Pocket fitted diapers are a really great first style of diaper to sew. Just use recycled absorbent fabrics or some inexpensive flannel and sew a few for practice before you dive into things like PUL, wicking jersey, or expensive absorbent fabrics like bamboo or hemp fleece. :)
I've made these two variations out of some flannel scraps I had leftover from an old project and a recycled cotton hospital blanket that my son was sent home with after a surgical procedure a couple years ago.
You can make them with or without closures (snaps or hook & loop), and you can stuff them with pretty much anything. You can utilize an old microfiber insert or shop towel, old t-shirts folded up, a prefold, small towels or washcloths... pretty much any absorbent item.
*For a pocket fitted or any back leading edge pocket, you'll want to leave a bit of the outer fabric longer in the middle to allow for the back elastic casing. It will be folded inward and sewn to create an elastic channel later on.
If you will be sewing without a serger, then you'll want to make them "turned and top-stitched." To do that, you start with your cut and prepared fabrics and have the "faces" facing inward toward eachother.
For this example, I will be sewing a serged version though. You will sew or serge starting just outside where you want your pocket opening to be at the rear edge.
Then sew/serge out around the wings, down the sides, around the front, and back around to the same point on the other side of the back. (* For a T&T style, you'll invert the diaper after sewing around the outside and before sewing your elastic casings)
Here you can see how I've left the outer fabric longer in the middle of the back.
Now you fold that flap inward leaving enough room to thread your elastic through once sewn.
Sew down the flap to create your back elastic casing. Make sure you'll be able to access the edges to thread your elastic through.
Sew your leg elastic casing channels as well, and then
install your elastics and sew down the edges of the pocket opening securely. For a turned diaper, you would then do your top-stitching as well.
Here is a closureless T&T style pocket fitted diaper.
The completed serged pocket fitted diaper next to the T&T style.
Showing a fold-over rise:
These diapers were made using my M-L Fitted template.
