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Upcycled Puffer Shrug: A Tutorial

By 44 Comments

Really, not all diapers are ready for disposal, right? There are plenty that are barely used and have plenty of life left in them. Knock off any contents, let them air- or sun-dry a bit, and they’re ready to be upcycled. And the puff-factor supplied by what is essentially batting and a whole lot of elastic makes them perfect for this:
To make your own puffer shrug, you’ll need a supply of these:

This version required 8 “Size 4” Target-brand diapers. Your choice of brand will impact the design aesthetic. If you’d like a pattern, leave a comment below. If there’s enough interest I’ll calculate the quantities and sizes required based on the most popular/widely-available brands.

Let’s start with sleeves. Take two diapers, stretch them lengthwise and pin right sides together. Stitch along the edge just outside of the elastic.

Like so:

Repeat this process for the second sleeve.

Repeat the process yet again for the back of the shrug, but this time clip the bottom corners to create a nice curve. One lovely fact about diapers– they’re non-woven. No fraying, no edges to finish.

Going back to the sleeves, turn the pieces in half width-wise, right-sides together and pin.

Stitch and trim excess. You can decide whether or not to hem the wrist ends.

Turn right-side out. Voila! Perfectly puffy.

Pin the sleeves at each shoulder, right sides together. Stitch.

Now we need edging for the shrug to give it a nice round shape. Without that, it’d look silly. You can go with the center portion of your diapers to give it a nice plump edge, or you could upcycle a greater number of diapers to use the frilly elastic leg bits. Your choice. I went with a rounder edge.
Fold one diaper lengthwise. Trim edges to make neat line. Repeat with second diaper. 
Stitch one of each of the short ends, right sides together, to form one really lengthy u-shaped piece. Pin ends at top of shoulders and all the way around the bottom of the shrug. Stitch. 
And here’s what we have. An (outer) water-repellant upcycled puffer shrug, ready to party.
The elastic sections in the back allow great freedom of movement.
Both of my kids were excited to try it out. And neither wanted to take it off. I’d call that a success. And the best part? Using materials that were just going to get thrown away if we hadn’t upcycled them!
If you make one, be sure to add it to our flickr group! We’d love to see it!

Comments

  5. Farah says

    Okay all jokes aside, my little girl would love that. The last time I was in the US i bough a bag of those Target diapers and they were her absolute favorite. She LOVED her polka-dot diapers.

    Reply

  15. Janet says

    Very nicely done, and wow, the best of April 1st for certain! Thanks so much for this gift of upcycling and laughter!

    Reply

  41. Rebecca says

    Okay this made me LAUGH when I realized it was an April Fool’s joke…before that,I was in disbelief and was about to share this on FB as a “You’ve got to be kidding me” link…. ;) Great job! Very funny! :) Tackiest thing I’ve ever seen…LOL

    Reply

  43. Naomi says

    I’m reading this on my phone in the parking lot and the people right next to my car probably think I’m crazy, cause im laughing my head off all by myself! Too funny!

    Reply

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