Make your own toilet wipes……..
Has the Corona virus toilet paper shortage of 2020 driven you to these measures yet? Grab some worn out flannel sheets and make your own wipes to wash and reuse again and again!
If you are new to this site, you may have ended up here from a search on cloth diapering. I know cloth diapering as a trend is slowing down now, but at one point it was really gaining momentum for a while. We still use cloth in our house seeing as how we have a zillion kids and that cloth diaper stash lasts a long time. I still have diapers in the rotation from 10 years ago. Talk about getting your money’s worth!
If you used cloth for a while, you have probably figured out that using cloth wipes is actually more convenient than using disposable wipes with your cloth diapers. No need to separate before washing and all that. Cloth wipes packages are generally not too expensive, especially if you just buy cheap baby wash clothes. However, if you are even remotely handy with your sewing machine, you can easily whip up several wipes in the space of an hour. Making your own wipes can be fun since you can pic out your own colors and fabric. Plus, you can use up leftover fabric from other projects. If you already sew, you clearly don’t need any help creating something as simple as wipes. But, if you are not a sewer, but have the equipment, just follow along for an easy how-to on making durable wipes.
A turn and top stitch cloth wipe
Turn & top-stitch is actually a little over the top for really simple wipes. However, I prefer not having frayed edges. And this style lasts longer in my opinion. Plus, the two-ply flannel is really absorbent for those big messes. If you are making these to use as “family cloth”, you might like them thick.
1. First, wash and dry your fabric. You don’t want one side to shrink. Decide on the size of your wipe, and cut two pieces of fabric in that size. You want two swathes of fabric so you have a front and back.
2. Place your sheets of cloth on top of each other with the outside facing in. Then pin it together. Basically, you have an inside out miniature blanket held together with pins.
3. Set up your machine and use a simple stitch. Sew a straight line up each side of your wipe about a quarter inch from the edge. Make sure to cross each line by a couple stitches at each corner. Also make sure to leave a one inch non-sewn gap on one side of the wipe. Remove your pins and use the gap to flip the wipe to right side out.
4. Once it is right side out, smooth it out and sew a straight line up each side again, about a quarter inch from the edge. When you reach close to a corner, slow down so you don’t go over the edge. Stop a quarter to half inch from the edge and turn the wipe before continuing so that you have a neat top stitch in your corners.
5. When you get to the inch gap, just continue with your uninterrupted top stitch line. Fold under the outer edge of the fabric at the gap and stitch it closed. (Or stitch it by hand.)
Trim any threads hanging out and add the wipe to your cloth wipe pile! This whole project only takes probably six minutes for someone who knows what they are doing, and about an hour for someone like me, haha. Anyway, it is a good way to use up discarded piles of fabric I no longer want cluttering up my baskets. And in my experience from cloth diapering for over a decade, you can never have too many cloth wipes.