Anyone with experience wearing a home-made wrap?

[BabiiAdriian]

I am considering making my own wrap. Has anyone made thier own or have had experience with a home made one? Are they safe? And does anyone have any links for How to make them? Thanks. 

[Vaske]

www.wearyourbaby.com has directions for making your own wrap, and very good instructions on various ways to tie and carry with it.  It is reasonably safe, as long as you are mindful of what you are doing.  We just do one of the front carries.

[TiffanyToo]

Here's a link for the DIY wrap forum on Thebabywearer.com

http://www.thebabywearer.com/forum/showthread.php?438243-Making-A-Wrap-Useful-Links 

Here's a link on a variety of DIY carrier tutorials

http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/Baby/index.html 

[Windmill]

http://franklynandspencer.com.au/catalog/Baby_Slings-2-1.html

This link, is a company (Australian) that sell long pieces of elastic fabric as their slings. So basically, they are very simple to make. If you are able to find instructions for how to put on their slings, then this will allow you to see how you may be able to make your own.

I have looked around this site and notice that they have deliberately left out instructions (as if they provided them it would become apparent how easy it is, and they would hence reveal that they charge $90 for a piece of fabric!), but if you can find instructions then this would be the way to go I think. It wraps around and goes over shoulders, then the child's legs and bottom go into the part on your body, and then you pull another piece over their back to secure them. Maybe you could email them for instructions?

[WhiteHorse]

I made my own wrap using a 100% cotton muslin that looks and feels like linen. Your time in the fabric store is the most challenging part of this project. Most fabric stores are geared for quilters and quilting cotton is not strong enough for babywearing. Make sure you choose a weave not a knit. It must be lightweight and soft but strong with a tiny bit of stretch but not too much. Linen itself is very expensive, A cotton weave is nice enough and can be dyed to whatever you like. I think I paid $9 total for mine.

Edited by WhiteHorse - 7/26/11 at 3:53pm

[Nicole730]

Yes, I have homemade wraps.  I never used instructions, just got the yardage I needed to begin with (no sew!) or else reinforced it while sewing the two pieces together and then hemmed the edges.  I think all sorts of fabrics work well, not just the ones that some people say you need.  Just make sure you check your wrap for wear and tear, but I have yet to notice any in my wraps and I just used a cotton apparel fabric from JoAnns.

[BabiiAdriian]

Thank you everyone! Lots of great help.

[anne-girl]

Your time in the fabric store is the most challenging part of this project.

Definitely! The qualities of a wrap are determined almost entirely by the fabric, so finding the right fabric is tough. Assuming you want to make a woven wrap, you will need fabric with no give. Ie if you pull it width-wise and length-wise it will not stretch. Some stretch along the width is OK only for a wrap for a smaller/lighter baby; after that you would need more support.

If you want a shorter wrap, some people have great luck with jacquard tablecloths, although it's tough to find one long enough to make a wrap.

[KeanusMomma]

I have used flannel or jersey. Stretch fabric like jersey is more comfy, but i've heard it's only good for small babies, not strong enough once they get bigger. Whichever you choose, just get 5 or 6 yards and cut it in half lengthwise, so you have 2 skinny long pieces. You can hem them if it's a fabric that will fray.

I have seen a photo tutorial (i believe off of one of the links above) on making a ring sling with 2 yards of fabric, but I realized the super pretty fabric I got today probably won't hold up at the stitches because it's a silky polyester satin. Does anyone have ideas for making this work? Interfacing maybe? Or maybe i'll just have to get another 2 yards of something stronger and add another layer?

[seraf]

Almost all my wraps have been home made. Woven and knit, front, back and hip carries. I seem the long side or just use the selvage edge.

There are great sites for how to do the carries. Excellent videos on YouTube, too. I do all the same carries with home made wraps as I would with commercial wraps.

I have used sheets, muslin, woven yardage and heavier knits.

[musikmama]

If you get a jaquard tablecloth (which is just the fancy woven tablecloths that have patterns woven in the fabric) look for all cotton, or mostly cotton. Get the long, rectangle kind.  You will cut it all the way down the length.  Put two of the ends together, and sew a French seam.  A French seam encases one seam in another, so the raw edges are not exposed. It also reinforces the middle--you won't want to use this with a very heavy toddler...you'll want a real woven for heavier children.  You'll then have to hem along one edge of the wrap--make sure when you did the French seam, that the side you need to hem are on the same side, or you'll have to pick it all apart to fix it. LOL  

For a stretchy wrap that's AWESOME for newborns, look for 100% Cotton Jersey fabric.  It will shrink some, but 5 yards is usually good for the average woman, but you can always get more and then trim later in case you find its too long for you.  You do the same thing--cut it straight down the middle. NO HEMMING!!! Jersey fabric will just curl on itself, and will not fray.  And this way, you actually get 2 wraps, instead of one.  Look for coupons you can use to get the fabric really cheap from stores like Joann's Fabrics or Hobby Lobby.  I added a panel to the middle of mine, but messed it up because I didn't pre-shrink the panel fabric, so its all saggy and hard to get tight.  If you want to make it fancy and add a panel, pre-wash and dry the fabric you'll use--I think a zig-zag stitch works well on panels because it allows the jersey to stretch. Good luck!

[musikmama]

If you want to make a ring sling without sewing, Jan Andrea's website has a DIY link with tons of information on how to sew slings just like she does, or thread the rings with any piece of fabric or heavy scarf to make an instant sling.  IT's kinda neat, because it gives you the option of not cutting up a beautiful sari, or tapestry or something.   I've never tried it, I sew.

[Dove84]

Here is a link with info on making your own

http://www.raisingarrows.net/2009/08/slingin-babies-2/

I made the wrap with a good quality heavy knit and have used it a few times to carry my newborn (9 lb at birth so she is a good size) and it feels very safe and secure.  I used www.mobywrap.com to learn how to carry her and am about to try nursing her in the wrap!

[Fertigamus]

I just made my 2nd DIY wrap. My 1st can be found on my blog www.everevolvingeve.com It is made with gauze material. I sewed a pcket on the front it. My 2nd I bought some beautiful 100% cotton batik fabric from JoAnns. I kept it 45 inches wide. The extra width makes it even more comfy on the shoulders. I start out with it folded lengthwise, which also helps me keep track of the top rail so i dont get twisted. I tapered each end about 1/4 of the way down so my knot and tails wouldn't be huge. I wore my 6 month old all day today at the pumpkin patch in the front cross carry and was able to very easily lower her to nurse an then raise her back up after to a comfortable level. She was very secure. We even swung on the swings with her wrapped up. She LOVED it!

[ReuseCrafter]

I made a wrap out of 6 yards of muslin, and loved it.  I didn't cut the length in half, I just bought one of the narrower widths of muslin. That's one of the nice things about it, it has more varieties of widths than standard fabrics, so I bought the width that was like 23" or 24", something like that (it's been over five years now).  Then I was able to just use the selvedge edges, and only hemmed up on the ends. I also put a mark at the center of the long strip so I could easily find it. I'd planned to eventually add an applique or decorative stitching or something, but never did.  I used 6 yards because I'm plus-sized, I think the smaller mamas can do it with 5 yards.  It also fit DH.  I thought initially that I'd just do a test run with the muslin, then invest in some nicer fabric, but I ended up really like the muslin. As stated above, it washed up so nice and soft after a few washings (like diapers), and it was a nice beige color, that worked for DH and I both, like having khaki or something, so I never did upgrade.

I also made a ring sling according to the Jan Andrea tutorial mentioned above, including traveling about 45 minutes away from the city to get to a farm store to buy the right kind of rings, but I only used it a couple of times, I was just never really comfortable with it. I ended up using my muslin wrap most of the time and my purchased pouch sling.  Around the house I preferred the security of tying on, it was easier to get stuff done in the house or even sit at the computer and type. I tried to sew, but that didn't really work out, lol.  I also used it for longer day trips, by just tying on at home, then loading DD in the carseat. When I got to where I was going, I would just pull her out and tuck her into the wrap, and pull the front part up.  I also felt more comfortable with it if I was going to be gone for a long time or making several in-and-out stops, because it went over both of my shoulders, and I could bear the weight better for a longer time.

I mainly used the pouch for quick, short trips, as it was easy to pop the baby in to, but it would wear me out if I had to go for a long time or do a lot of walking. It also looked much nicer with good clothes if I went out to eat or somewhere nice with DH.  Being plus-sized, when I tie on, my blouses and shirts are poking out weirdly below, and I worry my belly isn't covered.