About Us
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We decided to include an About Us page so you can get to know us a little bit.
Hello my name is Vilate Thacker.
I am admitting to the world that I am a cloth diaper addict.
There, I said it. This really isn’t news to those that know me. I live, eat and dream cloth diapers. Well, I guess I don’t really eat them. I do live better though because of all the amazing friends I have made and all the interesting information I have gathered. I try to be a little more eco-friendly and help my family live healthier. All this because I decided it would save us a little money to cloth diaper.
When we first were married Hubs had lots of school in front of him. Before we know it though, we had two baby girls. They aren’t twins, but they are super close, about as close as you can get. With two little ones we were pinching our pennies. One day I saw a pattern at a small town store for a cloth diaper. As a young mother, of course I turned to my own mom for advice. I asked her what she thought and she said she would never do it, but if I would do the sewing and really use them she would buy me the stuff I needed. We bought some diaper flannel and… ok I admit it… some plastic pants. YUCK! My first diapers were some flannel fitteds with velcro. Oh the lamenting . . . I know so much better now.
We used these for our first two kiddos until the baby developed really bad rashes and we couldn’t get them to clear up. We tried all kinds of cream, but with no support system I gave up and we used disposables for the final diapering of number two. When number three came along (our only boy) we still used the disposable diapers until I met a gal that had some pocket cloth diapers. I loved these ones. They had snaps and a waterproof layer in them! How awesome is that? Then she told me how much they cost and I thought . . . I can make them for less than that. So I did. I spent the money I would have spent on the diapers and I bought some of the fabrics and an industrial snap press and made my own diapers.
I really learned a lot from that first set of pocket diapers. I sewed them all wrong and they leaked around the edges if they were left on too long. So you can imagine our mornings were always wet with lots of extra laundry. This was very frustrating! I knew that this was not the way they should work, so I got on the internet and I did a LOT of research. I spent hours and hours asking questions and reading articles. I think my Hubs was getting worried. In all my research though, I stumbled upon wool covers. This was a great solution to our leaky nights. Oh how, I love wool! With the discovery of wool covers I found that there were better fabrics out there too. I found organic fabrics like hemp and bamboo. I took the time to learn the qualities of these fabrics so I could know how best to use them. Now I could have an amazing absorbent fitted cloth diaper and a natural breathable cover. I was overjoyed!
My new cloth diapers I made worked great! I couldn’t believe how good they were.
After all this work and effort I already had the supplies so I decided to make some cloth diapers and sell them. They worked great for my last four kids maybe other people would want a nice diaper too. I started selling my cloth diapers on etsy and eventually I was getting enough business I felt I could justify a website. I played around with a name and decided on Nifty Nappy™ Cloth Diapers, because these diapers are just so “nifty”. It has just grown from there. I now have some active retailers and I am adding more all the time. My Nifty Nappy™ fitted and Woolie Wrap combo is touted as a great night-time solution for the heavy wetter. I also make a pretty mean PeachyKeen Pocket diaper and the most adorable SnappySwimzEaze, which is a reusable swim diaper.
So you ask, “What do I like most about what I do?”. I love the interaction I have with other mothers. I love that I can help them determine what is best for their families and live a greener lifestyle. If you think I can help you please feel free to ask any questions. I love to talk fluff and I would love to help you get started.
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Nifty Nappy™ Products:Having a diaper that fits and is trim but also breathes and is cute is asking a lot, right?
I didn’t think so! I knew it could be done if I had the right materials and knowledge. I have spent many hours on line researching cloth diapers, along with years of testing different patterns and fabrics out on my own 6 kids. I finally found the right fabrics and with all the knowledge I had acquired, I started on a diaper. The pattern of the diaper isn’t too difficult right? Well, shape does matter, how soon you curve around the leg can make or break a diaper. Then there is making it fit from newborn to potty training. I succeeded in that too! I made the perfect diaper…at least I think it is.
Qualities of the Nifty Nappy™:
- Front snapping for a longer fit
- Trim fit – looks natural under clothes
- Organic Hemp and Bamboo for absorbency
- Cute fabrics for your baby’s bum
There are a few other items that are good enough to join the Nifty Nappy™ in this shop:
Wool Covers- Upcycled from wool sweaters handpicked from thrift stores, these are practically bullet proof.
PeachyKeen Pocket diapers- These are made with the PUL qualities in mind so there is no leaking on the edges.
Snappy SwimzEaze- Keeps your babies tush comfy while keeping your mind at ease, knowing that everything will stay in the diaper and not in the pool.
This website is to help you get to know my diaper and also to provide information about cloth diapering…all the in’s and out’s!
I love to be able to sew diapers for your little ones. They really don’t take to long to sew up either, and it is so fun to see the diaper come together. I still get all excited and have to fold the flaps over and ohh and ahh over how adorable and soft they are and think about how much you and your babies will love them. The cutting and pinning do take quite awhile though. I have to cut 5 things for each diaper, and 3 for each swim diaper. I have figured out a few short cuts to help make them go a bit faster, but in the end it takes time. The business end of things also takes more time that I realized. I have to keep up with the emails, tweets and facebook. Then there are the blogs. Coming up with blog post is not always easy for me. I am continually amazed by people who run successful blogs.
All these aspects are time consuming in their own way. If I didn’t have anything else to do but focus on my diapers I could it all by myself . . . but I have a family too! My wonderful Hubs and my 6 kiddos do require some of my time as mama. I love to take on the customs and all the soakers and longies. With all the cutting and pinning and the snapping our household stays busy with diapering stuff. I found as my business has grown that I can’t keep up with it all by myself. So I am going to start to look around for someone that can help me in the sewing of my diapers.
We are still small, but growing like wildfire -which is really exciting!
We consists of
Momma-Vilate
Wonderful Hubby
…and we are trailed by 6 kiddos!
current ages: as of June, 2010
Girl #1 -12
Girl #2 -11
Only Boy -10
Girl #3 -8
Girl #4 -6
Girl #5 -4
We love being a family. We love to play together, eat together, and work together.
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I really love to make diapers. I want you to know how much love your diapers get before they get to you!
First I love picking out the adorable fabrics!
Then I enjoy watching them take form!
Finally after snapping them all- I hold them and exclaim how cute they are!
*I really do this with each diaper. Hubby thinks I am extreme!
But then I have to show my girls how cute they are and any poor soul that wanders through my door.
So your diapers have already been loved by the time they hit your baby’s bum! We hope you love them just as much!
