Nappies: a gusset experiment

I've been toying with the idea of adding gussets to the nappies I make for the baby, to prevent poo leaks. This is more critical for all-in-two or all-in-one nappies, since other types have seperate covers as a second line of defence.
There are a few ways of sewing gussets into nappies. All involve more work than just sewing up a standard nappy pattern; some methods are more fiddly than others. Some people don't think the extra effort is worth it, given that leaks are only occasional, but I'd like to give it a shot if I can find a simple yet effective method.
This is a possible method that's been floating around in my head for a few days. Got it sewn up today. I can already see several ways to improve the method, but for now, here it is. Note that this mini tute assumes prior experience sewing nappies, e.g. how to sew on the leg and waist elastic.

The pieces cut out: yellow PUL outer; white microfleece inner; extra PUL to reinforce the front strip of loop; and the gusset, a 3 inch wide strip of microfleece. You can see that I traced the shape of the soaker pad/insert onto the inner fabric with a washable marker.

Close up of the inner. Starting where the line of the soaker shape starts to curve around to the front, draw straight lines up to the front edge of the nappy.

Fold the gusset strip in half. Leave the first centimetre or so outside the front edge of the inner and line up the two edges just inside the straight line drawn earlier (the line is the stitching line). Sew the strip all the way around the traced line, pausing to adjust as necessary around the curves.

The gusset strip sewn on.

At the front of the inner, fold the gusset strip on each side towards the centre. Pin and baste in place.

Trim the excess gusset strip at the front edge of the inner.

Place the extra piece of PUL on the wrong side of the outer and sew the loop into place. Sewing the loop on now means it won't interfere with the gusset.

Place the inner and outer right sides together, sew together leaving a gap at the front. Sew elastic in place (on seam allowances). Turn and topstitch, close the turning hole during topstitching. This photo shows the inside of the nappy after topstitching.

Right near the front, snip a small hole in the hidden part of the gusset (the part under the fold) on each side.

Thread thin elastic through one hole, all the way around the gusset and out the other hole. I used 3mm braided elastic. Using contrasting thread, hand stitch the cut end in place. The different colour will help if the elastic needs to be replaced at a later date. Pull the loose end of the elastic so that the gusset is gathered. Adjust so that the gusset is neither loose, nor pulls the nappy's rise down any further than the leg elastic already does. Hand stitch in place the same way as the first end, and trim excess elastic.

The finished gusset. Protection from poosplosions at the legs AND the back. Obviously this nappy still needs the hook tabs sewn onto the wings.

 

Shown with an absorbent insert tucked into the gusset. This insert is a touch too long, but you get the idea.

I'm probably not the first person to think of sewing gussets this way, but I haven't seen it anywhere else so I thought it was worth a try. Please let me know if you try it and if it works for your baby - I don't have anyone to test it on!