OPERATION: FUZZY BUNZ

This is a picture of one of the precious little angels who will bennifit from this operation.

OPERATION RUNDOWN:

WHAT: COLLECTING 100 FUZZI BUNZ DIAPERS

FOR: SERVING HIS CHILDREN (RENEE'S NUTRITION PROGRAM)

DEADLINE: APRIL 20

WELCOME TO ALL OF THE NEW PEOPLE READING THIS BLOG! If you want to, check out our FIRST blog entry to learn more about us and what we are doing! Also, in the next few days we should have our NEW website up and running, so be sure and check sixteensmallstones.com!! Thank you all for your interest in Operation: Fuzzi Bunz ! (This is the first operation we have done that has a name that makes me laugh, that is for sure!) I am going to quickly tell what this Operation is all about and then give you a few ways to help!

In Uganda, Africa, a young woman named Renee has started taking in children who are severely malnourished. She puts them on a strict meal plan, working hard to bring the children back to health. She educates the child's primary caregiver on proper nutrition and food preparation. When the child is healthy and the family is confident in how to best care for the child, the child is sent home with renewed strength and the blessing of a body functioning well and well nourished. You can check out her blog at servinghischildreninuganda.blogspot.com, or her website at servinghischildren.org. She is an amazing young woman!!

This is another of the sweethearts who will soon be wearing the Fuzzi Bunz we send! Yay!

Sixteen Small Stones has watched as this sweet young woman left her family and moved to Uganda. She didn't know what God's plan was for her, but she knew she had to go there. It didn't take long for her calling to be made sure! She now takes in up to TEN children at a time and has already had many successes in healing these sweet children. Sixteen Small Stones was so moved by her ministry and help! She has been so great to help Breclyn start Sixteen Small Stones, and we really wanted to reach out and help this sweet sister. We started Operation: Warm Blankets to collect blankets for the children (you can read more about that operation in our previous post titled, "Operation: Warm Blankets"). However, these are not needed for a few more months. In the meantime, Renee sent Breclyn an email stating that she has a great need for cloth diapers for the children! The best ones for her to use are FUZZI BUNZ and can be purchased on their website at fuzzibunzstore.com and at many "Toys R Us" locations! So, we started Operation: Fuzzi Bunz to help fill that need! We are collecting AS MANY of these diapers as we possibly can! The goal is 100 FUZZI BUNZ cloth diapers. I have FAITH we can reach this goal by the end date, which is April 20.

There are four ways to help with this project: 1.) Buy Fuzzi Bunz and donate them

2.) Make Fuzzi Bunz and donate them

3.) Collect LIGHTLY used Fuzzi Bunz (please make sure they are in good, usable condition) and mail them to us

4.) Donate monetarily using the paypal button on this page. (Under notes, please specify, "For Operation: Fuzzi Bunz")

Please use the address listed on this page if you are MAILING any items to donate to Sixteen Small Stones. Thank you!

I would like to REALLY thank you ALL for your help and encouragement! I will keep track on here how many we get so everyone can stay involved. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Breclyn S. Everett President Sixteen Small Stones

Below you will find instructions on how to make your own Fuzzi Bunz diaper. I am NO seamstress, so I have no idea how difficult or easy it may be. Good luck! Thank you!

Things You'll Need: Measuring tape Butcher paper or paper grocery bag Pencil Micro fleece, approximately 20" x 20" PUL fabric, approximately 20" by 20" Pins Paper clips Scissors Elastic Sewing machine Thread Snaps Snap attaching tool

Create Your Pattern: Step 1 Measure your baby's waist and rise without a diaper on. Take the measurement around the waist at the level of the belly button. Take the rise by starting at the belly button, measuring between the legs and finishing where the back of the diaper will be. Step 2 Draw your pattern outline. Draw a vertical line that is the same length as the rise, adding 1/2" for seams. At the top of it, draw a horizontal line that is the same length as the waist measurement (plus 1/2" for seams), intersecting the rise line in the center. You should now have a T-shape, with the top of the T as long as the waist measurement and the vertical line of the T as long as the rise measurement. Next, draw a horizontal line at the bottom of the T that is half as long as the waist line. This is the tummy panel line. Step 3 Measure a section in the middle of the waist line that is approximately 1" longer than the tummy panel line. Draw a 1" tall rectangle directly above this section so that the waist line forms the bottom edge of the rectangle. This will create an extra inch of fabric above the center section of the waist line, which you will use to create the elastic casing. Step 4 Divide the rise line in half and draw a line there. This will be your crotch line. Make the length of this line about 2/3 the length of the tummy panel line. So if your waist line is 18" and your tummy panel is 9", your crotch line should be 6". Step 5 Draw the sides of the pattern. Start at the waist line and draw a line straight down from each end of the waist line that is about 1.5" long. This will create the square tabs that FuzziBunz diapers have for better gripping on the edges of the waist panel. Draw similar lines straight up from the tummy panel line that are about 3" long. This will give your tummy panel the square shape of a FuzziBunz diaper. Finally, draw curved lines from the edges of the tab lines down to meet your crotch line and out again to meet the lines coming up from the tummy panel line.

Sew Your Diaper Step 1 Pin your micro fleece material to the pattern and cut out a piece of micro fleece to match the pattern. Leave off the extra fabric above the waist line for the elastic casing. Step 2 Attach your PUL fabric to the pattern using paper clips. Don't use pins, as this will create holes in the PUL that will ruin the waterproofing of your diaper. Cut out a piece of PUL to match the pattern. Include the extra inch of fabric for the elastic casing above the waist line. Step 3 Make your back elastic casing. Place a 4" piece of elastic on the wrong (inner) side of the PUL fabric along the waist line, and fold the 1" tab down over it. Attach one end of the elastic to the PUL by sewing with a straight stitch through the elastic and the PUL. Do the same on the other end of the elastic. Then sew the casing closed with a straight stitch, attaching the PUL tab to the back of the PUL layer without sewing the elastic. Step 4 Attach your snaps to the PUL. FuzziBunz diapers have snaps for both the legs and the waist. Use a fabric marker to mark where you want to place your snaps. You can allow room for the diaper to fit as your baby grows bigger by attaching several snaps. FuzziBunz have four snap options for each leg and a total of 8 snap options for the waist. Put the back of the snaps on the tummy section. Put the front of the snaps on the waist tabs; use two on top (one at the end and one about an inch back) and one below for the leg closing. Step 5 Sew your PUL and micro fleece together. Lay them together, right side to right side, and attach them with paper clips. Sew them together, beginning at the end of the back elastic and finishing at the other end of the back elastic. This will leave the pocket opening in the back. Then attach the leg elastic. Cut a 7" piece of elastic for each leg and lay it inside the edge of the leg, between the inside layers of the two fabrics. Use a zigzag stitch to attach it to both the PUL and the micro fleece layer.