Pepper Place

Update-Where am I?!

2011-09-10T21:45:00.000+10:00

My apologies for not updating this blog-very naughty of me, being a business blog and all.

I am currently not trading-mainly, because I don't have my stuff! We packed up our house two months ago, ready for a trip interstate to visit family, planning to head back up to Queensland and move back onto our acreage. Then it sold. Which is absolutely awesome, as it had been on the market for over a year, but it's thrown our plans out completely!

As we had no idea where to move to, we've decided to grab this opportunity and do some travelling-us and five kids under 8 in a tent, should be bliss! Right now we've got no idea where we're going, where we're going to end up or how long we're going to be. Kind of scary, but really exciting.

So for now, I am most definitely on holiday, and i'll let you all know when I make it back-wherever I make it 'back' to!

xxKelly.

Busyness.

2011-06-22T10:27:00.000+10:00

I realised the other day it has been over a month since I posted here. That’s somewhat intentional, for the last few months i’ve been sewing as much as I can, and blogging about it has taken second place to actually doing it. And as I keep packaging up and posting off orders triumphantly, and completely forgetting to photograph them to prove that something is actually happening in my workspace, here is my busy room. Two orders waiting for topstitching and labels.

The neglected scraps pile-sorting and tidying has also taken second place to working.

The fantastic cupboard, my pride and joy-this used to be my shelf for outer fabrics. Note there are none anymore-all of this is cut, reinforced and snapped, and the bottom halves of the piles just need elastic and topstitching. Hundreds of nappies, all at least half done, yay for us! I still have a few metres of random fleeces and minkys, but virtually everything is on it’s way to being something rather than sitting gathering dust.

The last of the order rack-this had eight bags on it last week. Now that was a juggling act, and I did drop a few balls in the organisational sense. Nothing major, but phew, i’m glad it’s manageable again!

Girl-ing up the stash

2011-05-17T13:16:00.000+10:00

A previous customer had hedged her bets, buying a unisex stash until she had her baby. Now the little girl is here it was time to add some pink. There’s another 6 Easyflats, two pockets, three covers, five wipes and six shaped boosters.

My seven year old daughter also solved a small problem i’ve always had with packaging-namely, that I find it incredibly silly and refuse to buy packaging for my products as I believe it just creates more waste (not to mention upping the price for customers). What could be sillier around a cloth nappy?!?! However, my daughter came up with the idea of tying up items like wipes, and the shaped boosters below, with strips cut from my scrap fabric. Now that I can do, happily. I used to just tuck smaller items inside a pocket or cover to stop them sloshing around in the Postpaks, but this is much nicer. Thanks daughter!

Silk Liners

2011-05-17T13:02:00.000+10:00

Raw silk is a wonderful, natural way to keep your baby’s skin healthy. The natural wax left by the silkworms, sericin, aids in the healing of nappy rash without lotions or ointments. They can be used as a treatment or full-time as a preventative measure, and are especially useful for babies suffering skin conditions such as eczema. Simply lay into your baby’s nappy, ensuring contact with any sore skin.

To care for your raw silk liners, handwash or pop into a lingerie bag on a gentle machine cycle, and air dry.

Pepper raw silk liners measure 30x8 cms, with overlocked edges, and are $3.00 each.

Another wee one all set up

2011-05-04T09:36:00.001+10:00

No pun intended, honestly!

30 Easyflats, 7 OSFM covers, and 2 raw silk liners. And my cutting table really is spotlessly clean-just very well used.

As well as doing the orders that come in i’ve been stocking up my boxes, obsessively clearing my cupboards of fabrics and stacking up lots of finished product. This means I can do any size market at the drop of a hat, and it turns orders like this from a big job to a small one-I already had four of these covers and 16 Easyflats all completed. This has made such a difference in stress levels-now it’s ‘what stress?!’

More order pics are coming, i’ve been too busy manically sewing to keep up with the housekeeping.

Pepper Covers

2011-05-03T13:12:00.000+10:00

Pepper Covers are a one-size nappy cover. 10 pairs of snaps across the waist give you maximum adjustability, and the three-level rise enables you to set the perfect length and leg fit for your child. The top row of snaps is close to the top, enabling it to sit snugly against your child’s skin, preventing leaks. The crotch is wide enough to fit over a traditional terry flat nappy, but the fabrics are trim enough to give a slim fit over even the smallest modern cloth nappy. The leg elastic is internally cased, to allow for a soft, snug fit without red lines and irritation.

Measurements

Waist-32-62cm

Rise 32-37-42cm

Crotch width-13cm

OSFM, Approximately 3.5-17kgs

Outers are predominantly polyester PUL (no wicking there) or a hidden layer of PUL with an outer of a polyester fabric such as minky, fleece or faux fur. Inners are suedecloth, for its trimness and stay-dry feel. Snaps are hidden and reinforced, for comfort and strength.

As always, only the best quality fabrics and notions have been used. Your PUL will remain waterproof, the threads won't fray and snap, your suedecloth won't pill. The leg elastic is enclosed in an internal casing for a neat look which is also long lasting. After all, the last thing you want is a nappy that was intended to last years wear out after months.

As with all Pepper products they are handmade in Queensland.

Want to order some, or find out more? Contact me here.

More?!

2011-04-16T15:50:00.001+10:00

And with the awesome generosity of her friends, we were able to add these to this order

To bring the total up to nine OSFM pockets with trifold inserts. Cool present, huh?

They should have been opened by now today-I hope she adores them and gets many hundreds of uses from them.

Can I really use cloth full-time?

2011-04-15T11:07:00.001+10:00

Many people do not believe that you can only use cloth, and skip the disposables completely. How do we forget so quickly? Only a few short decades ago mums had no other choice, and all babies were exclusively cloth-bummed. You probably never wore a disposable! Even when there was only terry or flannelette squares with pins, with wool covers or no cover at all, washing in a twin-tub or a copper and line drying. Think how much easier we have it today! With the arrival of snaps, Velcro, PUL, minky, bamboo and hemp, as well as automatic washing machines, using exclusively modern cloth is ridiculously easy. The Australian Nappy Network estimates using cloth takes about 10 minutes of extra work per day. That’s pretty minimal, considering the money you save-no doubt it will be the best-paid ten minutes of your day, as a penny saved is a penny earned.

Giant newborn night-time bum! Boosted terry flat under a fleece cover on a two week old

My last child was exclusively cloth nappied-he is now 27 months and dry by day, wearing a nappy at night. Honestly, it was not particularly hard, and we lived on a property with a limited solar setup (no mains power), tank/dam water and a twin tub for 17 months of his life-with another three kids in cloth night nappies. But along the way I learnt quite a few tips to make the journey easier.

1. Have sufficient nappies-It will rain on washing day, they will get gastro and soil everything you own in an afternoon, you will be sick/tired/busy and not do the washing when you should. That is life. And that is when those extras you bought will be a lifesaver. Nothing fancy is required-a few packets of terry flats are cheap and dry quickly, and if they’re only back-up you won’t get sick of folding (try the Jo fold). Or buy more modern cloth if you have the $$$$, and know that a lower rotation means you’ve a better chance of reselling them at the end.

2. Buy a versatile stash- A whole pile of AIOs is great for ease, but not so great for changing circumstances. A bit of everything helps-that way if your child, for example, goes through a heavy wetting stage you have the extra boosters to cover it. Likewise, with lots of bits and pieces you can throw together a night nappy, even when they’ve decided to poo in their regular night nappy ten minutes after bedtime.

Looking much trimmer-a more typical size day nappy on a 10 month old

3. Have easy nappies-Wool makes a great cover, but hand-washing wool requires commitment. Sticking to items that have minimal pieces and assembly, are machine washable and quick to dry, means you’re less likely to drop them when times get busy.

4. Ignore the naysayers-Lots of people will tell you you can’t do it. I’m not sure why, except that maybe they didn’t want to and prefer to write off lack of effort to an impossible task. Being threatened by your cloth nappy use does seem to be quite common, unfortunately. I firmly believe that you’re doing the right thing for you child and the environment by using cloth, and you must too to be considering it-so don’t pay any attention to the negative folk.

And the last one…………

5. Don’t buy disposables! If they’re not in your cupboard, you can’t use them. But with all of your preparation, you won’t need them.

You remember my sewing room?

2011-04-13T11:42:00.000+10:00

And how lovely and organised and shiny it was?

This, sadly, is closer to what it usually looks like. This is a bit extreme, being the night before my twins’ sixth birthday, after days of frantic creating by everyone else in the family. We do handmade presents, and this is the result. After the presents have been packed away.

I know, I know, you can still see the floor so it’s not THAT bad-but it’s about as bad as I can handle it getting. Mostly it’s the stacking of stuff over every available surface-when I can’t see the sewing machine when i’m sitting in front of it, my brain implodes, and the kids nod and say to each other ‘Mummy is frothing at the mouth again’ while I throw all of their stuff into a pile and tell them that what isn’t gone in five minutes is going in the bin.

Deep breaths!

Preparing for nighttime

2011-04-09T11:43:00.000+10:00

This is the first time i’ve made night covers for a long time. It was a request from a regular customer, who i’m always happy to accommodate. Three covers to go over the three Mandy Mac Purple Nights purchased on crazy-sale. These are minky or fleece outers, with an inner of Malden Mills 200wt fleece-so not waterproof but water resistant. I’ve always found this preferable to PUL overnight-the fleece breathes much better, and i’d rather it compression leak if sodden than have my child wearing the equivalent of a water balloon on their bum.

Rear view on my two year old, with the MMPN underneath (and yes, of course he had undies on, and is completely toilet-trained!)

And to show just how big they go, the side view on my 17kg six year old. Yes, 17kg-I have petite girls!

I imagine these would easily fit from at least 6kgs until five years of age-and I may just have to test them to find out. If you have a child of about 5kgs and you’re interested, or a child of 20kgs+ please get in contact with me!

New fabrics!

2011-04-07T10:54:00.000+10:00

Mmm, custom orders are always a good excuse to throw a few extras in! These are all available to purchase as OSFM covers or pockets, see here for pricing.

Baby shower time

2011-03-23T10:45:00.001+10:00

It’s times like this I think maybe I should have had at least one baby shower-look at the presents!

I haven’t posted much lately-orders have generally only been smaller ones, and standard print nappies lately so there hasn’t been much to put up. But that seems to be a’changing so I should have a bit more action now!

The sizing system

2011-03-22T10:41:00.000+10:00

One of the key components in a one-size nappy is the rise-the length of the nappy from front to back. A toddler nappy on a newborn would go up to their armpits and gape around the legs, and a newborn nappy on a todder would show some serious butt! Being able to adjust the rise also means always having snug leg openings-vital for containment, and necessary with any child whose leg girth is out of proportion to their waist girth. This is where a one-size nappy can come in really useful if you’re starting up cloth with a toddler-if they have skinny legs, like my girls did, you can simply snap them down to a medium for a great fit.

From left-large setting, medium and small, on Pepper Pockets.

There are a couple of ways to do this-I use snaps on the front of the nappy. The nappy below is simply the outer cut and snapped, to show you the snaps clearly, without the elastic bunching it up.

For the large sizing, leave unfastened.

For the medium sizing, attach the snaps in the green rectangle to the snaps in the black rectangle.

For the small sizing, attach the snaps in the pink rectangle to the snaps in the black rectangle.

You don’t have to do this at every change-simply leave them fastened up until you’re ready to go up a size. You can tell when this is because the nappy will start to feel like it’s getting too tight around their thighs, and too low in front.

Mandy Mac sale

2011-02-21T10:43:00.001+10:00

Regretfully, I have decided to stop selling Mandy Mac nappies. Not because I don’t like them (I think they’re great), but because most of the people I come across prefer locally made. So it looks like i’ll have to come up with another method for spending less time on my sewing machine for a while longer (actually, I just need to finish up the scheme i’m working on-stay tuned!)

So i’ve just listed all my remaining Mandy Mac stock in an album on my Facebook page-they’re heavily reduced, and all you have to do is email me to grab a bargain..

Folding Easyflats

2011-02-07T09:47:00.000+10:00

So now you have your Easyflats-what on earth do you do with them? Here are the three most popular folds.

Angel Wings Fold

The clear winner in popularity-easy to do, snug fitting and good containment. The same as the Jo fold for a terry flat, without the first step.

1. Lay the nappy flat, smooth side up. Fold Easyflat in thirds, either length or widthwise, depending on which way will suit your child. Fan out the back of the nappy, as below.

2. Lay child on top, bring the bottom part up through their legs, bring the fanned-out part around the sides and fasten with a Snappi or pins.

Jelly Roll Fold

Very good for newborns-the rolled part acts as an excellent gusset, a formidable barrier to poo explosions. (If you haven’t had your baby yet, you’ll know what i’m talking about soon enough. Oh yes you will.) It requires a little more dexterity, but is well worth it.

1.With the Easyflat laid out flat, smooth side up, bring the bottom two corners in and up slightly.

2. Fold them over again, and again, until they meet in the middle front. The back should still be as flat as possible.

3. Lay child on top, bring the front of the nappy up through their legs, and bring the sides around to the front. Fasten with a Snappi or pins

Pad Fold

As simple as it gets-simply fold the Easyflat in thirds or quarters and lay in a cover. Lay child on top and fasten cover. This works best for older children due to the length, and the fact that they’re less likely to leak, but give it a shot on younger ones too. It also gives you eight good layers of absorbency right where you need it. This is the fold you use for pocket stuffing, or for boosting a fitted system between the nappy and cover.

New fabrics

2011-02-01T10:22:00.000+10:00

Most PULs with one minky-available to order over here right now!

Fairy time

2011-01-18T16:11:00.002+10:00

I had this fabric given to me to make these two. My six year old fell in love with it. I have extra pocket half-made in it, if anyone else loves it as much as my daughter.Apologies on the poor colour quality, I think my camera is going to die soon. It’s actually a medium, candy sort of pink.

And yes, the labels are on the wrong side (for those of you playing at home). I couldn’t whack it on her face, or on her magic kitty, could I?

Boy + Girl

2011-01-18T16:02:00.002+10:00

For someone who gets to have one of each in nappies at once. I had two girls and one boy in nappies at once, but seeing as there was no bamboo, no minky and virtually no patterned PUL at the time it wasn’t this exciting!

I love these two-i’m a fan of paisleys.

Easyflats

2011-01-10T11:14:00.004+10:00

Easyflats are one of the most affordable way to get into modern cloth. Like a flat nappy but smaller and easier to fold, like a prefold but without the extra strip that limits versatility, these will fit your child in many ways all their nappied life.

They consist of one layer of heavyweight bamboo fleece (70% bamboo/30% organic cotton) and one layer of Snappiable bamboo terry (90% bamboo/10% polyester), and measure 35 x 40cm. They can be folded in all the regular prefold folds, used as pocket stuffers in medium/large sizes, and two will last most children overnight with a wool or fleece cover. The absorbency test rated them at 210mL.

TIP: Buy a set of Easyflats with around 8-10 Pepper Pockets when your child is a newborn and use the pocket as a cover for the smaller sizing, for super-strength mess containment. When your child is around 6-8 months order a few more pockets and you have an easy to use, quick drying stash with no wasted parts!
They also hold dye really well, making it very easy for you to personalise your stash.

Pricing

Single $13

6 pack $74 (save $4)

12 pack $142 (save $14)

24 pack $275 (save $37!)

Orders can be made via email-right here!

Next stash, done

2011-01-06T21:42:00.000+10:00

24 Easyflats, four pockets, four covers, and a bonus pack of wipes. And possibly another order i’ll have to drop off late, if the Mary River keeps on rising!

Rumble in the Jungle

2011-01-03T16:24:00.002+10:00

Well, the cow wouldn’t last long and the zebra looks like it’s been hanging around a nuclear fallout zone, but other than that it’s sort of jungle-ish!

I was told ‘She’s weird like you, so you choose the prints” (they were a present for a pregnant daughter). Luckily I take that as a compliment! But then she gained access to my FB albums and chose these four. Hopefully they’re well-used and loved once the baby arrives.

My bigger, better sewing room (aka showing off again)

2010-12-26T12:22:00.001+10:00

My little room was getting a bit crowded, and the kids toyroom was getting too messy. The solution was obvious-swap to give me more room and the kids less. In Queensland terms this is a sleepout-a long narrow room that’s sort of like a boxed-in veranda. I’ve been in here for about six weeks, and it’s made a big difference to the amount I can make. I’m an organisational freak, and everything here has a place and it’s in it (if the kids haven’t raided my stuff), so I can relax and just get on with it.

I just need a corkboard for that lovely bare wall-and the husband has nabbed some leftover cork tiles from his work to make me one. Isn’t he a dear?

Cutting/snapping table-our old dining table. This has been the husband’s domain as he’s taken over cutting. I would have a waiting list if it wasn’t for the useful man, I couldn’t keep up with all the orders lately by myself.

A bare curtain rail has become the designated order area-orders in progress are hung here, labelled with all of their details and filled with the current progress. This is the best system, as I can see at a glance what’s the most urgent. Really big orders still need to go in the cupboard though-I tried to hang 30 EasyFlats up there and the rail nearly snapped.

A desk! It’s been on the to-buy list for a while because I really need a designated office area (rather than shoving receipts in a drawer and having drifts of paper covering the kitchen bench). A friend gave me this one as she didn’t want it anymore, and it’s awesome. Thanks Shelley! Maybe I can begin my bookwork for this financial year soon……….

I’ve also commandeered a couch from the lounge room-this way the husband will sit and read and chat with me of an evening, which makes me happier to stay in longer and get more work done.

And when he wanders off there’s always Ralph-but he doesn’t talk much.

Holidays

2010-12-22T12:24:00.000+10:00

I won’t be taking any orders or doing any email related stuff (except for current orders if needed) until the 5th of January.

Happy holidays everyone!

Full stash, done.

2010-11-25T20:49:00.000+10:00

7 covers, 2 pockets, 15 wipes, 24 Easyflats. Phew. For a baby due to make their debut right about now………who may have already arrived!

These two are limited fabrics-I have one cut left of the Volkswagons after a cancelled order.

And after two days of basking in my relatively low-work state (only seven pockets/trifolds on order? Easy!) I received the next full-stash order. Time to break out the scissors again………

More girliness

2010-11-24T20:55:00.000+10:00

And another three pockets and trifolds are now off to this little girl-even I’M jealous. Darn my last boy-child, shaved heads and trucks just do not match up to pigtails and twirly dresses.

Fabric galore

2010-11-20T11:48:00.001+10:00

Lots of new fabrics are up and available for ordering-it’s time to clear out my fabric stash. Which i’ve been doing for the past three years or so, but it keeps getting bigger, not smaller. I’m not sure why……….

All of the fabrics are polyester, which means they’re non-absorbent. They’ll be teamed with a hidden layer of PUL for reliable waterproofing. And the bonus of this sandwich-type arrangement is that nappies made like this last even longer-the outer seems to protect the PUL and give it extra stability.

Lots of minky-mostly single cuts available, so if you like one don’t delay! My two favourites-

And fleece (as in polar fleece) and faux fur. There should be no trouble guessing what I like best from this lot. Surely you must too?

Gloriously girly

2010-11-15T14:45:00.002+10:00

I virtually never remember to take photos of orders. As I finish I triumphantly pack them up, ready to be sent or picked up, and it’s only after they’ve gone that I remember that I really should photograph them-especially the ones using custom fabrics.
But I remembered to do this one.

It’s so nice to finally do something completely and utterly girly!

And the winner is………..

2010-11-10T21:12:00.000+10:00

……Kay, with the name EasyFlats! Thanks a heap Kay, hope you enjoy your two EasyFlats that are on their way to you.

Thanks to everyone who came up with names for me-there were some fantastic ideas in there and I had a really hard time choosing. I’ll definitely know where to go next time i’m stuck.

How to sew a welt pocket opening

2010-11-04T13:33:00.000+10:00

These look impressively complicated, but once you see how it’s done they’re easy as can be. Trust me on this one.

All pictures can be clicked on and viewed full size for more detail if needed. This is definitely a method more suited to non-fraying fabrics, such as the suedecloth used here, due to the extremely small amount of fabric left around the seam where the opening is cut.

You’ll need the inner of your nappy cut out, plus a rectangle. My rectangle here measures 18x6cm, for a night nappy-increase the 1st measurement if someone in the family has massive hands, decrease it for a day nappy.

You’ll need the centre of it horizontally, so mark it with chalk/vanishing marker etc. This line is where the actual opening will be cut, so position it where you’d like it.

Fold the top and bottom of the rectangle down to the marked centre and pin to the inner-make sure the top and bottom meet snugly. No gaps!

Now it’s time to sew. Using a short straight stitch (2-3), stitch a couple of millimetres away from where the edges butt against each other. When you reach the end of the rectangle take your stitching just off the rectangle and onto the inner only.

So you should have a nice rectangle enclosing the join in the centre. Clearer now?

Detail of the edges.

Now take some sharp pointy scissors or another suitable implement and cut carefully along the middle, not cutting the stitching anywhere but getting very close at either end.

Tuck the top flap into the slit you’ve cut.

Fold the bottom flap up-magic! Pin it down at either end, making sure you smooth it flat.

Using a close zig-zag stitch sew down the edge of the exposed flap. When you reach the bottom of the flap switch to a straight stitch and sew to the bottom of the flap underneath. This keeps it all tucked down nicely.

And you now have a totally awesome pocket opening, hopefully much better colour coordinated than the above one! Finish your nappy and admire your handiwork.

Pocket opening, V2

2010-11-04T09:17:00.000+10:00

Pockets are now a little different to the original sham-style opening. Even though i’ve had absolutely zero complaints about that style of opening i’ve been finding it leading to pre-purchase hesitation. Lots of people seem to look at it and see it as a poo catcher! So now a new style has been through the testers and thoroughly approved-a welt style opening. This style has a larger overlap so hasn’t been subject to the same concerns. It’s still plenty wide enough for a big hand with a chunky booster (no escaping stuffing duty, husbands!) Standard positioning for the opening is at the rear, however a front opening was also preferred by some-if you would prefer a front opening i’m happy to make them for you, it’s no difference in work for me. The only negative is that it is slightly harder to un-stuff, but the consensus was it is easier to un-stuff than nappies where the opening is elasticised.

I’ll update the product information here when time allows me, however all new Pepper Pockets will be made in this style from now on. Enjoy!

Children’s Day

2010-10-19T21:26:00.000+10:00

As part of events during Children’s Week childrensweek.com.au, i’ll be having a display at Children’s Day.

This is being held on Thursday the 29th of October from 9am-12pm, in Queens Park, Maryborough. And it’s free! It’s all about informing you of local services and groups, and each one will be hosting an activity. There’s heaps of fun stuff to do! I’ll have a treasure hunt through wheat boxes, which has been a long-time favourite with my five-as i’m the only person there for my stall I definitely wasn’t choosing anything messy and high-maintenance. There will also be the mini-steam trains running, with rides available for a small fee (I think $1.00?).

And hopefully this time i’ll remember to take some happy snaps-so you can all see my event attendances aren’t all imaginary!

What should I call them?

2010-10-15T11:37:00.002+10:00

There’s a competition for this-you win two of them if you can come up with a catchy name for them. I’ve been calling them preflats, but it’s boring and probably taken. I’m sure you can do better than that, my creativity doesn’t stretch to naming anything well. What are they?
Well, they’re sort of like a prefold, in that they’re smaller than a flat/square nappy. But they don’t have an extra layer sewn down the centre-this means they are effectively a one-size as you can fold them any way. Use them in prefold-style folds with a Snappi for a newborn, and in the pad fold or as a pocket stuffer for a toddler. Much easier to use than a flat, and very trim, especially with a Pepper OSFM PUL cover. Make an affordable and versatile stash by using Pepper OSFM Pockets as covers until your child is big enough to use these as a stuffer at around 8-10kgs.

My 14.5kg, 22 month old wriggler-the only not blurry shot I could get

With one layer of heavyweight bamboo/organic cotton fleece, and one layer of soft bamboo/organic cotton terry they’re extremely absorbent and luxuriously soft. And they’re also an economical way to go.

Without any advertising i’ve already sold 83-they’ve obviously satisfied a need in my local community!

So, how to enter? Leave your idea in the Name the ??? thread in the Discussions tab on my Facebook page. Please use that option as first choice, but if you really don’t have a FB account and don’t want one leave your idea as a comment here and i’ll transfer it over-but make sure I can contact you easily.
Be creative, be relevant and be original! I’ll see how many I get before deciding-if only a couple i’ll pick one, if there’s lots and I can’t choose i’ll ask for votes. Now get brainstorming!

Bargains @ Bubz Bazaar

2010-09-29T19:49:00.000+10:00

Market time! I’ll be at the Bargains @ Bubz Bazaar baby market, held at the Maryborough Town Hall this Saturday the 2nd of October from 9am.

I’ve been sewing up a storm so will have lots of pockets and covers, plus trifolds and the new preflats, which have not yet been ‘released’ online! I’ll also have a small amount of clearance stock, so if you’re after a bargain make sure to check them out.

Changes Afoot

2010-09-28T15:15:00.002+10:00

After much thought, I finally came to a decision last week-the website must go. So it’s gone.

Why? Basically, because barely anyone uses the shopping cart. This is mostly my fault, as if I had regular uploads of newly completed stock i’m sure it would be worth it. But i’m too busy making email orders to keep the website fresh and constantly changing, so it’s been hanging around neglected for quite some time now. A neglected website seems to be worse for business than none (the thinking being ‘Nothing ever changes here-there must be nothing worth buying’). So now I have no website. How to buy now? See the box on the screen to your right, which details the process and gives you all the links you need to order whatever you like. It’s the way 95% of people were ordering anyway!

This has also given me a kick in the pants to do what i’ve always wanted to do-go local. This wasn’t particularly possible at my last house, being way out bush. But now I can spend more time getting out there, going to markets, doing advocacy events and demonstrations. And talking to people. Which i’ve always much preferred to typing to people. Ditching the website and all of it’s related work is also allowing me to do a lot more of the most important thing-sewing. After all a pretty website is of no use if there’s nothing to put on it!

I haven’t ruled out the possibility of taking an occasional shop on a congo/mall, but for now i’m breathing a sigh of relief that I no longer have a shop nagging at me to primp it up, and all I have to do is come up with the occasional Facebook status update and blog post. And tutorial! Because I like them.

Hopefully everyone is content with the changes-I know it’s abnormal, and a website with fully integrated shopping cart is a ‘must-have’-but i’ve always been partial to going a different way from the crowd, and there’s no point in changing now!

More stock

2010-09-02T12:40:00.002+10:00

I’m all settled in and set up in my new house now, and one of my first goals is to have a regular addition of stock online. The custom ordering system is working beautifully, especially for those wanting to make bulk orders, but I do realise a lot of people just want to go and buy something that’s in stock, completed and ready to send, so i’m working on pleasing them next. But i've also had too many issues with my website so am very tempted to ditch it..........i'll decide work out what to do eventually!

So i’m listing some pockets i’ve finished-right now! Gorgeously soft minky ones with a hidden layer of Fabrite PUL. I have terrible trouble getting accurate colours in my photos-the first is a rich chocolate colour with textured lines, the second a pale apple green.

A butterfly poly PUL one, that was supposed to get put up with my first pocket stocking, but got mysteriously lost in my stock box.
Some more completed mini wipes, in new prints.

How to fold a flat using the Jo fold

2010-08-31T14:44:00.001+10:00

The Jo fold is what I consider to be the best flat nappy fold-it’s easy, trim and unisex. It’s easy to part-fold and stack on a shelf, and generally when most people discover it it quickly becomes all they use.

However it’s not very well known! So if you’ve never heard of it, give it a try using the instructions below. Left and right refer to your left and right, not the childs.

-Obviously, you need a flat. Cotton terry/flannelette, bamboo, hemp-it doesn’t matter. Lay it out square.

-Take a corner and fold it to the centre of the square

-Do the same thing with all the corners. This is when you determine the size-if you have a smaller child, overlap the corners slightly. If you have a larger child don’t fold them all the way to the centre. As you can see my nappy is not quite square anymore so it doesn’t fold perfectly. It’s not origami so it doesn’t matter.

-Fold the left third over.

-Fold the right third over. If you’re not using the nappy right now and want to store it, fold in half lengthways and stack on a shelf or nappy stacker.

-Open out the top of the nappy, as below, by folding out first the top of the right third then the left from underneath.

-Now you need to insert your child-I found mine outside digging happily in the dirt, hence the grotty legs. Their bum goes on the fanned-out part so the top of the nappy sits at their waist, the narrow part is brought up between their legs, and the fanned-out corners are brought around to fasten at the front.

-You can fasten using pins or a Snappi-I much prefer a Snappi. Dig the teeth into the left side of the nappy, making sure it’s gripping tightly, then stretch it across to the right side and fasten.

-Stretch the bottom part of the Snappi down and dig it firmly into the middle of the nappy. I hold the nappy in place with my left hand as pictured and attach the Snappi with my right, it takes a bit of practice but once you get the hang of it it will only take a few seconds.

-Done! You can leave it like that if you change after every pee, or you can use a cover. Pepper OSFM covers are great over flats ;P

Hope that’s clear-if you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them below!

Nappying a mini baby

2010-08-31T14:36:00.002+10:00

****I hope to develop and test this pattern more to cater for the rather specialised group of babies born -however it can be hard to find testers of this size in time to get the cover to them! If you may be able to help (for example you’re pregnant with multiples or have a history or a high likelihood of small or premature babies) contact me to discuss testing this pattern for me.****
I have trouble getting my head around just how small some babies can be-after all, the smallest of my five was 6lb 2oz, and she’s a twin!
When Skye was born, weighing in the low 5lbs range (full-term and single, just petite), it was obvious she didn’t qualify in the ‘most’, in my one-size-fits-most sizing. They didn’t come close to fitting snugly around her little chicken legs!
So first up I made a cover using a pattern i’d drafted for my newborn son. With him being what we called an ‘instant toddler’ at 9lb 6ozs even this was too big for her.

So this one was even smaller-the sort of thing I look at and think would never fit a real child, surely they don’t come that small?!
But they do-it fitted her beautifully until she reached about 6kgs.
Gorgeousness.
If you have a child this small and want to cloth them, it’s still doable. And can actually be much better than disposables, based on discussions i’ve had with parents of premmie and multiple babies who have found extra small disposables almost impossible to come across, prone to leakage and extremely expensive. Flannelette flats can be folded trimly and are bought very cheaply, to get you through the first few months. And hopefully in the near future i’ll have a dependable, fully tested cover ready to go over them.

Emergency night nappy

2010-07-24T21:48:00.000+10:00

Due to the recent move, we’ve been cleaning out. And one area that definitely needed an overhaul was the nappy stash-our tendency to use everything until it is well and truly dead meant we had way too many nappies with dead elastic, worn PUL, and honeycombed inserts.

My over-enthusiastic clearing out meant that my son went to bed tonight in his very last clean, dry nappy. He is 20 months old and has never worn a disposable, and he isn’t going to begin tonight. Hence, some last-minute sewing.

The result? A woolen pocket nappy from a well-felted old woolen blanket.

The inner is suedecloth (natural inners don’t work well on him) with a welt-style pocket opening. This type of opening is growing on me-it took long enough for me to work out, based on how to do a welt pocket opening in a sewing book of mine.

And two seconds Pepper trifolds to stuff-the overlocker was playing up on these, back before it had it’s service and broken stuff was discovered and fixed. I hate unpicking overlocking, so they’ve been sitting there for months-tonight was a good excuse to just go over the dodgy bits.

So tonight my youngest will be clothed up and comfy. I often wonder just how people do without knowing how to sew, with all the things I end up having to make or mend-but then I suppose they get the fun of buying stuff, which I definitely don’t get enough of!

If anyone knows where I can get some quality new woolen fabric from please let me know-this is the second one i’ve made and they work like a dream. I’d love to get the whole testing process begun for them.

Funkadelic!

2010-07-23T10:42:00.001+10:00

I couldn’t really think of anything more suitable to call this velvet lycra PUL-i’m a fan of bright colours and anything remotely hippy-ish so I adore it. I bought it specially for this order but made sure I got a bit extra, luckily too as i’ve already had an order for another one!

More new fabrics

2010-07-22T21:50:00.001+10:00

My parcel postie will get to know me quite well I think-I love getting mail to my door. The decadence! The luxury! Well, over a year of having no mail service certainly makes it seem that way.
These are all high-quality polyester PULs-very trim, soft and flexible.

The dragons are my favourite-it can be so difficult to get nice fabrics for boys that are truly boyish and don’t involve camo/pirates/machinery.
These have been uploaded to the customs album-go and have a ~~drool~~ look!

Customs are now streamlined!

2010-07-19T11:58:00.001+10:00

I've been getting so many requests for customs lately that i've streamlined the process, which will hopefully result in a much more manageable inbox!

All fabrics I have instock are now pictured and individually priced in my new Customs Album on Facebook.

Here are two delicious new fabrics available-both velvet lycra PUL, so indulgent.

Funkadelic velvet lycra PUL, a neon-bright rainbow.

Forest Glade velvet lycra PUL, a beautiful mix of greens and aquas.

Pictures of a custom cover to come once the customer receives it!

My sewing room

2010-07-12T13:46:00.001+10:00

It has been over two years since i’ve had my own sewing room. At our last house it was particularly bad, due to the fact the seven of us were living in a 72sq/m house (it was on 62 acres, which made up for it somewhat). There, my table was stuffed in between the dining table and wall and was also used as the computer/paperwork table. I had a fabric cupboard in the laundry, boxes under the bed and in an awkward corner of the kitchen……….it was definitely not conducive to a happy and productive workspace.

So you can imagine how much I am appreciating this. I found myself taking a cup of chai in there the other day so I could just sit and marvel and grin stupidly at my luck.

It’s still slightly chaotic (I can’t really justify doing any more unpacking and organising in there while we’re eating with spoons because I can’t find the forks) but it’s such a fantastic place to be. It’s bright and airy, but with no glare due to the large awnings, and well-lit at night. And as it’s the room the front door opens onto I have a professional space for people to come and pick up or discuss orders, with no intrusion onto home life.

And I now have TWO cupboards-I pinched the pantry from our last house and there’s built-ins here. Here’s (most of) the fabric stash.

Scraps boxes on top.

Top shelf-cottons and some knits.

2nd shelf-flannelette, cotton velour, suedecloth and cords.

3rd shelf-dress-ups fabrics for the kids, plus my eldest daughters sewing box and fabric. She’s six and keeps referring to this room as ‘our sewing room’ (that’s here in the top two photos).

Bottom shelf-fleeces, minkys and faux furs.

Misccellaneous stuff drawers and market display basket on top.

Top shelf-packaging, boxes of labels and trims and shoebox of overlocking threads.

2nd shelf-working boxes of snaps, PULs and minky cuts. The really, really EXPENSIVE shelf.

3rd shelf-I’ve lost a thingy for this shelf, so until I find it it’s wonky, so a bag of stock and Malden Mills fleece.

Bottom shelf-microfleece and more fleece, plus some chenilles and cottons.

Plus another 3 big bags and about four plastic crates of other things like bulk bamboo, PUL, suedecloth, and clothes to repurpose, as well as a couple of boxes of yarn and crochet gear. I am REALLY looking forward to my next trip to IKEA because i’ll be able to have everything completely organised and perfectly set up.

Now, I haven’t just been unpacking. I decided to attack my UFO (unfinished objects) box. I am seriously shocked at just how much having a decent, well-organised space has improved my output after only a few days. And look, I can sew more than just nappies!

Pinwale cord/cotton drill skirt for my eldest daughter. The back is also two contrasting panels.

Pinwale cord pants for my twins to share (there was only one pair part-done in there, so share they must because it’s too late in our Queensland winter to bother with making another pair from scratch!)

And I found the outer for this cut out, so my toddler now has another pocket nappy. Which he’s in desperate need of-only having the power to run a twin-tub at our last place has destroyed all of his nappies. Now i’ve been able to pull out the automatic washing machine it’s finally worth making him some new nappies, as they won’t get wrecked.

William!

2010-07-09T20:44:00.001+10:00

Well, here they finally are-Will in his covers over terry flats. Thanks for the pictures Saminda!

As you can see, he’s a solid boy at around 18 months, but still has plenty of room to grow.
And, after all that excitement, a much needed rest. Awww!

There’s also a bit of a review here at Saminda’s blog, Ferns by the Fireside.

Pepper Place-Inducing early births in customers

2010-07-05T20:44:00.002+10:00

Well, I stuck to my 38-week deadline for this one, after my last full-stash order that went early. But the customer still beat me to it, and had the baby the day before I was scheduled to drop the order off. I think it’s time to aim even earlier! I tend to forget people regularly have babies before 39 weeks as all five of mine came after that, even my twins.
For this order I made something completely new. The request was for 30 bamboo flats, but after making my son a couple of traditional 60x60cm bamboo squares to trial I decided they were OK, but could be improved on. So I improved on them-it’s sort of a smaller version of a flat in a double layer of bamboo fabrics. Heavyweight fleece on one side for absorbency and stability, and terry to give softness and the ability to use a Snappi. Expect to see a competition soonish to name them, because i’m stumped on what exactly to call them. They are, of course, one-size.

Six Pepper OSFM covers to go over the bamboo-sorta-flat-thingummys. Note two rainbow covers-this customer decided to order from me when she saw my son running around in a park in one of his rainbow nappies and fell in love with them. How’s that for effortless marketing? :P

30 Pepper mini cloth wipes, in cotton velour, bamboo velour and flannelette in lots of different patterns and colours.

And a wetbag in a rather suitable cotton outer print.

Thanks for the order J! Hope it’s all getting a good workout and you’ve settled into your new role comfortably. It was great working with you.

Moving time!

2010-07-01T20:57:00.000+10:00

Well, after a busy few weeks, including a near-sellout pocket stocking (four out of five sold within the hour, woohoo!) i'm up for another busy week-i've just found out today that we move house on Saturday. Short notice, but we didn't want to sit around waiting another week!

It shouldn't disrupt things too much-we still own our property so there's no mad rush to get out and get it ready for the next owners. In fact, I should be able to up production pretty substantially-especially as i'll have my very own sewing room. I haven't had that for over two years, and as that was in Tasmania and as the room was in sub-zero temperatures a lot of the time, that doesn't count.

Now, back to organising for it! I won't have internet on there for a while so I won't be online as much (a completely positive thing!) so replies may be delayed, but they will come.

Pepper Pockets

2010-06-19T21:49:00.002+10:00

It is time for these to officially be 'released' online (although offline i've been selling them for months, oops!)
So, here's all about them for those of you who aren't near enough to me to see them in the flesh.

They are a one-size pocket. 10 pairs of snaps across the waist give you maximum adjustability, and the three-level rise enables you to set the perfect length for your child. The angled tabs give your child the leeway to let that big round toddler belly hang out!

Measurements

Waist-32-62cm

Rise 30-35-40cm

OSFM, Approximately 3.5-17kgs

The pocket opening is near the top of the rear of the nappy. It's a welt-style opening, which means there's nice wide overlaps over the opening. This means there is no chance of boosters sticking out of the front or back of the nappy. It's wide enough to be extremely easy to stuff, even with chunky boosters. When on your child the pocket opening flattens out, meaning messes rarely make their way into the pocket.

Ah, bad news-it is becoming all too common.

2010-06-11T19:55:00.000+10:00

I've had to cancel my stall at the Funky Futures festival this Saturday. I simply haven't been able to finish enough stock to make it worth going to. To be fair on myself life has been pretty insane lately, and it's not showing any signs of slowing. Lucky I thrive on chaos. Soon however, we will move and life will settle back down to it's regular pace.

I do have pockets all ready to go though, and partly photographed, so i'll make it my mission to get that all finished and uploaded to the website-a baby step I know, but that's all i'm achieving right now. Apart from that I have some pretty radical changes planned for when I do move, to help keep the tumbleweed from blowing across my website.

Big festival time! Funky Futures Festival, 12 June, Wondai

2010-05-22T20:35:00.001+10:00

I am looking forward to this one, although pouting a bit that i'll be stuck at my stall most of the day! I'll be at The Funky Futures Festival at Wondai Sportsground on Saturday June 12th. Download the program here.

I've been getting the mass-production line going so I will have lots and lots of stock all ready to go, including some fancier items like this zebra faux fur number-speaking of which, time to get back to my rockin' Saturday night of sewing :)

Pocket Stocking Delayed

2010-05-08T21:06:00.000+10:00

Well, I got all excited last week-the sewing was going well, lots of stuff was getting done, and I decided the pile of Pepper Pockets here would be all ready to go by tomorrow, so I announced a stocking on Facebook.

Here's the point where you laugh at my presumptions.

Of course, then everything went wrong. My gummy toddler has decided that now would be a marvelous time to finally grow some teeth, including four molars at once, and that he'd rather not sleep while he's working on it. My overlocker, which I have never gotten along with, has been throwing so many tantrums it's made me throw quite a few tantrums. Really spectacular tantrums-my kids are impressed that I can perform as well as they when provoked. And so time ran away from me.

I sat down tonight and worked for an hour and realised that i'd only be able to get it all done if I stayed up until the wee hours. Other sewists will know that that is a really bad idea, it's amazing how badly you can hash something up when you're tired and under pressure. So i've postponed the stocking, and this time will only set a date when everything is sewn, photographed and uploaded.

Hopefully next weekend (but don't say that out loud, or something else will go wrong!)

When events conspire against me

2010-05-01T21:01:00.002+10:00

I received a large order a while back, and it all went nice and easy. Everything was ready, i'd received the last payment, I just needed the address. Address? Please give me your address! But she had disappeared...............Meanwhile it was raining heavily at my place and I had to make my last journey out for supplies without sending the order.

Of course, she had disappeared to have the baby-early. So the bag of nappies and covers sat here for the entire six days that I was flooded in, unable to go anywhere. Moral of the story? Get the address FIRST! This is something I will now include in all lay-by setups.

So, the order. As well as four run-of-the-mill prints, I also made these gorgeous two. The orange velvet PUL one nearly didn't leave, I loved it so much. The hibiscus is lycra PUL. Both were gorgeously soft and stretchy while still being trim.

Anyone can order custom outers, it's one of the perks of buying from someone who makes items individually-your imagination (and sometimes reality) are your only limit. These two fabrics are both from Wrigglebots.

Here is the baby in question, who couldn't wait to see what was in store for her in the outside world-which has turned out to be lots and lots of minky. ; ) And a really spunky name-welcome little Philomena, around six weeks old here.

Tristan again!

2010-05-01T19:48:00.001+10:00

Tristan's mum was nice enough to send me another pic of him-thankyou! It's rather fun to see series' of photos of kids growing up in my stuff, i'm very chuffed.

POCKETS!

2010-04-22T20:15:00.002+10:00

Pepper OSFM Pockets have been such a long time coming-I think I sent out the very first lot of testers when I was heavily pregnant with my now 15 month old son. But i'm on WAHM speed here, which can be very snail-like. I finalised them a few months back, but have been busy enough with the Pepper Covers, five children, 62 acres..........you get my drift.

dodgy phone pic-I miss my real camera!

I had to prepare some for the ecoWeekend though, so I thought I may as well carry on the mojo and make some for online listing this week, so I knuckled down and started them today, until the lovely weather enticed me outside to play.

But before that I realised my son has nothing in this print-literally, nothing at all. How did this oversight happen?!?!? No worry, it was fixed in time for his nap. Weird angle I know, but we have a non-identifying rule for online pictures of our kids (which makes things really difficult when I have cute models and can't use them, trust me!)

I have promised to have them listed within a fortnight-watch one of my kids break a bone or something now :P

ecoWeekend

2010-04-22T19:59:00.000+10:00

Late last year I decided that this year i'd save my market efforts for events targeting the 'right' sort of crowd. The standard markets are OK, but most people are there for cheap vegies and a quick browse at the rest. The ecoWeekend was the first greenie event, and it seems as if my decision was a good one.

I've just finished the small orders I received, I have demos booked and gift registires set up, and I generally had a really good time. The traffic was slow but steady, giving me lots of time to really talk to people-mainly about nappies, but also about a huge range of DIY, self-sufficiency topics. Well worth if financially, and definitely well worth it for entertainment-I don't think i'd have cared if I didn't sell a thing! No pics of the stall unfortunately as my camera is still getting fixed, but it looked great-if I do say so myself! The time spent on presentation and organisation really seems to have paid off.

There are some great programs happening in the Bundaberg area that are worth checking out
Low Carbon Diet-find easy ways to reduce your emissions, save money and support local business (and win great prizes!)
Solar Hot Water Bulk Buy-Air Solar Bundaberg is coordinating a bulk buy of solar hot water systems to save participants big $$$$.
SustainaBundy-the local transitions town group. Discover and support everything local to revitalise and strengthen Bundaberg and the local area.

ecoWeekend, CQU campus, Bundaberg, 17th-18th April

2010-04-10T20:26:00.000+10:00

Well, I have been pulled out of my little holiday with notice of the ecoWeekend occurring! This is something I expressed interest in a few months back and i'm really happy to see it happening. And with the news coverage it's been getting hopefully it will be big-if you're in the area, make sure you come along! I may even be doing a talk there, eek. It's been years since i've done any public speaking!

I whipped up a wetbag for display today in some suitably eco fabric-it's an information event, so it's a great excuse to get full demonstration stock of everything I make, especially the stuff that has been tested and made by request yet not sold online due to lack of time! Please excuse the terrible picture, my camera is off being fixed so I had to make do with the video camera.

So now just to finish off the rest-what an excellent excuse to get back into it.

The Nappy Hunt Solutions.

2010-04-01T20:02:00.003+10:00

And another hunt is over. My clues were pretty easy really-I hate to think of people cursing and swearing at my site, I see it as all being for the fun of it! So although with 632 finds I don’t think anyone needs me to solve it for them, here it is. Basically there was a word in each passage that pointed to the next page to visit.

The hunt began with this clue, which readers will know is in the nasty Snowman's cottage with Goldilocks and the Three Bears-

They all knew now what Moon-Face’s plan was. He meant to make the room so hot that the Magic Snowman would melt. Clever old Moon-Face! A little trickle of water began to run from the Snowman’s broad white back, which was near the fire. Moon-Face pointed to it secretly and grinned.

The word fire sent you to the Flames nappy cover page, where you found this clue, based on the poor old, hard of hearing Saucpan Man, who is always mishearing in the funniest ways!

“Smile?” said Saucepan, going suddenly deaf again. “I am smiling. Look!”
“That’s a grin, not a smile!” said Jo, as he saw Saucepan smiling from ear to ear. “Now don’t get into any more TROUBLE!”
“Bubble? Where’s a bubble?” said Saucepan, looking all round. “I didn’t see anyone blowing bubbles.”

Which was quite simple-the Liquid Bubbles nappy cover, where the Angry Pixie yet again got sick of people peeping in his window-Connie really should have listened to her cousins warning!

He shot to his feet, picked up the enormous ink-pot and rushed to his window. He opened it and yelled loudly:
“Peeping again! Everybody peeps in at my window, everybody! I won’t have it! I really won’t have it.”

He emptied the ink-pot all over the alarmed Connie. The ink fell in big spots on her frock, and on her cheek and hands. She was in a terrible mess.

And this one took you to the icon, on the Dotty Spotty OSFM nappy cover page.

Thanks for hunting, and I hope you enjoyed it! I'll leave it up for another day or two, in case anyone wants to run through it.

Taking a short break

2010-03-22T20:24:00.000+10:00

I've been taking a wee break over the last week or so-a business is like a child, too much of it and you need a break! Like a child though, it gets missed pretty quickly, and i'm sort of getting back to that stage already.

Nothing major really, i'm just doing the bare minimum here-so no new sewing, no customs, but i'll still continue to send off in-stock items and reply to any correspondance. See you again properly soon!

The rainy day is over

2010-03-12T10:45:00.000+10:00

The rainy week is more like it! After six days at home we made it out yesterday (mmm, fresh vegies!). So the discount was removed, but a coughing little boy needed me in bed before I could post here.

We couldn't resist a bit of a drive through all the mad floodwaters, just to see how bad it gets. While the causeways for the run-off were well up over our side-steps, they were nothing compared to the creek!

Notice all the white water? Crazy! It's only about a foot over the road now, which is about as adventurous as I like to get.

Rainy Day Sale

2010-03-08T09:58:00.000+10:00

The rain is coming down constantly here and i’m stuck at home-the creek crossing on my road is a raging torrent. We’ve had over 300mL since last Wednesday, when this picture was taken! This is the worst one, but I have to drive through 10 causeways to get to town.

So until it subsides, i've discounted everything by 10%-this is on top of the free postage on offer during the Nappy Hunt. The downside is you'll have to wait until I can actually get to the post office to send them.

There's stock of quite a few prints in, and i've also just popped two custom spots-choose from any print I have here.

I'm off to battle code.

2010-02-22T20:36:00.000+10:00

I'm just about to start the website overhaul-i'm not sure how long it will take me seeing as I only have the hours between 8pm and exhaustion. But as I can't really work on it offline (CongoCart is tricky like that) until further notice the website is under de- and re-construction.

Feel free to drop in and see the crazy things i'm likely to do accidently and laugh at my expense.

I have succumbed..........

2010-02-21T21:21:00.000+10:00

........to the Facebook pressure that is. It seems it's the latest must-do, having a fan page. But then considering how much time everyone seems to spend on it (including me!) it's to be expected.

So here it is-Pepper Place on Facebook. Enjoy!

Updating.

2010-02-18T20:43:00.002+10:00

It's been very quiet online-i've been working madly in the background. A few larger orders, two laybys and some other scattered single orders have kept my head down and bum up. Plus sneaking in some covers for a decent stocking and putting the final polishing on some NEW products. When's the release? March-it's hunting time again! I'm offering free postage and will be running some fantastic competitions again-register for the hunt by clicking below.

Plus i'm working on fixing some glitches in the website-hopefully i'll be finished wrestling with code and be back with a whole new look very soon!

Tristan

2010-02-02T21:31:00.000+10:00

I must apologise, I have been slack-pictures of this gorgeous little man were sent to me way back in October and have only just made it up now. Tristan, at 3.5 months, and looking very robust for a premmie!

Care Instructions.

2010-02-01T21:13:00.003+10:00

How to look after what you buy! Rather important really.

It's the same for all the nappy related products I sell-I recommend what's called dry-pailing. To dry-pail, you simply place wet nappies, wipes and covers straight into a bucket. For soiled nappies, rinse them clean first. You can buy something dedicated for this purpose, such as a Little Squirt, or simply shake off what you can, then flush the toilet, letting the water wash over the nappy.Then again, pop it straight into a bucket.

When you have enough to wash a load, pop them in the machine and set it to rinse-only first. After this has finished, do a normal wash with one-third to one-half of the detergent. Why so little? Detergent is designed to shift dirt and stains, and your freshly-rinsed nappies are already pretty clean. Cold water is fine. Don't add fabric softener as it coats the fabric and reduces absorbency.

Line dry-this is the key. This is why you don't need to soak them in horrible chemicals, because the sun does the same job of sanitising them. I don't recommend using a dryer, but if you absolutely must line dry as much as possible then finish them off on a cool setting-too much heat will ruin your PUL and elastic and reduce the lifespan in general. Plus if you do it a lot your nappies will get smelly, and you risk falling into the trap of using lots of unneccessary (and generally nasty and expensive) products to fix that.

Now, some common questions-
Does dry-pailing really work?
Yes. I doubted it too, but after four years of doing it i'm pretty convinced. I had some trouble with nappies getting smelly when living in Tasmania during winter, when there was so little sunlight, but apart from that there have been no issues. There are some grey-water safe sanitising solutions available now if you live somewhere where winter is grey and days are short-however I haven't used them and don't know how they would affect the fabrics, so use at your own risk.

Argh, newborn poo-how do I get it off?!
First of all, if your baby is exclusively breastfed you don't need to-it's water soluble and will wash out in your pre-rinse. Yes i've done this and yes it really works! Even though it was working I was totally convinced when he pooed in the bath-it was like someone had poured food dye in.
If you're formula feeding it needs to come off beforehand-if the dunk'n'flush method isn't working a Little Squirt would be a worthy investment.

How do I get my nappies softer?
Line drying does tend to make things crunchy, especially when they've been baking in the summer sun. A quick scrunch tends to take the worst of the cardboard feel from them. They soften up pretty quickly when on.

Can I use creams/lotions/powders?
I haven't found powders (eg cornstarch) to cause any problems. Creams and lotions, especially zinc ones, leave a terrible residue. There's two options available if you have to use these. The first is to use liners to protect the nappy-you can buy regular disposable liners, flushable disposable liners, or use a lining fabric such as microfleece or suedecloth. The regular disposables don't do a particularly good job, and i've never tried the flushable. The fabric ones can be rewashed and used many times and they're my preference-neither fabric requires hemming so no sewing skill are required to make your own. The second option is to let your nappies get covered in cream, then when it's over scrub them with a toothbrush and some dishwashing liquid. I've never tried this either, it's not my idea of a fun way to spend an afternoon! But it comes highly recommended.

Can I use this method on flat nappies/cotton terry squares?
Yes! Your nappies don't have to be 'modern' to take advantage of modern knowledge. Dry-pailing works just as well on squares as it does on shaped nappies.

Prewashing-do I have to do it?
It depends on the fabric. For synthetics no prewashing is required (PUL, suedecloth, minky, microfleece). For natural fabrics some is usually needed. Bamboo and cotton are usually fine to use straight away with the prewashing i've given them, although they may not reach full absorbency for a couple of washes. Hemp can require up to 8 washes before it reaches full absorbency, so definitely needs prewashing.
Usually, with new nappies, i'll prewash hemp ones a couple of times, then use them for short periods at home for the first few wears. For bamboo and cotton do the same thing without the prewashes. Always judge prewashes on the fabric that needs the most washing-if it's hemp and cotton, treat as for hemp.
Prewashes can be done in with the rest of your washing-there's no need to do them seperately.

If you have any other questions I haven't answered, please feel free to ask and i'll do my best to answer them for you.

New prints are on their way!

2010-01-29T21:38:00.001+10:00

And they should arrive to me in about a week. A limited number of preorders for are available at a 10% discount. It's a mostly girly lot!

After the preorder discount is removed these covers will be $24.80 each, to reflect an increase in fabric cost, rather than the previous lot of prints which sold at $24.50.

Now, i'm off to the beach camping for a couple of days-make sure I come back to an empty shop, y'hear? :P

Can I get Pepper covers made with hook and loop fastenings?

2010-01-26T10:29:00.005+10:00

In a word, no. Why? Well, hook and loop (H&L, trade names such as Velcro) only really has one positive, which is its speed and ease of use. However, it has the following negatives, which in my opinion far outweigh the positive.

-It doesn’t sit as well. Two rows of snaps on a cover allow for great adjustability-nice and snug around the waist, with a bit more room around the nappy if needed. H&L doesn’t give you this adjustability, with the end result usually being that the cover gapes at the waist. Coupled with the waistband on clothes sitting snugly above it this is a surefire way to leaks.

-It doesn’t wash as well. Even with washtabs H&L tends to grab lint which needs to be picked out, a very boring job.

-It ages quicker. Snaps simply last longer in my experience. Which is a huge bonus in a OSFM which may receive heavy use over multiple children.

-Kids can take it off! H&L nappies are famed for unwanted nudie bums-many a person has bought a pile of H&L nappies only to replace them coming up to their childs first birthday. Snaps are much, much harder for a child to undo.

How to make a $4 wool nappy cover/soaker from a blanket

2010-01-23T10:48:00.007+10:00

Wool covers work fantastically, especially at night. But they can be extremely expensive-fair enough, as most are hand-knit, but if you're like me and have multiple kids in night nappies they can be prohibitively expensive. New wool fabric is also quite expensive.

Using an old wool blanket gives you cheap way of covering their bums. They can be picked up cheaply at most op-shops, or from the back of your linen cupboard. They're easy to make too-you don't need any fancy skills. And here's the clincher-they'll be machine washable. Never again will you empty the washer to find a doll-sized cover that's snuck in there! I don't lanolise either, I find it's not necessary if they're being washed after every use. You can also dye them-I did these ones with food dye for my son.

Enough of the blather, let's begin!

First up, you'll need to wash your blanket a few times to felt it up nice and thickly. They need to be 100% wool, make sure you haven't picked up an acrylic imitation. Once it's finished shrinking, you're ready to cut. I use a bigger version of my Pepper OSFM day covers. Much bigger, as this one is for my four year olds. Or you can try the Chloe's Toes freebie pattern-I haven't used it, but by the looks of it it's quite good dimensions for a freebie.

You'll need one outer layer, then another layer for the wetzone.

Pin them together, making sure it's centred.

I use a triple zig-zag stitch to sew around the wet-zone layer to give it a nice gradient. However a standard zig-zag is fine, even straight stitch will do in a pinch. As long as it's on. All thread must be polyester-cotton is absorbent.

Next, get out your fold-over elastic. This is elastic with a specially woven part down the centre, allowing you to fold it in half. You can buy it online, from GBAU, Nappies Covered or Fairy Fabrics.

Mark the points that you need to stretch the elastic between-generally across most of the back and leg holes, and a little bit of the front.

You'll be sewing the FOE across the front and back, and around the legs. It's best done with three step zigzag, but again, if you don't have it regular zig-zag is fine. Make sure the cover is right up snugly to the fold in the elastic. Stretching as you sew can make you feel as if you need a few extra hands, but you'll get the hang of it soon enough :)

Finished leg opening, nicely gathered.

Now it's time to finish off the edges of the wings-I do this with suedecloth scraps, however any polyester fabric, like polar fleece, can be used. As long as it's not absorbent. Cut some strips the same width as the FOE.

Fold them over the edges of the wings to bind the raw edges of the wool and FOE, and stitch in place.

Finished, except for the fastenings.

If you have a snap machine I much prefer snaps-however quality hook and loop tape can be purchased from the same places as FOE.

Mark your snap placement, which is much easier with a template.

Snap away.

A finished wing.

Mark the front according to the snaps on the wings and snap.

And done! A super-duper, heavyweight, machine-washable wool cover.

Check out Ivy's Nest to see this tutorial put to use. If you've also tried it, let me know and i'll show you off too

It’s rather quiet…….

2010-01-14T21:13:00.002+10:00

Online happenings have taken a backseat lately to what’s going on with Pepper Place offline-basically i’ve been kept more than busy enough with email orders and local work.
So, instead of trying to create a few extra hours in the day to work on stockings, I invite you to contact me with your requests instead. Let me know what you’d like, i’ll give you a lead time and you can tell me if you want to proceed.

Pepper Place in print!

2010-01-13T21:24:00.002+10:00

While seeing Pepper Place in lots of places online is fun, nothing compares to seeing my business in print. The internet is a bit unreal to me, but this ad is real and tangible.

And it’s in every household in the region now, hopefully up on the wall for the entire year, as part of the local calendar. Hopefully lots of Gin Gin residents will be curious about what modern cloth nappies are, and will then of course be blown away by how fabulous they are and become instant converts! (Well, I can always dream, right?!)

Feel free to call me on the number above-I don’t publish it online because the last time I did every time I checked the messages all 427 were from people trying to sell me stuff. It may take me a couple of days (no reception at home) but I will get back to you.

Travis

2009-12-29T22:19:00.001+10:00

I received these pictures of the gorgeous Travis a few months ago-things have been hectic, i'm playing catch-up!

His mum is a big fan of Pepper covers and mainly uses them over terry flats. So much of a fan that she recently decided to replace all her other covers with Peppers! So this lucky boy is getting quite a designer wardrobe-nappies count as wardrobe when you live in Cairns.

This one was received recently-a cheeky picture of his new tie-dye print cover which shows the snug fit around his thighs. This boy would look good in anything!

Carer's Business Discount

2009-12-12T23:05:00.000+10:00

I am very pleased to announce that I am now offering a discount to all carers holding a Carer Business Discount Card. This entitles the holder to 10% off single products, and an additional 5% off already discounted bulk packs.To take advantage of this simply email me your card number after making your order, and i'll apply it manually. Cumbersome I know, but there's not really an easier way to do it.

Anyone who receives Carer's Allowance or Carer's Payment is entitled to a card, you simply need to apply. If you don't have one, grab one!

Cloth nappies come in especially useful when you have a special needs child, as they are usually in nappies longer. My girls were all out of day nappies by their second birthday, but my SN son wore them until after his third birthday. Conservatively, that's over 1500 extra nappy changes!

Hopefully my discount gives you some small relief :)

Maryborough Heritage Markets, Thursday 3/12

2009-12-01T23:00:00.000+10:00

Yay! My application was approved and I will be at site 7 at the Maryborough Heritage Markets this Thursday. Which is why i'm up so late-so much to do!

Restocking!

2009-11-30T10:23:00.000+10:00

Due to some great sales at the markets (four nappies and a cover before i'd even finished setting up yesterday!) it's only a small stocking. However, I have put up some preorders for the sold-out prints, which will be sent in a maximum of two weeks from order.

So if you've had your eye on anything, now is the time to grab it!

Shalom Markets, Bundaberg, Sunday 28/11

2009-11-28T16:37:00.000+10:00

Yes, that's right, two markets in two days. I'm a glutton for punishment.

Shalom Markets are here. I'll be listing the stock I have remaining on the website either tomorrow or Monday, and will update when I do.

Gin Gin Markets, Saturday 28/11

2009-11-26T22:55:00.000+10:00

Back to Gin Gin this Saturday, as requested by a couple of people!

I'll also make a tentative date for Shalom markets in Bundaberg on Sunday-again, depending on stock levels and my energy levels.

How to make rain

2009-11-24T20:57:00.000+10:00

Prewash 20 metres of bamboo and hang it on the line to finish drying. Argh!

But I won't complain. It's been the first decent downpour in months, as you can probably tell from the picture-like my 'lawn'?

My stall setup

2009-11-22T20:28:00.001+10:00

Admittedly, my stall was pretty dismal to begin with. I'm a perfectionist, so I find I get to a certain point then need to throw myself into things or I never do it. I'm too busy obsessing over getting it perfect to actually do it!

Each product is arranged around a laminated info sheet so you can find out everything you need at a glance-saves my voice! There's also a custom ordering area with fabric samples, and I have a photo album full of good bum shots.

I've still got a way to go-I have another tablecloth to make then will set the tables up differently. I have some pictures I had printed out at A4 size to snap to the mesh sides, but they need to be reprinted as they came out strangely coloured. And i'd love to be able to get some shelving that suits my needs, i'm sure i'll come across it eventually.

It's actually quite difficult to set up a stall-as well as looking good it has to be easy to set up and pack up, it has to fit in the car easily and I have to be able to lift it all. Which rules out nearly everything! But the above is a good start.

Good news and bad news

2009-11-21T20:31:00.001+10:00

The bad news is i'm not going to be at the Shalom markets tomorrow-the good news is it's because I don't have enough stock! Time to hit the machines instead.

Gin Gin Markets, Saturday 21/11

2009-11-16T08:37:00.002+10:00

After our holiday and a bout of sickness (which takes FOREVER to make it's way through a family of seven!) i'm back to the markets this weekend. With my new, jazzed up stall-i'll post some pictures later on this week.

I'm tossing up whether to go to the Shalom Markets in Bundaberg on Sunday-i'll have to see how I feel Saturday afternoon and update then. It's very hot and dry here at the moment, which is tiring when you have to be out in it.

I've also posted my application for the Maryborough Heritage Markets so hopefully I can make a trip there before the end of the year.

Oops........

2009-10-31T21:31:00.001+10:00

I have just realised that my replying to comments is not actually working and I probably appear to be a rude snob. My apologies, and fixing that now!

I'm home!

2009-10-30T22:25:00.000+10:00

While being away is great, there's nothing like coming home and really being able to relax. I find with five kids holidaying is exhausting and home gives me my break!

I've just finished reactivating everything in my store. It's looking a bit sparse over there, but there's still lots of goodies to be had. Tomorrow morning will see my return to the sewing machine and snap press to restock the sold out prints.

I have lots of pictures of beautiful children from my customers to post here soon, but for now i'll say goodnight-it's already late for me, as the other mothers will understand.

Belated update

2009-10-12T21:00:00.001+10:00

I managed to update the website before leaving, but haven't managed to get here until now.

I am in Melbourne-unfortunately not technically on holidays, but we thought it was about time to visit our families. I think I should have put an order in for better weather before leaving...........but I don't know what I expected, I did live here for eighteen years!

I'll be back in sunny Queensland soon, hugging my sewing machine, and will reopen the site then. I also have a massive bag of new snaps waiting for me at the post office so will be able to list some new bits and pieces now I can actually snap them :).

And the winners are............

2009-10-02T11:40:00.005+10:00

A day late, but i've finally had a chance to do this! Using the old-fashioned number out of the hat method, we have the two winners (and lots of bits of paper to occupy the children).

The winner of the Blue Swirls Pepper Cover is newsletter subscriber #40.

The winner of the Pepper Cover in the print of their choice is order #15, IW from South Australia, who has chosen the very spunky rainbow print. Slighly different to the pic below as I forgot to photograph the new one-the request was for a more unisex one, so the pink is right next to one leg opening with a small amount on one tab, plus green snaps.

Congratulations! I'm contacting you both now to organise your prizes.

Thanks to everyone who bought, signed up, followed and hunted over the last month. It's been fun!

Kelly.

Terribly sorry...........

2009-10-02T09:02:00.000+10:00

I haven't had a chance to draw the competition yet, life has interfered. I will get to it as soon as I can today.

Thanks for your patience,
Kelly.

Pssst! Shhhhh..........

2009-09-29T21:37:00.003+10:00

Well, shhh until you've grabbed what you want!

15% off everything in store tomorrow.

It's the last day of the Hunt and i'm exiting with a bang-i've taken 15% off everything in the store for today only!

Which means.............
Pepper OSFM covers start at $20.83

5 Pepper Mini Wipes are only $6.80

Trial Packs (two nappies + cover + wipes) are $57.72!

Plus there's more great bargains in store!

The other benefits are still valid-so standard postage is free! And I have some beautiful wipes here to giveaway while stocks last.

Have fun!
Kelly.

PS. Don't forget that every purchase made gives you an entry into tomorrow's draw for a free Pepper OSFM cover.

No Market Tomorrow

2009-09-25T19:26:00.001+10:00

Unfortunately I have to cancel tomorrow-my 8 month old is cutting a tooth and will not be without his mama. :(

Markets Saturday, and Update.

2009-09-24T21:22:00.002+10:00

I'll be at the markets this Saturday at Gin Gin, with my new vamped-up stall.

The nappy hunt icon has been moved today-seven days to go, how's the hunting?

And..............the free wipes offer has been extended to the end of the month :)

Some Lovely Pics

2009-09-20T20:38:00.007+10:00

I received some absolutely beautiful photos last week from sunny Cairns.

Obviously these are not your standard amateur pics (far beyond my standard!). They were taken by Melissa of Three Winx Photography & Design-for more examples of her beautiful work see her website and Facebook.

Thanks Mel!

Gin Gin Markets, Saturday 5th September

2009-09-04T20:52:00.002+10:00

Late notice I know, but I only decided today. Things have been wonderfully hectic with the stocking of the website and i’m thriving on it, so off I go tomorrow!

That’s it, short and sweet-I have a very early morning tomorrow so i’m off to bed.

Kelly.

Wow.

2009-09-02T22:13:00.002+10:00

For the website-

2,772 pageloads already this month, 463 unique visitors-and we’re only two days in! And i’m down in P-no matter what the recommendations are lots of people still like to start at the beginning :)

Good luck all!

Absorbency Testing

2009-08-29T21:49:00.003+10:00

I have decided to put all the nappies I sell through an absorbency test, to enable better comparison between brands for customers. Absorbency is the key issue for a lot of people, and unlike a cute print or the type of fastening it’s not immediately obvious.

The method I came up with is designed to give the maximum absorbency-it would be uncomfortable to routinely leave your child in the nappy until it was that wet. However it is an excellent way of comparing absorbency between brands and ranges of nappies. Each nappies result will be listed with it’s Product Review on this blog, as well as being added to a list of all results.

First up, the nappy is prewashed as necessary, and weighed when dry.

Next, it’s completely immersed in water until saturated.

It’s hung up without squeezing or wringing for twenty minutes. I was originally going to leave each until it stopped dripping, but then the scientific training i’ve had came in useful-you may only change one thing at a time in each of a range of experiments, and in this case that will be the nappy!

Finally, it is weighed again-obviously with the scales calibrated to account for the bowl! As you can see the Mandy Mac Bamboo used here increased in weight by 382 grams, and as water is conveniently equivalent to weight (grams=millilitres) we can see that it is capable of absorbing up to 382 millilitres.

The Testing Process

2009-08-22T19:50:00.001+10:00

Unfortunately, releasing a new product is not quite so simple as coming up with a great idea, whipping a few up and listing them, then sitting back and watching the sales roll in! I thought i’d give you all a peek at what all Pepper branded products go through before they’re deemed suitable for sale.

The Idea-something pops into my head that’s worth thinking about. This is not always a good idea of course-the AIO prefolds idea got nixed pretty quickly (no elastic + newborn poo = disaster!) I normally think about things quite a bit before I get out the scissors, to try to come up with possible problems and solutions, the best fabric combinations and possible variations.

Drafting-A paper pattern is drafted up based on the idea. I have enough of these laying around now after three years that I usually have a pretty good idea on what dimensions each part of the pattern should have. But in the beginning this took forever!

Prototype-I make the shell from the draft pattern in a cheap fabric to get the measurements, which are compared to the goal measurements, which are based on the sizing I want (eg a large, or a OSFM). This is tweaked according to the result until I get exactly what I need. This also allows me to work out the best way to assemble the pieces and the lengths of elastic needed.

The Real Deal-It’s finally time to get a real one happening! I make one complete nappy, with all boosters and fastenings, in the intended fabrics. Measurements are taken again to ensure it is still sized correctly.

Testing by Me-Now it goes in my nappy stash. During this time it is used regularly and positives and negatives noted. One of the best indicators is when I grab it-if i’m impatiently waiting for it to dry it’s a winner, but if it languishes in the shelf and is only used in a dire emergency then it’s back to the drawing board! My husband is valuable input during this stage-he’s a big fan of ease and is quite happy to tell me when he thinks something is rubbish (ouch!)

External Testing-If after a few months it is still getting consistent use and is holding its appearance and quality, it’s time for external testing. A number are sent out to parents to use and review for me, by answering questions and providing photos. When I choose testers I try to cover as wide a range of the following as possible.

-child’s weight/age/shape-to ensure the nappy fits all the intended size range, for all builds.
-wetting habits-heavy wetters tend to be more troublesome to nappy, so provide useful feedback.
-breastfed/formula fed-anyone who has done both knows that what goes in greatly affects what comes out!
-location-Using cloth in Hobart is vastly different to using it in Cairns.

I mostly use experienced cloth users who have a wide range of nappies to compare to, however I usually also include a newbie, as I tend to do a lot of my marketing and selling to disposable users.

After all that it’s time to review the results-if they’re all good then it’s time to sell!

Stocking Tuesday 1st September!

2009-08-19T15:25:00.004+10:00

My satellite is working and I have been reluctantly dragged back into the modern world. I have quite a bit to do and need to do it around the kids, so i’m going to coincide stocking the site with the beginning of the Nappy Hunt.

I’m offering free postage for all hunters during September, so don’t forget to register and enter your code during checkout to take advantage of this. Also, i’m running a couple of prize draws-stay tuned for more details!

Here's the Nappy Hunt prize i've donated, for those cluey enough to qualify-a Pepper OSFM cover. I've just found out it's been put up as the daily prize for the 3rd of September-take a look at the awesome prize list here. Good luck!

Some lovely mail.

2009-08-13T08:08:00.000+10:00

This just goes to show that flattery can get you everywhere. I received an email from someone who borrowed one of the Pepper OSFM Pockets from one of my testers and loved it so much she had to have some. How could I refuse?!

These have now arrived at their new home-four pockets plus an additional four bifold boosters to up the absorbency of some other nappies.

This order has really inspired me to get cracking on these, so I have decided there will DEFINITELY be a stocking of them during the hunt!

Boo Hoo!

2009-08-11T08:41:00.000+10:00

No broadband for me yet. I have a great, ugly, non-functional satellite on my roof-after not raining for months a storm blew over as they were trying to tune it. The rain was very welcome, but really-what terrible timing!

Hopefully it will all be working very soon, i'm currently having nightmares about having to do the Nappy Hunt on dial-up.

Apple Tree Creek Markets-Saturday 8/8

2009-08-02T20:44:00.003+10:00

This weekend i'll be at the Apple Tree Creek markets. This is a monthly one and quite a good size and usually very busy, for good reason. Apple Tree Creek is a little bit north of Childers, and best of all there's a great playground adjacent to the market site, so when the kids get edgy you can take them there to run off some steam, then get back to shopping.

I'll also have my broadband satellite installed this Wednesday, all going well. Which means the shop and site will be stocked and completely functional very very soon (and i'll be having less hissy fits when trying to do my banking!)

Pepper Place is sponsoring the nappy hunt!

2009-07-31T20:52:00.002+10:00

Well, i've finally got around to it! During every other hunt i've been too busy (all that moving house usually) but this time i'm settled, I have a great website, I have stock, so I have no excuse.

For those who have never participated, it's an online treasure hunt that runs during September. Each sponsor hides the icon on their website and you find a certain amount to go into the draw for some absolutely awesome prizes. It's not all nappies either-most tends to be child related but they try to encourage a great range of sponsors. Joining also gets you discounts or bonuses at most of the stores.

Join here. But be prepared-lots of people find it very addictive!

Gin Gin Markets, Saturday 25/7

2009-07-23T20:42:00.002+10:00

Back again! I'll have another stall at Gin Gin this Saturday. Then i'll be away for two weeks-I need a week to build up my stock and will be travelling slightly further afield for a market the week after, which i'll post about when it's confirmed.

Gin Gin Markets, Saturday 18/7

2009-07-15T20:50:00.003+10:00

Well, I had so much fun last week i'm back to do it again! Same place, same time, and i'll have a bit more stuff-i've managed to get even more of the Pepper OSFM covers made up, so i'll have at least one of every print available, with a few luscious minky outer/inner ones.

I also received some pictures of the gorgeous Linc, who with his mum has been doing a fantastic job testing some pockets for me over the last couple of months. He's around 7kgs at the moment. Testing on size for these is coming back perfectly, but i'm still musing over the booster configuration-I just need to remember the KISS rule!

Gin Gin Markets, Saturday 11/7

2009-07-07T20:02:00.000+10:00

Well, i've finally gotten my act together after the move and will be having a stall at the Gin Gin markets this Saturday. They're held in the grounds of the museum, just off the Bruce Highway heading towards Bundaberg. As well as my totally awesome stall, you'll also find an abundance of local fruit and veg, various nursery stalls and crafts (there were some fantastic painted gourds there last week), plus other bits and pieces like poultry and preserves. It's actually quite a good morning out for a small town.

I've been snapping madly, my arms hurt! I'll have lots of my Pepper covers, which are made from gorgeously printed polyester PUL/suedecloth and OSFM (a thorough review is due on here soon).

I also had the first box of Mandy Macs arrive last week so will have the hemp and bamboo fitted day nappies, the bamboo night nappies and bamboo prefolds with me. These were always my top choice for my first order of products not made by myself-you simply can't beat them as an all-round workhorse nappy.

Beginning in earnest.

2009-05-19T20:32:00.000+10:00

It's been a long road, as any venture is with a newborn who also happens to be your fifth child, thrown in with a move to the country. But i'm nearly there!

The website will not be selling anything until I get satellite broadband installed here. Sorry, but at rural dialup speeds it's just not doable! But in the near future i'll be getting the market and demo side of things happening-if you're within a few hours of Gin Gin, Queensland (Bundaberg, Childers, Maryborough, Biggenden or anywhere around that distance) and would like to check out modern cloth nappies via a party-plan style demonstration then drop me a comment or email me via the website.

In the meantime I have big plans for this blog-not just a boring recital of dates and stockings. Stay tuned!