The inserts are in great condition, but the elastic is not so stretchy and the aplix is not very sticky anymore. I started with my seam ripper and pulled off the aplix on the wings.
The instructions on the card in the refresher kit, say to sew the new laundry tabs on over the old ones, but I didn't see any good reason to not pull off the old ones. Unlike on a 4.0 the tabs are on PUL not on the fleece inner.
After much debating and inspecting, I decided the easiest way to get inside the diaper to replace the elastic was to open the diaper on the front rise. More seam ripping and I am inside.
I then turned the diaper completely inside out and found the elastic. It took a little bit of digging to get it fully exposed. I started with the one on the back. I unattached the elastic on one side then used a safety pin to attach the new piece of elastic to the old one. Then its pretty easy to pull the new piece through the channel. Its the same process for the leg holes, so I'm not going to show you all three.
Its a good idea to turn the safety pin long ways after you remove the old elastic. I didn't do that at first and accidentally pulled the new elastic into the channel and had to work it to the end again.
Since you are working in a small area, I found that using a bobby pin helped me to get everything flat and keep it in place.
Here is where you get to use your sewing machine to attach the new elastic to the seam of the diaper. The original pieces were sewed in two places, so I did the same.
I wanted to use my sewing machine for the new laundry tabs, but I couldn't find a way to do it. There was too much fabric and it was too deep in the back of the diaper. I sewed the new ones on by hand following the holes that were left over from the originals. This was the hardest, most time consuming part.
Next, I reattached the wings on the diaper. This was another time my bobby pin came in handy to hold everything all together. Instructions say to sew around the outside of the two pieces twice. Then you want to reverse stitch to make sure everything stays in place.
Finally, its time to close up the diaper. I lined up the front and back together as well as I could. I was lazy and didn't change the lower bobbin in my sewing machine from white to blue, so you can see my stitching on the inside of the diaper. Unfortunately, here is where you can also see my novice sewing skills, but I didn't feel like ripping it out and doing it again.
The front looks much better.
Here is the diaper compared to a few others with relaxed elastic. Its now much tighter and ready to be used.
Please feel free to comment with any questions.
Supplies Needed:
Seam ripper
Several safety pins
Sewing machine
New elastic
New aplix (velcro)
Bobby pin (optional)
