Is It Cheaper to Sew Your Own Cloth Incontinence Garments?

You may be wondering if it’s cheaper to sew your own adult cloth diapers and absorbent underwear. Sewing your own cloth incontinence items is almost always cheaper than purchasing products from the store or online. However, what you save in price, you pay for in time.

And sometimes it’s just not worth it to sew your own.

To determine whether or not it’s going to actually be cheaper to make your own cloth incontinence items, take some time to ask yourself a few key questions.

1. What do you want to make?

I rarely sew my own clothes.

Mainly because the limited time I have that is not spent on taking care of my kids and house is spent working on my business and sewing orders. Besides, I have always had a soft spot (obsession?) with thrift stores. There’s just something about the cluttered shelves and racks that hint at the possibility of finding some treasured something that I just love!

So I buy most of my clothes secondhand. 

The only exception is if there is something in particular that I want and I can’t find it for a decent price – like kids’ pjs. Or if I have a particular piece of fabric in my stash that whispers to me exactly what it should become. Seriously, it’s just magical when fabric just speaks to you!

Keep in mind, though that if you are making something that is very similar to what you can already buy, it’s extra important to figure in the cost of fabric and time because it might not be worth it.

2. Can you buy it?

For example, let’s say you want to make a diaper cover. Covers – especially plastic covers – are among the cheapest cloth incontinence items you can buy, so in many cases the cost of fabric + time doesn’t make sense to make your own. 

UNLESS:

A.) You are making it in a size and/or proportion that you can’t buy. 

One of my long time customers needed his items made with the elastic cut tighter in one of the legs due to differences in circumference. Since leg fit is essential for preventing leaks, being able to customize the fit was important.

B.) You are making it in a color or pattern that’s not available. 

Let’s be honest, the selection of colors and patterns available in adult cloth incontinence products can leave a lot to be desired. Then again, if your primary goal is to save money….it might not be worth it to make something for the same price you can buy it just to get a different color.

C.) You are making it in a fabric type you can’t purchase premade.

The current selection of premade cloth incontinence items revolve primarily around cotton, polyester, and plastic.  While there is nothing wrong with these textiles, others like bamboo, hemp, and 3D zorb have benefits beyond what the others can offer. 

Related content: 16 Types of Fabrics Used in Cloth Diapering

D.) The item you want is in a style that you can’t buy.

While the style options for cloth incontinence items has greatly increased over the past couple of decades, there are still gaps between what people want and what’s available. The first 2 years of my Etsy shop was just about making custom items for people according to their specifications. 

Or… maybe you just want to make an item that has more absorbency than what you can buy. Any way you look at it, the highest value of making your own comes from making something that you can’t currently buy.

3. How much does the fabric cost?

If you’re like me, you horde fabric like you’re not running out of storage space.

If this is the case, you might already have everything on hand to make your next cloth incontinence product. So go for it! Make that product and put what you have to good use 🙂

But if you need to purchase fabric and supplies for your project, it’s important calculate how much it’s going to cost.

Most of the time, good quality fabric is not cheap. While every now and again, you can catch a sale or get a good deal, you will most likely pay a decent chunk of change for your fabric of choice. And don’t forget to add in shipping costs!

Just a side note: something to consider is the fact that a business can charge more for a product that is organic, even though the cost difference between the regular and organic product is minimal.

But just for kicks, let’s do a little analysis. (You know I like my numbers!)

Example

Let’s say you want to make a fitted diaper in size S/M. You can make your own pattern or buy one. So let’s put the cost of the pattern aside for this example.

Let’s also assume that you will be making this item from all the same fabric with 2 diaper panels and 4 layers for center absorbency.

You will need 2 yards of bamboo fleece fabric and 3 of diaper flannel because you want to make sure that you cut the center absorbency along the lengthwise grain just like the panels. Otherwise, you’ll end up with different shrinkage and get a warped end product.

Diaper Flannel

3 yards of diaper flannel + shipping = $20.77

Hook and loop tape (5 yds) + shipping = $22.70 (20” for the diaper = $3.40)

50 set snaps (not counting pliers) = $5.94 (14 sets for the diaper = $1.66)

TOTAL costs to make 1 = $24.17 (hook and loop), $22.43 (snap) 

To purchase product + shipping = $46.00

Bamboo Fleece

2 yards of bamboo fleece + shipping = $42.00

TOTAL cost to make 1 = $45.40 (hook and loop), $43.66 (snap)

To purchase product + shipping = $59.44

4. How long will it take?

Time is money.

And I’m not talking about working for pay. I’m talking about your time outside of that. What is the value of your free time?

As someone who is frugal to the bone and used to always going the DIY route (thanks dad), I spent many an hour stuck in messy projects that never seemed worth it in the end. It wasn’t until I came across this article on Wallet Hacks that I realized that sometimes it’s better just to buy something. Just like sometimes it’s better to pay more for higher quality then it is to get the cheapest thing possible.

So once you figure the cost of fabric for what you want to make, think about how long it will take you to make it.   

If you’re making one of my patterns, you probably need 1-2 hours to get it done. At least for the first one. The nice thing about making multiples is that you get better and faster as you go 😉 

If you’re not sure how much you value your time, let’s take a look at the fitted example:

• • • For the flannel fitted, you’d save $21.84 for the hook and loop version and $23.57 for the snap version.
    • For the bamboo, you’d save $14.04 for hook and loop and $15.78 for snap.

Now ask yourself, is your 1-2 hours worth saving that amount?

Is it worth it to make your own adult cloth diapers and leakproof underwear?

Let’s go over everything one more time.

1. What do you want to make?

2. Can you buy it? 

If no, proceed to making the item.

If yes, answer the following questions.

3. How much does it cost + shipping to buy a similar item?

4. How much will the fabric cost make it?

5. How long will it take?

6. Is the savings worth your time to make the item?

In the end, you will save some money making your own adult cloth diapers and leakproof underwear. However, if your time is more valuable than the savings, it’s worth it to consider buying what you need.