Painting a PUL Cloth Diaper - bumGenius!

So, I got curious one day and searched the web for any direction on creating cool designs on diaper shells. I don't mind the solid colors, but I really think there are a few I could spruce up a bit. Anyway, there were a couple of very brief comments in group discussions on the subject so I decided to give it a whirl. I went to Hobby Lobby and bought some acrylic paint in assorted colors, stencils and textile medium (a liquid that makes acrylic paint permanent on most fabrics). I had bought some plain white shells from the cotton babies website. I was itching to get started. Here goes...
1. Wash diapers/fabric and dry to be sure nothing will shrink. That way, your design will stay put.

 2. Find something to help the diaper stay flat. I shoved a book in there, but be careful of sharp objects, as they may scratch through your pull shell, making the diaper useless. Maybe wrap a book's edges with a washcloth or something soft to prevent this. I also tried a bent wire and plastic hanger on my second diaper. That seemed to stretch the diaper the full length and I felt worked a lot better. I made sure the poky parts were covered with something soft.

 

3. Place your stencil. Secure stencil with tape. On my second diaper, I actually took a pen and traced the stencil on the diaper, removed the stencil plastic after tracing and then painted from the pen marks. That seemed to work okay too. I found that if you don't have the stencil flush against the diaper, the paint bleeds underneath the stencil lines and your shape kind of globs together underneath the stencil plastic if you are not careful. My first diaper did, but not enough for me to really tell or care.

 4. Mix one part medium to two parts paint. I used old baby food jars to mix and keep the paint colors I mixed. Choose your paintbrush. Have a cup of water and old fabric to wipe off excess paint, clean your brush, etc.

 5. Start painting!

6. When finished, carefully and slowly peel the stencil away from the diaper. Be careful NOT to lay the stencil back down once lifted as this may cause unwanted paint to go onto the diaper.

 7. Let dry completely. Then, to set the color permanently, throw in the dryer for a good 20 minutes on the highest heat setting you can. Wash cold. Wash hot. Dry. Done!

 Second diaper! Instead of stenciling directly onto the diaper, I traced the stencil onto the diaper and painted over the tracing.

 YAY!