The Vilate Interview: Call it a Nifty Nappy-view?

Vilate of Nifty Nappy Diapers made my day when she started conversing with me over doing a guest post for the Verry Wooly Event. I could not believe it! (A Quote from Little Einsteins)--kept playing over and over in my head for about an hour in my mind!  It did not help that Little Einsteins were playing either.  I think she has much knowledge in the world of cloth diapering as well as a thing or two in being a mom!  ;)

All in all I think you will enjoy this fun interview and hope that you catch a glimpse of the woman behind the business.  Included in this interview are some questions I bet some of you have been itching to ask!  Enjoy--don't be afraid to smile!

• Of all the types of diapers you've used on your six kiddos what type of wool cover {Upcycled, Knitted etc} was your favorite?

 Well, this is a hard one to answer. LOL!! I have only ever used my own covers and I don’t knit so I can’t comment on those.... although I am sure I would LOVE them. I did have some crocheted woolies and I loved them. BUT we lived out in the sticks (the middle of nowhere, on a farm) and my kids were always playing outside and dirt is just attracted to them. (I blame my hubby he is a Soil Scientist) It seemed to me the crocheted ones where always dirty and took more effort to clean, I usually saved them for winter when we didn’t go out much.... of at least the dirt was covered by snow.

I think my faves for nights where my Woolie Wraps because they have 2 layers of wool. They seemed to last through the nights. During the days if we were going somewhere and I wanted to put on some cute outfit a Woolie Wrap under the outfit worked, but for the most part when we were home or out and about I did upcycled longies or soakers. I think my last baby only had one pair of jeans in her wardrobe.

• What inspired you or How did you figure that one could use Soap Nuts on Wool covers?

Humm... well I used them for my diaper laundry and just thought that they might work, I talked with a big Soap Nuts seller and did some research. I didn’t see a reason they couldn’t be used to wash them at least. What I really wanted though was a way to take the guessing out of wool care. I get lots of emails about wool and how to care for it. Wool isn’t that hard to wash and lanolize but it is a little daunting for a newbie to know how much is the right amount. And then they wonder if they did it right. Even after it is done they still aren’t sure they did it right they don’t know what it is supposed to look or smell like. If I could find a way for them to be able to just put the stuff in and not worry about how much lanolin and how much soap and how much water then they wouldn’t be so nervous about it. It took a few tries and some math... which I HATE... to figure it out. LOL!! But once I got it it worked like a charm.

• You are one of the most well known WAHM I know and fans love you and your Nifty Nappies, what led you to open up a business and/or what gave you the courage to become what you are today?

Well, I started all this just sewing diapers for my kiddos. Then when I bought the fabrics to make me some pockets I way over estimated how much fabric I would need and had a bunch of fabric. I didn’t need more than 20 diapers so what was I going to do with all that fabric? I made a set for my sister in law and then thought I could sell them off in my etsy shop. They sold and when I reached the end of my fabric I had requests for more. So I took some of the money I had made selling pockets and I invested in more fabrics. I guess I just did it. I do not have a shy, quiet personality so it wasn’t hard for me to get involved.

• Alright, I have 1, ONE, UNO kid and I find it that it's hard to even sit down to knit a hat---how did you balance six kids with opening up a business, doing all the crocheting and upcycling you do, and dealing with the laundry of cloth diapers? Maybe this is more geared to helping me figure out if I should have another baby or not! Haha...just kidding. It's a question I often ask myself when I buy visit a WAHM website who is very popular and can hardly keep much in stock! I think often to myself, "How does she do it--and do it all?!".

LOL!! Have another kid! No really I think that actually has a lot to do with it. People ask me that all the time. BUT you know usually it isn’t people with more than 3 kids. That is because with more kids they play together. When they are playing you have a minuet to sit down and do something. I have found since my older kids are all in school and just my baby is left home that it is harder to get to do things. She wants to be all involved, or she needs this or that. She seems to be always hungry when it is just here home alone. The perfect time for me what when my oldest 3 were in school and my younger three at home. My oldest of the 3 littles was old enough to entertain the littles. AND we had lots of play dates with other mamas that like to craft. They the kidlets all play together and we could have tome to crafts. But I must admit there were late nights and usually hubby would get home and I would be off to sew non stop till bed time. This is one of the reasons I have backed off and don’t sell through retailers anymore. It has put the fun back into my craft.

My Sugar Lamb: The Inside Scoop with Candace!

I love this little interview with Candace owner of My Sugar Lamb.  First off, I really appreciate the insight she gave on her experience with cloth diapers--I can see how her experience is so similiar to mine!  It is encouraging to know that others have had the same experience and hopefully this Verry Wooly Event will encourage those on the fence to give Wool Cloth Diapers a Shot.  

The Second thing I really enjoyed in learning about Candace was just the joy she gets in creating childrens' items.  She loves kids and that passion has spilled over into her craftsmanship.  One of the first things I noticed was the beautiful work inside the diaper.  Every small detail seemed to be incorporated into the diaper.  Though I received an upcycled diaper, from the inside it looked like it was not pieced together.  When she trimmed the extra edges and sewed the diaper together everything making it look like any other pants I would purchase at the store.  

Lastly, I really am encouraged that her shop started from little beginnings.  I have dreams of making things for little ones and big ones too!  I find it inspiring to know that she started from selling things on ebay and from then on grew into the business she is and has today.  

All in all I really enjoyed working with Candace and really appreciate her love for children and am excited for her little bundle of joy she carries within her!

• Can you tell me a little bit of how & why My Sugar Lamb started?  {With all the lions and airplanes and skull and cross bones I think you have been sewing for a long time!}  

Since I can remember I have loved babies (even when I was a baby myself!) so I am really happy to be able to make all these little things for little people! Even before I was pregnant with my daughter I really wanted to sew and create things. But, it was not until I became pregnant with her, in 2008, that I finally went out and purchased my very first sewing machine and taught myself how to sew. I was in between jobs as we had just moved across the country (from Prince Edward Island to Vancouver, BC, Canada) and the job outlook was not good. It seemed like everyone was out looking for a job and not many having luck. I had always wanted and thought about having my own little business so it just made sense that I put those thoughts into action. I originally was just going to make baby blankets, lovies and bibs.


My daughter, Casey, was born in August 2009. I still had not begun to sell my items under a business name. Just started out making a few sales here and there through eBay. The name My Sugar Lamb was inspired by my daughter. When she was really little I called her my little sugar lamb and then thought that would be the perfect name for my little business.


 We used cloth diapers (mostly pocket diapers) since Casey was born and I really wanted to try wool but most of the covers I saw online for sale were about $50 which, like many people,  I just could not afford. I began researching everything I could about wool covers etc. I stumbled across a tutorial online about how to make longies from a sweater and I was sold! I went out and picked out some sweaters right away and made my first pair. I loved the way they turned out! They were adorable, comfy and warm. They did not leak like the pocket diapers did and I knew that this was what I wanted to focus on making. From that point on is when My Sugar Lamb really started to make sense to me. I wanted to do whatever I could to stay home with my baby.


The best part is that I really do love making and creating things for babies. I love seeing how each and every project turns out. I am a bit of a perfectionist so I do spend a lot of time on each project. I take great pride in what I do. Most of the things I create are one of a kind so it never gets boring! And I especially love it when I get to see a photo of a little one wearing or using one of my products. It makes my day every time!

• Okay so now that you are expecting baby number 2 and have  had experience with cloth diapering your beautiful daughter-- what type of cloth diapers are you going to be using for Baby 2?  Any changes or preferences that will make you build up your stash a certain way?

With baby number one I had purchased quite a few pocket diapers before she was born and during the first few months. So, I have a huge stash of those. I find they work great most of the time. Once I started to use the wool covers with a fitted diaper underneath I realized that that was an even better option, especially for overnight. I found that our pocket diapers would leak most of the time at night. My daughter was an awesome sleeper from about 6 weeks on. She would sleep 12 hours straight. We began to use disposables at night to avoid leaks. Once I switched to wool with a fitted cloth diaper underneath she did not have ONE leak!  So from then on we ditched the disposables all together and stuck with what worked the best :)


For baby number two I am really going to have to try and stop myself from adding too much more to our current stash. Only because we just have way too cloth for one baby (probably 80 or so diapers). Once you start buying cloth diapers its really hard to stop! If I could do it over I would cut down on the amount of pocket diapers I have and buy some more really absorbent fitted diapers. I do have some flat diapers that I never really did try so I will definitely be trying those out under wool with baby number two as well! And, of course, I will be making some new tiny wool longies for my new baby!!

• Any recommendation or favorite as to type of wool for diapers?  {Lambswool, Cashmere, Merino, Alpaca, etc} And Why?

I really love the nice medium-thick lambswool. It is so soft and just seems like it would be so comfortable to wear. When I make a pair of longies from this type of wool I usually think to myself how awesome it would be to have my own pair!

• My favorites and go to diapers under wool are my Cow Patties Fitted diapers and Indian prefolds--what have you found to be your favorite to go underneath your wool diapers?

So far, my favourite diaper to go under wool would have to be Sugar Peas cloth diapers. They are made of organic hemp fleece are are super absorbent. I do not need to add any booster to these diapers at all. They are perfect as they are and fit my daughter very well when she wore them.