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Attachment Parenting
christinbeatrice
member
Anyone make their own carrier/wrap?
christinbeatrice
member
I usually don't come over to this board to often, so I apologize if this is a common question.
Let me start by saying, I'd like a K'tan (looks so much easier then the moby & after spending hours looking at different carriers - I want to go with a wrap), money doesn't allow us to get a K'tan right now "not in the budget" - so I'm going to make a wrap similar to a moby to get me by until I can purchase the K'tan.
I've looked up a lot of different blogs that show how to make a wrap. But I'm curious what fabric others on here used & how it's working out.
Also, how much fabric do I REALLY need. I am 5'6 & 130 lbs (for those similar) how much did you end up really needing?
Thanks for the tips ladies!! Any other suggestions are welcomed!!
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Re: Anyone make their own carrier/wrap?
I make and sell slings and wraps and there are a few options. If you want a stretchy wrap like a Moby, it's super easy. For stretchy wraps, I like using 100% cotton knit/jersey, but some moms have had luck using a poly blend. It's really up to you on your fabric choice and what you are comfortable with. I'd suggest using at least 6 yards. I think the Moby is close to 7 yards, but it is really long. I'm a little on the pudgy side and I can still wrap it around me an extra time. You can always trim it, but you really can't add on, and cotton will really shrink, so if in doubt, buy extra! You'll want it to be at least 20" wide, but I really like mine closer to 30". I serge mine to give them a slightly nicer edge, but on most knits you can just cut and go (the fabric should curl when you cut it, creating a bit of a rolled edge). You can usually find that kind of fabric pretty cheap, often on clearance racks (and it is very easy to get 40 - 50% off coupons for Joanns).
If you want to go with more of a woven style wrap which you'll be able to use longer (and will be more versatile with back carries and hip carries, but takes a bit more practice), you can make a wrap using cotton gauze or osnaburg (there are a few other options, but these are the most popular for homemade wraps). With a non-stretchy wrap you'll want to hem the edges, or at least reinforce them with a zig zag stitch or serge them to prevent fraying.
While a lot of the name brand carriers are wonderful, I really prefer homemade ones. For the price of one expensive wrap, I can make 3 or 4 beautiful personalized ones, using fun patterns and dyes, so I now have a carrier to match any outfit or setting, and they work just as well as the expensive ones I've tried.
I make and sell moby and mei tai style carriers. I've used a few different fabrics, anything not too heavy and with some stretch is good. Cotton Jersey is probably the best option. The first one I made I used 5 meters and it's just barely enough to tie, I'm 5'2 and 145lbs. I'd say 5.5-6m would be best. If it's too long you can cut some off.
There's tutorials online on how to make a K'tan too if that's what you really want.
I've also made some that I just bought 3 meters of fabric, cut it in thirds, and used 2 of those sewn together overlapping them .5m in the middle so the end wrap length is 5.5m. It's cheaper but you have to make sure it's sewn well so it wont come apart.
I also add fun fabrics to the middle and ends!