anyone make cloth diapers?

No it's not hard. I started recently. The hardest thing is not being able to pin the nappy together and learning to use the bulldog clips to hold it while you sew it. I wanted cool individual nappies (possibly one of a kind). Alot of the businesses that sell them aren't cheap. Some of the nappies were around the $50 mark. Cost effectiveness depends on what you plan to use. I mean really not much will be cheaper than the china cheapies from ebay, which we can get for $5-6 a nappy.

All you need though is a layer of PUL, layer of suedecloth/microfleece, lastin, velcro/snaps and absorbent core (microfibre/bamboo/hemp). Really it's expensive as you want it to be. Microfibre (for absorbency) is usually cheaper than bamboo or hemp. I know with some of mine I do a fancy cotton or minky outer, Pul lining and suedecloth inner with snaps. They end up being more expensive as their is more material involved. I did have to buy a snap press though which is not cheap. You can do velcro closures though and just sew them on. Many patterns are available over the internet for free or some real cheap ($6-8). Fattycakes and Thirsties are recommended on a lot of forums. I've been doing Fattycakes and it cost $6USD ($5.70 AUD) for the pattern.

We started off with the plain old china cheapies pocket nappies and they really are great for their price. They dry quickly and are easy to use.

We have also tried a couple of AIO's which take a lot longer to dry but are really user friendly. All you do is just through the whole thing in the wash, with no worry about taking a dirty nappy apart.

I also now have a few A12's and Snap-ins as well. These are usually where the insert is snapped/laid in the nappy. They aren't too bad but again no where near as quick drying as the pocket (China cheapies).

Washing is easy. Just rinse the nappy after changing and then dry pail it. Throw the nappy bucket contents into the washer and do a pre-rinse cycle. Then a cold wash cycle with 1/4 detergent (whitener/enzyme free). Do an extra rinse at the end. Line dry in the sun to remove stains and sanitise.

It's a expensive as you want to make it really.

I am a pretty handy sewer, but when I priced out the fabric (and you would need GOOD fabric) its really not at all cost effective compared to just buying them.

I heavily relied/rely on FuzziBunz. 5 kids, not a leak! They are great cloth diapers because of the great materials they use and how they adjust from newborn to potty training.

I recommend getting Fuzzibunz in a kit (ranging from 12-24 diapers). These usually include not just the diapers and inserts, but also wipes, a pail or liner and accessories. Try the fuzzibunz pail bag. It unzips at the bottom for easy containing and transport to the washing machine.

Cloth is certainly a lot more cost effective than disposable. Its worth investing in a great diaper. Pocket diapers are the best in my experience as they are waterproof, last long, and breath so you never get diaper rash.

I use a variety but I haven't made mine. Maybe in the future when I get a sewing machine. I have used flats and covers ( i used thristies covers which were fabulous) for small babies. I now use mostly pocket diapers. I love them because they are easy to clean adn easy to use. The fleece lining also keep moisure away form the skin. I have some All in ones and they work well but are harder ot clean because you can't take the insert out. I don't have a problem dryingthem if I flip them inside out. In total I have spent about 300 on daipers for my son ( could have spent less) and he is 6 1/2 months old. I have already saved money

I used cloth for all nine of my babies. I tried lots but preferred Curity Birdseye ones, I always got them at Penneys. I never cared for the gauze ones. Good luck.