DIY Woven Wrap

So . . . let me tell you about a little hobby of mine, ok maybe obsession or addiction might be the right word ;)  Woven baby wraps!  Have you heard of them?  Or even babywearing for that matter?  If you have not yet been introduced to woven wraps you may want to discontinue reading RIGHT NOW! 

* * * * * W A R N I N G * * * * *

(Exposure to woven wraps may be addictive and habit forming.  At first you may tell yourself that you are just doing research on the best ways to safely wear you baby while creating a close and secure bond all while doing dishes grocery shopping and caring for older children.  This is just the beginning.  Soon you will find yourself filling pinterest boards with wraps you admire and would someday like to own.  Then you start stalking babywearing swaps in search these finely woven beauties.  A small stash will begin to form, slowly at first with maybe a couple different sizes or fiber blends.  Babywearing mamas and papas in the advanced stages of woven wrap addiction may have fluffy mail arriving on their door step weekly.  This disease is often marked by frequent trips to the post office to return traveling wraps and to send off wraps you have sold on the swap to fund a DISO(desperately in search of).  Those beyond treatment are willing to sell their firstborn just to get their hands on a rare handwoven made with unicorn hair and leprechaun gold spun by Rumpelstiltskin himself). 

If you are already familiar with this form of babywearing you may already know the high price tag associated with these textiles that are specifically engineered to safely and comfortably carry our precious little ones.  For many this is not an economically viable option.  No worries, you can make your own!  This is my second round of DIY wrap sewing and I love it!  There are some great links here for all kinds or DIY carrier projects.  I used this tutorial as a guide for hemming my wraps.  My first was a size 7 out of osnaburg muslin which is touted to most closely resemble the qualities of a german style woven.  This time I used fabric from IKEA that was wide enough to make two wraps.  I've been wanting to try something shorter than a 7 (5.2m is a lot of fabric!) so I made a size 4 and a size 5 to try out and see which one I liked wrapping with best.  And the winner is . . . size 4! I am loving the ease and quickness of wrapping with so much less fabric to work with.  No to mention that it is much cooler without so many layers.  Pictured is the size 5 since the 4 is stuck in my washer that died mid cycle (I may or may not have dropped part of a pen behind the tub which may or may not have something to do with the malfunction ;)  The best part of all is a happy squish close to your heart!

~ Wishing you all some happy wrapping!