It’s been a common misconception in the past that our Australian cloth nappy makers are hobby sewists, looking to make a few dollars while they are at home with their children. In some cases this has been correct, but for the most part these women are actively sewing to support their families in legitimate business. We’ve got single mums supporting their entire family, families working together to sustain long term businesses , women working to supplement the main breadwinner’s income to afford extras, and women who juggle work outside of the home with running a business.
If you were to sneak a peek into the workspace of an Australian nappy maker you’d find a few things.
- Almost a complete floor covering of minky fluff and loose threads!
- Hundreds, if not thousands of metres of fabrics from minky, PUL, cotton and cotton lycra (outer and hidden layer fabrics), to microfleece and suedecloth (inner moisture wicking layers), bamboo fleece in varying weights, bamboo velour and french terry as well as things like zorb and microfibre (absorbent fabrics )
- Thousands of dollars invested in various machines. Sewing machines, overlockers, embroidery machines to name a few.
Handcrafted nappies are made stitch by loving stitch, the quality is unsurpassed. As production occurs in lower quantities, handcrafted nappies are up to the minute on trend. Makers can adjust to the markets desires and wishes on a day to day basis. Each adds their own unique touch to their nappies so no matter your style, you’ll find a maker who can offer what you need to ensure your little one has the trendiest bum in town.
We are all guilty of jumping on the latest craze, buying that one ‘must have’ item. Same goes for nappies. But why settle for something that 100’s of other people will have when you can create something that is truly unique to you and your baby. Chatting with a local maker can give you ideas that you never imagined, adding details that truly set a nappy design apart. Many of us spend hours trawling embroidery sites for unique designs, some are clever enough to be able to digitize pictures into embroidery format, those of us who aren’t that clever pay a third party to do this digitizing work for us. Nappy designs are truly only limited by your imagination.
Do you have a chubby thighed, skinny waisted 2 year old? Maybe a skinny legged, no booty, pot bellied 9 month old? Or like me, a skinny runt with chicken legs, no butt or belly? No worries at all! Handcrafted makers create from a multitude of patterns and know which ones best fit different shapes. Best of all, if they don’t make to that pattern they’ll refer you on to the maker who does, how’s that for service?
In an industry that is very much about environmental sustainability, economic sustainability is so very important also. Choosing to support local artisans ensures you are not only supporting a small ethical business, you are also doing your bit to keep your money in Australia. Not to mention the warm fuzzies that you get from supporting a Mum working from home to support her family. If you’ve never tried a handcrafted nappy I suggest that before your cloth journey is over you make a point of trying just one, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
To find a selection of Australian made nappies, head to www.thehandcraftednappyconnection.com.au
About the author:
Kylie of Kozy Kuddles is is a WAHM to 6 beautiful children and makes unique embroidered and workhorse OSFM and sized nappies from the Lolly Bottoms pattern, and can make front snapping nappies on request.
Kylie’s passion lies with promoting the WAHM nappy business and as part of that she is a contributing member of The Handcrafted Nappy Connection where we proudly showcase handmade goods from many talented nappy makers across the country.
Kozy Kuddlz has ready to post stock listed at the Handcrafted Nappy Connection and stocks with the Firefly Collective on the 3rd Sunday of every month:
