Making inserts;

The fabric you make your inserts out of is very much personal preference, but the three most common fabrics are:

Microfibre - a synthetic cloth that is very light it absorbs very quickly but has a tendency to squash the liquid back out if compressed.

Bamboo - a natural fabric which is very soft and absorbent - absorbs slower than microfibre, but faster than hemp, this fabric will shrink and needs to be pre-washed in hot water before using.

Hemp - another natural fabric which is a very slow absorber but holds liquid really well, this fabric will shrink and contains natural oils which make it water resistant until they are washed out so needs to be pre-washed in hot water before using.

Which fabric you choose is often trial and error, hemp is a good option for night times and heavy wetter's but can go quite stiff over time, bamboo seems to be multi purpose but may not wear as well as the others, and microfibre is great for fast absorption.

The inserts I make are 40 x 35 cm - these fit all my nappies either folded length or width ways.

Cut out two layers of pre shrunk fabric to 35 x 40 cm's, and overlock in one continuous seam, starting and finishing halfway down a long side and curving around the corners.

If you don't have access to an overlocker you can use a zig zag stitch on your sewing machine, you may get some fraying from the bamboo, but hemp and microfibre don't seem to fray.