Wet Bag

Ever since we got our cloth diapers I have had 'sew a wet bag' on my to-do list. We've been putting the soiled diapers in a grocery bag on the closet door handle in the interim. I'm happy to say that last week I finally tackled the project, and our days of grocery wet bags are no more!

I usually like to find a tutorial to follow for my projects, but for this one I couldn't find what I wanted. Most wet bag tutorials have a drawstring, and I wanted something that zipped and would be nice and flat against the side of the dresser/changing table. So I dreamed this one up, drew some rough sketches, and got to work. I did use this tutorial to figure out how to sew the lining and outer fabric to the zipper without having seams showing inside. Its a great tutorial, and a really cute boxy bag too!

Since this bag needs some sort of moisture barrier, I used an iron-on vinyl from the craft store. I applied the vinyl to plain white fabric (an old sheet, actually) for the lining and then cut and began sewing. The vinyl is thin, so it was really easy to work with. Oilcloth would be another great option, I just wanted a cheaper solution. PUL would work too, which is the fabric they use on our cloth diapers. I've seen it at JoAnn's before.

Vinyl covered interior

The advantage of a bag rather than a pail is that I can throw the bag in the wash with my diapers and avoid having another thing to wash. Having now washed this one once, I must say the vinyl wrinkled a lot in the wash. Not a huge deal, but I think oilcloth or PUL would hold shape better.

Already getting lots of use.

I used a zipper that is made for athletic jackets because it zipped and unzipped the easiest. The last thing I wanted was something that was difficult to maneuver while I'm handling a dirty diaper and a squirmy baby. This one, with the addition of a long zipper pull, has worked great so far. By attaching the hanging loops at each end of the zipper the bag is kept steady while I zip and unzip.

Basically, I'm really happy with this little wet bag project. Now we just need to get the rest of Charly's room in order. It's looking a little drab, dontcha think?

I think some paint and artwork is in order.