over each other and trimmed down a little:

Trim them down to about 4-4.5" wide and even them up a bit.

Sew around the most of the outside a good 1/4" in:

Invert through the end you left unsewn:

Pin in that end and sew/top-stitch all around the outside of the soaker/doubler.

Sew the side elastic casing channels for the diaper body as shown in the template (the back/top will come later):
Feed your elastic through the casings from the top and bottom openings and tack-stretch-tack-cut in place:

Sew your back/top casing channel and do the same.

Serge across the top and around the bottom. Then feed your tails back through for a couple inches and trim. Here is your neat and tidy (but still plain) prefitted. I hope Eliana is proud. ;)

Pocket Fitted Diaper

This is one that I made a while ago for my daughter Sara. It is bamboo velour (defective seconds fabric) inner, recycled towel soaker layers, and a remnant piece of cotton woven fabric for the outer.

I did the one for the tutorial with velcro because it was done by request. I dislike velcro/aplix/touchtape diapers for myself.

It uses some recycled pajama fabric for the outer, amazon contour and terry, and Alova suedecloth for a "stay-dry" inner material.

There are a few ways you can do the body layering.

First cut your outer fabric to your diaper pattern. Then add one layer of your soaker layer material and sew on your front "loops" velcro strip at this point.

You can use flannel receiving blankets, old towels, flats, or any absorbant new material for the soaker layers as well.
When I use terry, I like to use the pieces remaining from cutting out the diaper pattern shape to make a middle thicker wet-zone soaker. Trim it down to a small enough size to fit inside where your elastic will be, and sew in place onto your absorbant middle layer. You can also save these good-sized scraps for future pocket inserts or lay-in/snap-in soakers.
Cut your inner material (black suedecloth in this case).
Everything is layered correctly, cut, and pinned together.
Serge around the outside leaving the front and most of the back open (if you will be doing a turned and top-stitched diaper, do your layers such that your outer fabric's print and your inner fabric's baby-touching side are facing each other. See the T-shirt Diaper tutorial for a visual on this method).
Sew your leg elastic casing channels.
Thread your elastic through (I used 3/8") using a safety pin. Tack in place, stretch to desired tension, tack the other end, and trim.
Fold over and sew the inner layer about 1/2" to finish your pocket opening edge.
Sew your back elastic casing channels through the other layers.
Thread, tack, stretch, tack, and trim your elastic.
Sew/serge up the back of the diaper leaving the pocket opening. Serge/sew up the front of the diaper, and do an extra seam across at about 1/4" in to reinforce the front of the "pocket."
Reinforce the outside edges of the pocket opening and sew on your wing velcro "hooks" and your "loops" laundry tabs.
Finished diaper with pocket opening showing and tabs folded in against laundry tabs.
Sara's snapping version after several washes and wearings...
One reason I prefer snaps is the simplicity of the fold-over rise.