doll ergo style carrier

[emmaegbert]

anyone have or know of a good (free) pattern for a doll ergo-style carrier?

DD (2.5) really wants one. I am 36 weeks pregnant with #3 and would love to make her one for her big sister present. has to be pretty simple and easy for her to use (I am thinking some kind of velcro system for the waist belt?)

She was worn in an ergo a lot and frequently asks me to put a silk on her "like an ergo" to tie dolls on to her. which works okay but isn't great, and she can't put it on and off herself.

I was also thinking of inventing it myself but I am not the most fastidious seamstress...

[FarmerBeth]

I can't remember if the ergo's are a over the shoulder sling (I used a long strip of fabric, so making an equivalent for doll carrying was easy).  If's it's an over the shoulder, heart to heart thing, you can use a large scarf tied rebozo style.  If it's like a Snuggly (I think it is), you can take old cut off jeans or pants so dolly's legs go through the holes like a Snuggly, then make straps to go over your DD's shoulders that join onto a waist belt.  I'm sure a search on line would find you lot of patterns.  I don't even use them for knitting or sewing clothes often so I'm bad to ask that way.  You can also take your ergo and line up each section onto plain white or brown paper and trace around, adding seam allowance .  When I first started drafting patterns, I taught myself this way.

[emmaegbert]

well.... she has a doll sling and uses it a bit but insists she wants an ergo. I can tie babies on for her, but I am hoping someone else has figured out a way to make one that a preschooler can put on an off themselves (ergo is a soft-structured carrier, has adjustable straps and buckles. I think buckles or ties are too much for little fingers to really do. And they sell toy ones but we are low income and I just don't want to spend the $25 on one... but maybe I will). Maybe I'll search for doll mei tai patterns instead...

[LaughingHyena]

Do you have an old kids backpack? I bet if you took the straps off they would make good straps for a doll carrier and they would have the plastic buckle part which would allow it to grow with your DD.

For the waist belt velcro sounds good, then I would measure your DDs favorite doll to get the size for the central panel.

I came across this selection of photos of home made carriers http://www.make-baby-stuff.com/homemade-baby-carrier-contest.html maybe there is something in there which you could copy and scale down.

[rinap]

Wow. I love the idea of using a pair of jeans as the part for the doll to sit in. That's great! I'll have to use that. It even gives it some ergo-like detailing. And hemming the leg holes would be trivial.