You may have noticed that it’s been a while since I’ve posted. And sadly it may be a bit longer before I get up and running again. As some of you know I’m a PhD student in Education. And I’ve finally hit my last semester of frantic dissertation writing and job hunting. So the rest of life – including fun things like blogging! – is a bit on hold for the next few months.
But look for a return this spring! Lots of posts are bubbling in my head…so stay tuned
Since it’s Black Friday/Local Saturday/Cyber Monday season, it’s hard to avoid thoughts of shopping. I admit…I like to shop…too much probably. Like most Americans, I have a bit of a consumerism problem (I could bore you at this point with my long academic ramblings on the subject…but I’ll spare you!). But lately I’ve been thinking more and more about the impact of my purchases. And wouldn’t you know this popped up on my Facebook feed today:
Clearly a sign to think harder (and to write a blog post!).
These are wise words on many levels and have implications for how we parent and what we teach our children about spending and buying. Consider the following:
The things we buy impart our values on our children – mostly in subtle ways, but in ways that are long lasting. One very basic example, if we buy our children strictly gendered toys (more on that in another post), we send messages about expected gender roles. The way we shop – brands we choose, the types of items we buy – all of those things influence the way our children will one day shop. Consider that it took me years to change toothpaste brands from what my parents always bought or that my instinct is to always buy the same brand of frozen vegetables they did.
Products are not without history, that is they do not magically appear on stores shelves waiting to come home with us. I recently caught the tail end of a news story about chocolate, and the fact that a large portion of the world’s chocolate is produced under questionable circumstances including child labor and forced labor. So do I buy the bag of chocolate for $3 that has a potentially questionable production history? Or do I buy the $6 bag of fair trade organic chocolate? How does this decision mesh with efforts at budgeting and teaching fiscal responsibility? Surely, I could just lay off the chocolate – but we could ask this same question of nearly every product we buy, food or otherwise. Are our purchases supporting someone in a sustainable way? Or are they supporting corporate profits at the expense of thousands of nameless individuals?
Labor considerations go beyond just the production of products. Consider the recent workers’ action against retail behemoth Walmart. Many Walmart employees (and for that matter the employees of other big box retailers) don’t earn enough to put themselves above the poverty line. Low prices aren’t without cost. And of course the big retailers also push smaller, local retailers out of business in many cases.
What do we spend money on? Things or experiences? Quantity or quality? Is it better to spend $100 on 5 different toys for the holidays or on one year’s membership to a local museum?
I am just beginning to think about this and would welcome your thoughts. I am by no means anywhere close to where I’d like to be on this. I admit I love Amazon and Target, buy way more clothes than I (or my kids) need, and could stand to downsize in many respects. I don’t always buy fair trade/organic/local/sustainably – or even think about those things when I purchase. But small steps are the first step – so let’s walk together!
Here’s what I’m working towards – a more ethical ethic of shopping:
Buy less! That’s pretty obvious and in some respects the hardest to do. I’ve made a start by focusing on certain areas – like my closet – and avoiding trips to Target.
Buy used! Buying used is great in many respects – it saves you money and it puts added use into an item. Kids’ clothes are the most obvious place to start with this as kids’ consignment shops and consignment sales are found almost everywhere. And if you don’t have one near you, there’s always eBay or services like threadUp which allow you to exchange used kids’ clothing online. Lots of great used mama clothes out there too. Another advantage to buying used – you’ll be able to purchase higher quality clothing which lasts longer – and more importantly may be made with more ethical labor and resource usage practices.
Buy local! Buying local supports the local economy. The most obvious place for me to make this change has been with our food – we are lucky to live in an area that not only has abundant year round farmer’s markets but also a variety of CSA (and even home delivery CSAs). Local produce uses fewer resources from field to plate than buying produce that’s shipped in. My next step…work on local meat and eggs on a more regular basis.
Buy small! Supporting small businesses is great as is buying from WAHMs and small scale artisans. Scope out local craft fairs or the ultimate craft fair…Etsy.
Buy simple! The simpler the product, the more “ethical” it is likely to be and, in the case of food, the more likely it is to be better for you. There’s a good rule of thumb about avoiding the center aisles when grocery shopping. Processed food is harder on your budget and your waistline – and is more likely to have problematic production practices. I’ve been dabbling in things like bread baking and yogurt making – fun and fairly simple (and the kids can help!). Stay tuned for future posts on making ethical food choices.
Buy quality! Handcrafted wooden toys last ages; mass-produced plastic ones don’t. A few more expensive but well made items will last long and leave a smaller footprint than the dozens of cheap things that replace them.
Buy globally! Consider the impact your purchase makes on the world – in terms of both resources and labor. I love shops such as Mata Traders and Global Girlfriend that offer fair trade products crafted by women around the world – that means economic security for the producers vs. wage slavery.
Buy experiences!! Most of us remember experiences over things – that says something about what we value. Membership to local museums, tickets to cultural events, day trips to special places – all make great gifts. This goes for adults too; we’ve started a tradition of gifting grandparents donations to organizations (our local animal shelter and Heifer International) instead of yet another thing they don’t need. And of course they get some kid crafts too – because all grandparents need more of that
So there’s a start. I definitely have a long way to go to be a truly ethical shopper. Maybe I’ll never get there. But in this season of shopping, small steps can lead the way to big difference – a shift from getting to giving and a better understand of how our dollars shape the lives of both those we will never meet and our children.
I hope to explore this topic more in depth in the coming weeks – would love to hear your ideas, questions, and suggestions!
Welcome to Part II of my mei tai/onbu tutorial!! Now that you’ve gotten all your pieces assembled from Part I (which you should read first if you haven’t already)…time to sew!! I’m going to describe the order in which I put things together. Remember, there are some different ways to go about doing this; this is what I’ve found works for me. For those of you who are experienced sewers, some of my detail may seem…well…obvious! But I’m writing this with a novice in mind Many of the pictures in this tutorial come from my recent onbu project – but making a mei tai involves most of the same steps (and I’ll fill you in where it differs). So let’s sew!
All geared up and ready to sew!! Making a mei tai is great practice at sewing straight lines
DISCLAIMER: I am not an expert seamstress so I can’t offer tips on the beautiful finishing techniques you’ll see the pros do. But if you are, you’ll probably figure that part out on your own. I can show you how I assemble a carrier safely. As I noted in my DIY guide, my knowledge of carrier construction comes from the other great tutorials I’ve studied (primarily on The Babywearer) and from studying the construction of those I own. My knowledge of the finer aspects of sewing is a work in progress This tutorial is intended for personal use only. And most importantly, YOU are ultimately responsible for the safe construction of and use of your carrier!
Prep Work: I know; I thought we were all done with prep work too! But there’s one step that you may need to add in depending on the materials you’ve chosen to use. Serging the edges of each piece (or zig-zag stitching if you are like me and don’t have a serger) will protect your seams from fraying with washing and use. This is particularly important if you are using a wrap or wrap like material like a tablecloth or linen as these ravel more easily.
Other Materials: There are a few other things you may need to put everything together:
Thread: You’ll want to use a good quality thread to protect against breakage (plus it’s just easier to sew with). I use Gutermann.
Fleece or other padding: I’ve been using polar fleece for the padding on both my straps and waist (normally whatever happens to be in the remnants bin at JoAnn’s!). If you prefer a more firm/structured waist you might use some sort or something like yoga mat material (note that if you use something like this you won’t be able to sew through it but will make a sort of casing around it instead). I like soft and floppy so I use a few layers of fleece.
Hood:
I tend to make my hood first if I’m going to make one so that it feels like I accomplished something. There are a number of ways to attach the hood – you can sandwich it between the body layers, attach it with buttons or snaps, or sew it on to a body panel like I did here. You can also do other styles of hood (hoodie, adjustable, etc). I’m going for the simple flat hood because it’s easiest and I happen to like it best both looks wise and function wise.
You can use a number of things for the ties that you use to pull up the hood and fasten it to your shoulder straps when in use. I made “bias tape” ties – take a narrow piece of your fabric (your tie will end up about 1/4 the width of this strip) and fold it in half lengthwise; press. Unfold and fold the edges back to meet in the middle; press. Now refold in half. You should have a piece folded over with the raw edges folded in to the middle. Pin along the edge and sew it up about 1/8″ from the edge; I normally sew around the whole thing to make it look even. The ends I just tuck in so the raw edges are hidden before I sew over it. You can also use ribbon or cording or webbing even for the ties.
On the left is the strip I cut to make my ties; on the right is the tie after I’ve folded it and ironed it.
Some people like to sew little loops on their shoulder straps or snaps to attach the hood ties to. I generally just tuck my hood ties under my shoulder straps and that works for me.
If you want to do anything decorative on your hood, now is the time! Lots of people like to add an appliqué or something on their hood; it’s an easy place to experiment since if you mess up now, it’s a pretty easy thing to make a new hood.
Once you’ve got your straps and your hood pieces, time to sew them up. Lay your hood pieces right sides together. Take your ties and put them in between these layers (if you’ve made a decorative hood, make sure you are attaching your ties to the bottom of the hood). Pin around the edges. Make sure that you place your ties evenly from each side and that you leave room for the seam allowance on the side (in other words, don’t pin them too close to the side edges of the hood). Once you’ve got everything pinned together, you should have just a little bit of the hood ties sticking out (so that when you turn the whole thing inside out, the ties end up on the outside).
My hood pinned up and ready to sew. Note that the part that’s at the top of the picture is actually the “bottom” of the hood – as in the part where the ties come out. If you are sewing all the way around your hood, make sure you tuck the ties (that are sticking out of the bottom of the picture here) up in so they don’t get caught in your seam! I’m leaving that edge open though for turning as it will get closed when I attach my hood. Notice that the ties have just a bit sticking out so that they are firmly anchored.
Sew around the edges, make sure you leave an opening to turn your hood right side out. If you are going to attach it like I’ve attached mine, you can actually leave the top of the hood (the end opposite the ties) open completely as we are going to sew it under). I backstitch over the ties to make sure they are well anchored.
Now turn your hood right side out and press. I use a chopstick to turn the corners out. I like to topstitch everything on my MT because I think it lays nicer that way (and will stay nicer once washed). So topstitch around the edges of the hood; I backstitch again over the ties.
To attach the hood to a body panel…figure out where you want to place your hood – don’t forget to account for your seam allowances (so don’t go too close to the top) and make sure you are attaching it to the right side of your front panel (the hood hangs down from the outside of the MT). If you have stripes or plaid or a pattern, you may want to line that up. I didn’t have enough fabric with my onbu here to do that – oh well!
Pin the top edge of the hood (the part opposite the ties) to your body panel. You will do this upside down – that is the hood will be up (ties at the top) with the back side of the hood facing the right side of the body panel. Sew the hood to the body panel; I think I just used the edge of my presser foot as a guide on where to put my stitches.
The hood pinned to the front body panel. Note that the hood is “up” with the ties pointing up. I didn’t have enough fabric left to line up my plaid but I did use one of the lines as a guideline to sew the hood on straight.
Now we are going to fold the hood down (so the ties are hanging down towards the bottom of the body panel). Press it and pin. You will now sew across the top of the hood just low enough that you catch the raw top edge of the hood under the seam (so that it is hidden). I backstitched a few times over the edge of the hood for extra stability. I also added another row of stitching pretty close to the top edge so that it would lay flat there – and look nicer. Notice in this picture that my stitching is not always super straight – so don’t worry if yours is a bit off too
The finished hood. Notice there are two rows of stitching across the top – the bottom row comes just under where I initially sewed the hood on so it hides the original top edge of the hood (which was raw).
Tada! Hood is attached!
Shoulder Straps: There are lots of different ways you can do your straps – wrap straps, padded straps, padded to wrap straps…and plenty of variations of each.
The simplest way to do a shoulder strap is to take the piece we cut out and pin it right sides together (remember we cut it twice the width of our finished strap plus seam allowances). I also usually cut a taper in the end but you don’t have to do that. Then sew up the entire length of the strap as well as the tapered end; I use a 5/8″ seam allowance. The other end you will leave open so you can turn the strap; it gets buried in the body anyway.
I’ve tapered the end of my shoulder straps and I’m pinning them up to sew. Cutting your straps double the width you want them plus seam allowances saves you from having to sew up both sides.
Turn your strap right side out. I found my yard stick is a good helper for this task. Press your strap flat with the seam on one side.
To pad your straps, cut a piece of fleece to the width of your strap and long enough to go comfortably over your shoulder and under your armpit. You don’t want the padding too long or it will make it harder to get the straps to lay right when you tie. Most people like more than one layer of padding; I typically do 3 layers so I cut my fleece piece 3 times the width I need it to be. If I’m aiming for a 4.5″ inch strap, I’ll cut a piece of fleece that is 13 inches wide by about 15 inches long; don’t forget that the more fleece layers you add, the deeper your strap becomes and the narrower it becomes (since some of the fabric gets taken up in the depth vs. the width). I trifold my fleece and put a couple of tack stitches in it to hold it folded.
Insert your fleece into the strap (again the yard stick is helpful for this!). You’ll want the fleece to start about 5-6 inches from the raw edge of the strap (since you’ll want several inches of the strap buried in the body and you’ll need to allow for the seam allowance on the body; I also like a bit of a gap between the body and the start of the padding in my shoulder strap). I usually do both straps at the same time and lay them on top of each other to make sure they are the same.
Once you have your straps nice and even and the fleece is laying flat, you are ready to secure it. Starting at the raw edge of one strap (the part that will go in the body), I start stitching down one side of the strap. I use the edge of the needle plate as my guide for this part; depending on the width of your straps and the set up of your machine, this may or may not work well for you.
I top stitch my straps. As with the hood, I think it makes them look nicer and it will keep them from crumpling when you wash. So, when I get to the end of the padded portion of the strap, I curve my stitching over until I’m using the edge of my presser foot as my guide and continue all the way around the strap. Once I near the padding on the other side, I start to curve in again so that I’m back to using the needle plate edge as my guide. I usually eyeball this curve but you could get fancy and break out a ruler so it’s perfectly even on both sides.
Tada! You have straps
Topstitching the straps….lots of straight lines! Also note how dark the picture is…I will probably go blind sewing in a too dark room after the kids are asleep.
Variation 1 – Wrap Style Straps: Usually for wrap style straps, you’d make your straps wide – say half the width of the wrap or around 14 inches – and if they are in fact from a wrap, they’d just be one layer of wrap. Then they will attach at the body, usually pleated or folded in some fashion.
Variation 2 – “Hybrid Straps”: Hybrid straps start out as padded straps and then fan out to wrap style straps – there are a number of ways to do this. For my onbu, I did a version of hybrid straps. Basically I cut my straps as though they were going to be wrap straps (although because my tablecloth was relatively thin, I decided to make them a double layer). I put a thin padded layer (two layers of fleece) in the middle third of the top part of the strap. I sewed that down (just a box around it to secure the padding). Then I folded the non-padded portion over to meet at the top of the strap and sewed it down, but only right near the top of the padding. So when the whole thing was finished, the padded portion sat on my shoulders with the extra width folded on top of that and then the straps fanned out to wide and unpadded once past my shoulders. The pictures of this probably make more sense!
One version of padded to wrap straps: On the left, you can see where I’ve sewn in a rectangle of fleece in the middle of the strap. On the right, you can see how I’ve folded it over at the top to stitch.
Waist Strap: As with the shoulders, there are numerous ways to do this. I’m going to share the method I generally use with my mei tais and then tell you how I attached the rings for the onbu.
Simple one piece waist band: The very easiest waist in my opinion is to use a continuous piece of fabric (I just make mine the same length as my shoulder straps). This waist will be attached to the body AFTER you turn and top-stitch the body (see below). It can be worn apron or non-apron (although I’d only wear non-apron if you use padding).
Complete the body as described below, leaving the bottom edge un-finished so that you can turn it; this raw edge is going to be hidden in the waist strap.
Pin your waist, right sides together. In the center of the pinned edge, mark the width of your body. You will NOT sew this part. If you’d like a taper at the end of the waist straps, cut that before you pin.
Sew up the strap, leaving the opening in the middle that is slightly wider than the body of your carrier. Turn and press.
Take the body of your mei tai and stick it into the hole you left in the waist strap. Your body needs to be buried in their several inches (I normally make mine go all the way to the bottom). Don’t forget to account for this in cutting the height of your body!
Pin the raw edges of the hole under and press.
At this point, I usually top stitch around the entire waist strap including across the hole we just pinned. This will close the hole. Again I use the edge of my presser foot as my guide, except across the top of the waist that’s on the body where you need to close the hole.
Now you will want to run a few more lines of stitching across the waist band to further secure the body to the waist. I typically add two more across the middle. Alternatively, you could x-box the waist on either side of the body.
If you want padding in your waist band…sandwich the body in layers of fleece before inserting in the waist band. You’ll want to cut the fleece slightly shorter than your finished waist band will be tall and you’ll want to account for the depth of the padding in thinking about how tall to cut your waist band. The extra stitching you do to secure the waist band will also secure the fleece in place.
Example of a one piece waist band; this one is unpadded. For this one I actually added small x-boxes on either side to anchor the body in the waist band.
Two piece waist: A two piece waist will be attached to the body BEFORE you turn and top-stitch the body. You can do a two piece waist as straight straps or as angled ones (which sort of have the same effect as putting seat darts in terms of making kiddo sit deeper in the carrier). If you want a padded waist, I’d stick with the method above. If you do angled straps, you’ll be wearing apron; I’d also suggest wearing any non-padded waist apron-style.
Decide how long you want your straps to be on either side. Cut those pieces (so if you want a 25 inch strap on each side that is 4 inches wide, cut a piece that is 25 inches by 8+seam allowance for each side). Fold each piece over, right sides together and pin; if you want a taper on the end of the waist strap, cut that as you pin. Sew all the way around leaving the end that will be in the body open to turn.
Turn and press with the seam on one side. Top stitch all the way around except for the open end.
Attach your straps as described below.
Onbu waist: An onbu, of course, doesn’t have a waist band but rather rings on either side of the body. You can use either of the above waist methods to attach the rings. You will be using small size slingrings. You will also want to make the waist band wider than normal as it works better to have a bit more material holding the ring.
With the continuos waist method, proceed as above except that you will only cut the waist band long enough to cover the width of the body and to go through the ring and back to the body to secure. You want the rings to be fairly close to the body. Once you attach the waist, take the extra length, put on the ring, and bring the end back to the body. Secure with a triple-stitched x-box.
With the two piece waist method (this is what I used for my onbu and what I described cutting out in part I), you will have two short straps for each side. Slide the ring to the center of the strap and secure both ends to the body of your onbu with bartacks or x-boxes. This will be done before you turn and top-stitch the body.
Body: Again there are some variations here depending on what materials you are using and how many layers you will have. Refer back to Part I of this tutorial if you need help figuring out how many layers to use.
Internal “anchor” layer method: Use this method if you are making a mei tai/onbu that has an internal bottom weight layer (such as canvas) and one or two decorative outer layers (which can be most anything really). For this method, the straps are reinforced to the inner layer only so any bartacks or x-boxes are hidden.
Decide on your shoulder strap placement. I typically use a mei tai I love to guide my placement. The angle you set the straps matters as does the distance they are apart. If you don’t have a mei tai you love to go by, you may want to baste the straps in place and then have someone hold your kid in the mei tai so you can see if the straps seem to be in a good place (in other words, DO NOT put your child in a mei tai with the straps only basted on!).
Don’t forget to account for your seam allowances when setting your straps. Once this is all sewn together, you’ll be turning it. If you sew too closely to the edge, you won’t be able to turn the raw edges under. Straps should also be several inches into the body; mine are usually 5-6 inches in.
Use bartacks or triple-stitched x-boxes to attach the straps. There’s been discussion over the best method; most seem to think that x-boxes work best for fabrics like canvas and bartacks for wraps.
If you are doing a continuous piece waist, you are ready to put the body together; if you are doing a two piece waist, attach the waist straps in the same way as you did the shoulder straps.
Example of angled waist straps attached with bartacks.
Now layer and pin the body.
If you are doing a two piece body, simply pin the two pieces right sides together (the right side of your internal layer is the one that doesn’t have the straps on top of it – you want that part hidden). In a two layer body, your reinforcement stitching will be visible on the reverse of the carrier. Sew around the carrier, skipping over where the straps are sticking out so that you are able to turn it.
If you are doing a three piece body, layer like this: the two outer layers right sides together (if you have a preference for one to be the “front” put that one on top); now put your inner layer on top with the side with the straps on it facing up. There’s a great picture tutorial of this here. Sew around the carrier, skipping over where the straps are sticking out so that you are able to turn it.
If you are doing a continuous waist, you don’t have to sew up the bottom edge of the carrier at this point, but it’s ok if you forget and do!
Now turn your body right side out. The straps will pull through the holes you left and come out in the right spot. Make sure everything gets turned out all the way and press.
Pin the raw edges under where you left holes for the straps to turn; don’t forget you have raw edges on either side of the strap. Top stitch around the entire carrier (I usually back stitch over my straps just for one extra layer of protection).
If you are doing a continuous waist, attach it now. If you did a two piece waist, you are finished!
Tada!!
Example of a padded shoulder strap. Note the gap between where the padding starts and the body. Also note that my stitching isn’t perfect
Options if you aren’t using an anchor layer:
It’s also totally fine to do your x-boxes through all two or three layers of your mei tai making them visible on both sides. For this, you’d baste your straps in place, assemble and stitch your body as above, turn and topstitch, and then add the reinforcing x-boxes for your straps.
If you are doing an all wrap body and want to hide the reinforcing, you can use bartacks to secure the straps to the body. This method is described here.
I used three layers of tablecloth for this onbu (since it was a bit thinner than I felt was sturdy for two layers). The shoulder straps are barracked to all three layers.
That brings us to the end of our tutorial!
If anything is unclear about my directions, please let me know so I can fix it! I’d also welcome your links for great mei tai/onbu making tutorials to link for others. I highly recommend checking out multiple tutorials and putting together elements that you think will work best for you.
If you need help wearing your mei tai, you might want to read my mei tai 101 post. Also, don’t forget to conduct regular safety checks on all of your baby carriers; simply pull really hard on all the straps while holding the body. As with any sewn product, mei tais will wear out eventually, especially if they are washed frequently. But if you’ve used proper materials, you’ve got years of use ahead of you!
Now enjoy your lovely creation!!
Eleanor enjoying a snuggle in our mama-made mei tai!
I’ve had a few folks ask me how I’ve been putting together the carriers I’ve been making, so I thought I might do a little tutorial. So follow along as we dive into the fun world of DIYing a mei tai!
DISCLAIMER: I am not an expert seamstress so I can’t offer tips on the beautiful finishing techniques you’ll see the pros do. But if you are, you’ll probably figure that part out on your own. I can show you how I assemble a carrier safely. As I noted in my DIY guide, my knowledge of carrier construction comes from the other great tutorials I’ve studied (primarily on The Babywearer) and from studying the construction of those I own. My knowledge of the finer aspects of sewing is a work in progress This tutorial is intended for personal use only. And most importantly, YOU are ultimately responsible for the safe construction of and use of your carrier!
I’m actually going to cheat a bit and make an Onbuhimo for many of these pictures. An Onbu is similar to a mei tai but has rings on the sides where the waist straps would attach to the body – much of the construction is the same (I’ll note where a mei tai would differ). It’s also worth noting that there’s more than one way to make a mei tai. I’ll try to note some different options along the way (and maybe do some more sew alongs down the road).
Finally, pretend that my sewing area is not a disaster and that my photography rocks
Ok, let’s get started!!
Materials: For this mei tai, I’m using a 100% cotton woven table cloth (60 inches x 80 inches). Tablecloths are a pretty cheap way to get a “wrap like” carrier. I think I paid $12 for this one at TJ Maxx. If you want to use a tablecloth, it helps to have a sense of what a commercial woven wrap feels like – in general, you’ll want either 100% cotton or a linen blend and a fabric that doesn’t have a “wrong side” (in the sense that both sides could be used as the “right” side although they may look a bit different). You want the fabric to be stretch free along the warp and weft with a bit of stretch on the bias (when you pull corner to corner).
If we were using a commercial woven to make a wrap conversion, we’d want to avoid thin wraps or at least reinforce them – remember that the stitching on a mei tai stresses the fabric in ways that using it as a wrap does not. So if your tablecloth is on the thinner side (as mine is), you’ll want to reinforce appropriately. There are tablecloths out there that are more like a medium weight or thick wrap.
You could also use linen (stick with a heavier weight, 8oz or so;Fabrics-store.comis a nice source), cotton duck, cotton canvas, denim, home decor fabrics, osnaburg (be aware that there are different weights)…basically anything that is a bottom weight fabric. Some of these options are going to be “less moldable” than others – just depends on what you are going for. If you are using something heavy like cotton duck, that one layer is sturdy enough on it’s own (but you’d probably want to pretty it up with some decorative fabrics). If you are working with a thinner fabric, you’ll either need to attach the straps to a heavier internal layer or use multiple layers to anchor the straps.
To break that down a bit, here are some combinations you could use to make your mei tai (by “anchored” I mean attached with x-boxes or bartacks; you’ll also be top-stitching through all layers by the end)…
Inner layer of cotton duck or similar with one or two decorative layers of quilters cotton. Straps are anchored to either the cotton duck layer or two all 3 layers (but the cotton duck is the weight bearing layer).
Two layers of a medium to thick weight wrap (or tablecloth). Straps are anchored to both layers.
Two layers of a thinner wrap (or tablecloth or linen) with an inner layer of the same. Straps are anchored to all three layers.
Two layers of a wrap (or tablecloth or linen) with an inner layer of cotton duck or similar. Straps are anchored either to the inner layer or two all three layers.
There are other combinations too but that should give you an idea – you either need to anchor your straps to a heavy duty fabric or to multiple layers of a medium weight fabric. Never construct a mei tai out of lightweight fabrics only – 3 layers of quilters cotton or 3 layers of a lightweight linen or any other lightweight fabric won’t cut it.
It’s also worth stressing at this point that whatever materials you use, you should check your stress points on the carrier regularly (just as you should with any carrier you purchase) – yank as hard as you can on the straps while pulling the body in the opposite direction. If that makes your strap stitching rip out or your fabric tear, you have a carrier that’s no longer safe.
Pattern: As you might guess, a mei tai involves a several long pieces of fabric. I do make a pattern for the body but the straps are just long rectangles. I’m describing here how I get all the pieces out of a 60×80 in tablecloth. If you are using other material, plan accordingly.
Body: There are lots of different ways to shape the body of your carrier. The simplest is just a rectangle that’s the right height and width to fit your child. Many people like a contoured body for a mei tai – that is one that dips in a bit on the sides. I would suggest using a carrier that you like and that fits your child well to make your pattern. To make my patterns I just took a piece of butcher paper (you can also tape together smaller pieces of paper if you need to) and traced around the edge of the carrier I liked the fit of (don’t forget to add a seam allowance – I add an inch to give plenty of room). I made a few tweaks to make it even more perfect for us (one of the great things about DIYing!) and I was ready to go. Your pattern only needs to be half the width of the carrier as we will be cutting on the fold to make it symmetrical. My pattern is about 18 inches wide along the waist band and about 21.5 inches wide up the middle. I have a slight contour on the side and a bit of a curved top. The way you attach your waist band will have some impact on how much seam allowance to leave. For this carrier, I’ll be sewing up the bottom so I needed to account for that in the height. If you are using a continuous waist band and stuff the body into the waist (more on that later), you won’t need a seam allowance along the bottom as the raw edges will be in the waist band.
Body pattern for my mei tai/onbu – lay the edge on the fold of the fabric so when you cut the sides will turn out symmetrical.
Straps: Decide how wide you want your straps to be, double that and add a seam allowance (I just add an inch to keep it simple) and cut a strip that width. Since my tablecloth is 80 inches long, and 80 inches is a pretty good length for straps (you may want shorter or longer depending on your size and how you like to tie – again consult a carrier you like to figure out your ideal length), I just cut my straps down the length of the tablecloth. For the width, I’d also go by straps on a carrier you like. If you want heavy padding in your straps, you’ll want to add a bit more to your width measurement to account for the depth of the padding. I like wider, flatter mei tai straps so I usually cut mine about 11 inches which results in a 4.5 inch wide strap with padding. If for some reason you are using two long strips of fabric for your straps (say if you wanted to make them reversible), don’t forget to account for having two seams in your width measurement. The easiest thing is to cut one wide strip and fold it in half so you only have one edge to sew up. NOTE: Each of your shoulder straps should be one long continuos piece of fabric as opposed to two shorter pieces sewn together.
Waist: I’ve done a few different waist styles but the easiest has been to just cut the same length and width strip for the waist as for my shoulder straps (doing it this way means burying the body of the MT in the waist band usually). If I’m using a tablecloth, this means about half of my tablecloth is going to be taken up by the straps and waist (3 strips that are about 10 inches by 80 inches). You can also do the waist as two separate shorter pieces that you anchor on either side. If you want a padded waist, the continuous piece will work better (don’t forget to account for the depth of the padding in cutting the width of your waist band). I’m making an onbu so I just cut two small rectangles (about 13 by 5) to use to attach my rings at the base. You could also make the onbu using a long continuos piece that is a big longer than your body is wide and attach the rings on either side of that. I ran out of tablecloth to make my ring pieces long enough to be able to double over so I cut two more rectangles from another piece of fabric so they would end up thicker (this will make more sense in a bit).
Note: For this carrier I’m cutting my straps 15 inches wide as I’m going to experiment with a wrap style strap. If I were making a mei tai, this wouldn’t really leave me enough tablecloth to cut the waist strap as a continuous piece. I have done one where I cut the shoulder straps 15 x 80 and the waist in two pieces that were 15 x 20 (to be attached at the corners of the body) – that left me just enough to squeeze out two body panels with nothing left over for a hood.
Optional: If you have left over fabric or something that coordinates, you can add a hood. I had a piece about 13 x 26 left over that I’m going to use for a hood. Sadly my plaid won’t line up – oh well! You can either make hood strings with scraps of your material (like making bias tape) or use ribbon or something similar.
Cutting: Cutting is so my least favorite part of sewing, even worse than prepping a room to paint…but it is kinda necessary so… I mostly use a cutting mat and rotary cutter, but scissors will also get the job done. For those of you that sew already, these directions will seem painfully obvious. But if you are a novice like me…well, these are the tips I found helpful!
Make sure your fabric has been washed and dried to account for shrinkage. And give it an iron as well to flatten out the wrinkles before you cut (and, yes, you are right I skipped ironing as you can see in the picture below…shhh…).
It’s pretty straight forward to cut around the body pattern using scissors or your rotary cutter. Since I’m not the world’s most accurate cutter, I generally use the first body piece I cut to cut the others instead of using a pattern. That’s mostly because I’m lazy about making a new pattern so if I decide that I want to cut the body a little taller, I just sort of wing it instead of making a new pattern. At least this way my winging it comes out the same on each piece! You’ll want to fold your fabric in half, lay your pattern on the fold, and cut.
Cutting straps is a bit of a pain since that’s an awfully long cut to make straight. There are two methods that can help. One is to simply fold over your fabric in half or in fourths and cut that way – so you’ll be cutting 20 inches straight instead of 80. That also means you can probably get the whole thing on your cutting mat. If I do this, I use my long measuring stick as a straight edge and line it up on the markings on the cutting mat.
A long straight edge, cutting mat, and rotary cutter are your friends in carrier making.
If you are working with a wrap or tablecloth (and this may work with other fabrics as well but I’ve not tried it), you can use a handy trick I learned on The Babywearer (sorry, I can’t remember where I saw it or I’d credit the wise mama who thought of this!). Cut a small slit to mark the width you want to cut. You should be able to see one of the lengthwise threads poking out (or tease one out if you can’t). If you pull on this, it will create a “run” down the length of the fabric – you’ll cut along this run. If your thread breaks before you pull it all the way out, just cut down to the point where it broke and pick it up again. If pulling one thread doesn’t make an obvious run, try pulling out 2-3.
Look closely and you can see where I’ve pulled some threads out to create a line to cut along – nifty trick!!
If you are working with fabric that has stripes or plaid, make sure you line up the stripes before cutting so you don’t have crooked stripes!
I generally try to cut one body panel out laid width wise on the fabric and one laid out length wise if there’s a stripe. If your fabric has a pattern of some sort, you can of course get fancy and be attentive to wear it lands on the body of your carrier.
If you’ve made it through all of that, you should end up with a pile that looks something like this – and now you are ready to sew! Keep in mind that I’m making an onbu here so the rings are taking the place of the mei tai waist straps. Part II is coming soon!
Tada – all cut out and ready to sew!
If anything is unclear about my directions, please let me know so I can fix it! I’d also welcome your links for great mei tai/onbu making tutorials to link for others. I highly recommend checking out multiple tutorials and putting together elements that you think will work best for you.
Now head on over to Part II and let’s put everything together!
It’s that time of year again…International Babywearing Week time! As a project of Babywearing International, International Babywearing Week is designed to promote and celebrate safe babywearing. This year’s theme – Carrying On Traditions – acknowledges the long history of babywearing. Although babywearing has increased in visibility and popularity in the US in recent years, it is certainly not a “new” thing nor is it an invention of Western culture. Women around the world have devised various means of carrying their babies while they go about their daily work. The presence of babywearing in nearly every traditional society supports the theory that this is a parenting practice that humans have engaged in since our primate ancestors lost the ability to hold on on their own; there’s even a theory put forth that argues babywearing was a human invention that helped sped along our evolutionary development into modern humans. In any case, babywearing has been around in some form or another for millennia.
To celebrate the diversity of babywearers and to acknowledge the tradition of wearing, I leave you with this lovely slideshow. Enjoy!!
In Action on the Ocracoke Ferry – Eleanor is not impressed!
I’ve always dabbled in all carrier types (research, right??), but never really found the love for buckles – the fit was never quite perfect and I had a hard time getting the higher back carry I prefer. But when Eleanor decided to be a leg-straightening banshee leaner…my go-to shorties (which I prefer to use out and about over a long wrap) and much loved ruck carries weren’t really cutting it – so I decided to give buckles a go once again. On a whim, I picked up an Action Baby Carrier (ABC) for cheap from FSOT…just to see. Instant love! I may have been talking rather a lot about them since as the ABC love seems to be spreading throughout my local BWI group as well.
Rocking our toddler ABC.
In my quest for perfect buckles (for me, as buckle carriers really are so particular to the user in terms of fit), I tried lots, including most of the “boutique” custom brands. But the ABC really won me over as a “wrapper’s” SSC. I like streamlined carriers that hug to me and kiddo – and the ABC fits the bill. Here’s what I love:
The waist!! My biggest problem with soft structured carriers (SSCs or buckles) has been finding the right waist. There are lots of options out there but in general, SSC waists are designed like the waists on hiking packs – structured (thus the name) and meant to be worn low and on the hips. This transfers the weight of the pack (or child!) to the wearer’s hips – which many find to be ideal, particularly for bigger kids). I actually prefer to wear my carriers higher and in fact my favorite carry (ruck tied under the bum) doesn’t have any sort of waist at all. So the heavy structure of most SSCs doesn’t work well for me. I also have a fairly small waist in relation to my hips – while many SSCs are designed to fit this “womanly curve,” I still haven’t found one that I love to wear on my hips. The ABC waist is straight and more padded than structured. This means that you can choose to wear it lower on the hips or higher at the natural waist as I prefer. And because it’s padded instead of structured, it conforms more to you – no poking in the ribs or hipbones! The standard ABC waist has 27.5 inches of padding (fits a 28″ to 53″ waist); they also offer a plus size waist band with 37.5 inches of padding (fits a 38″ to 63″ waist). I love that the extra padding is available on the plus size waist vs. just a waist extender belt that extends the webbing.
The straps!! One thing I always rather disliked about many SSCs was that the shoulder padding was often too generous in its bulk (for my tastes; your mileage may vary). The ABC straps have just the right amount – it wears more like a padded strap mei tai does. The straps mold to your shoulders vs. sitting on your shoulders. Again, this is a matter of personal preference but I like mold ABC straps cinch down to 17 inches (excluding the buckles which are single direction adjust); if you are super petite you may find them a hair long but I think this length and the carrier design will fit most smaller wearers depending on how high you wear and how long your torso is (since the higher you wear, the shorter the strap you need for a back carry). The ABC fits so neatly that I rarely bother with the chest clip in a back carry.
The straps!! I just said that, I know. But…another aspect of the straps I love is that they cross behind you when doing a front carry (although you can wear “reverse backpack” style as well if you prefer for a front carry). This is another “personal preference” thing but I find SSCs that don’t allow the straps to cross in a front carry feel like they are sliding off my shoulders – and I hate fussing to get the chest clip clipped behind me! The ability to cross the straps was a huge win for me – again this makes the ABC wear more like a mei tai.
The body!! The ABC is a very lightweight carrier relative to many SSCs – no bulky padding in the body and the design is simple. This means it’s cooler. And it means it’s more “moldable” – as in it conforms to you and baby better; hugs baby if you will. This is really key for smaller babies. With many SSCs you need an insert or infant harness to keep baby snug enough in the carrier to prevent slumping. Because the ABC is more lightweight and floppy, it will conform to a smaller baby without those features. Note that the ABC is weight rated 8-40 pounds (toddler size 15-45 pounds). A newborn will need to be worn legs in (although I would personally feel comfortable cinching the bottom like you would a mei tai with a baby who wasn’t quite big enough for legs out but had some trunk control).
Crafted with sleepy dust
The support system!! Another neat aspect of the ABC body is their unique internal support system. SSCs makers have developed various designs to get kiddo in a “good seat” and provide proper support for baby and wearer. The shoulder straps on the ABC actually go all the way through the carrier and attach at the waist (they have a cool clear carrier showing this here) creating an internal support that doesn’t add another layer of bulk to the body. Very nifty I think!
Toddler size!! I was pretty excited when ABC recently announced the addition of a toddler size carrier to their line-up (and I even got to be a tester!). While I’ve actually worn Callum (who is currently 36 pounds) in my standard ABC and found it comfortable, I do prefer knee-to-knee coverage (or close – once you hit 3 it gets harder to get knee-to-knee and not quite as important since their legs are so much longer. Even if you are shy a few inches, you still won’t get knee drop if the carrier is wide enough). My biggest problem was Eleanor’s banshee leaning (which thankfully she seems to be growing out of a bit) – the back on the standard size didn’t come up high enough to prevent leaning once she hit one or so (note that this is really a wearer comfort issue – if you have a kid who really loves to lean, you’ll feel pulling on your shoulders. It was actually more comfortable to wear Callum who doesn’t lean than Eleanor even though he’s a good 15 pounds heavier!). The toddler size ABC solved all my problems…so yay!
Price!! With a base price of $98 (plus size waist and toddler body run a bit more), the ABC is one of the more affordable SSCs on the market. Keep reading and it may get even more affordable
Availability!! The ABC is available direct from ABC as well as from various retailers. I love being able to recommend a readily available carrier!
In action on a very windy beach.
One final reason that I’m happy to support Action Baby Carriers is that they are a small family owned/operated business making carriers here in the USA (check out their “factory” here). You should also know that the ABC comes with an attached sleep hood that clips to the shoulder straps when in use and a removable chest clip. And, of course, it is available in a number of cute prints and solids.
Want to try out an Action Baby Carrier for yourself? Now is the perfect time to do so – we have a special coupon code good for 20% off regularly priced carriers – just enter “mamas” at checkout Code is good through January 1, 2013.
Have you tried an ABC?? We’d love to hear what you think!
I think election season is getting to me. I love politics and current events. Callum refers to the den where the radio is as the “Diane Rehm” room if that tells you anything (you might be an NPR junkie if…). One of the biggest reasons I love Facebook is because it turns up all sorts of interesting reading material and food for thought (thanks interesting friends!). But what I’m really hating recently…is well, the hate. Now I fully expect to find vitriol in my news feed come UNC vs. Duke game night (go Heels!) and I recognize and appreciate the diversity of opinion about all manner of “politics.” But real debate and discussion seems to be sorely lacking this political season (and this is true of both sides); instead, we seem to have an overabundance of hot-headed fact distortion and rhetoric intended to incite.
But really this post isn’t about politics. Because I think what’s happening this political cycle (and I realize it’s always there but it seems increasingly ugly) is symptomatic of a greater problem that has been nurtured by (if not started by) the internet and social media. It’s like we’ve forgotten how to be …polite.
Now, I don’t think people need to come rolling out with fake sugar on their tongue – I’m Southern and well aware of the passive aggressive sort of “nice” that’s worse that “rude to your face.” What I think is missing from public discourse is some simple respect for each others’ humanity, a recognition that words posted on the internet reach other people. Instead of dialogue about choices, we have screaming matches.
Take the so-called “mommy wars” that rage on, fueled by sensationalist media grabs (recall the recent Time magazine attachment parenting/extended breastfeeding cover debacle) that depict parenting as some sort extreme reality show. Read any parenting article posted online…and then read the comments. Sometimes I feel like the article (like this recent rant on Huffington Post) is designed more to solicit angry comments than it is to present some sort of cogent point. Sorry Nicola Kraus, if you want to rail against attachment parenting, it might help to have an idea of what attachment parenting is actually about first in order to better make your case.
But not to pick on this one piece or this one particular parenting “camp.” Find a news story about breastfeeding in public – comments will run the gamut from “breastfeeding in public is child abuse” to “feeding your child anything other than breast milk is child abuse.” Ask a question about circumcision and you’ll get everything from “not circumcising leaves your kid with an ugly penis that will get him laughed at in the locker room and give him STDs” to “chopping off foreskin is no better than female genital mutilation and should be made illegal.” Or if you really want to incite a “flame war”, dare to ask about cry-it-out: ”if you don’t your child will be dependent and spoiled and you’ll never have a sex life” to “you are going to scar your child for life and really I’d pretty much call that child abuse.” Extreme, yes. Uncommon, sadly no.
I’m very guilty of getting caught up in these arguments; I love debate and I’m opinionated. And I think people should take a stance on issues and be able to argue their point with conviction and evidence. But there’s a way to do that respectfully that encourages mutual understanding (which can happen without agreement) and a way to do that that accomplishes little than offending those who don’t agree. If you want to show someone the merit of your argument, offending them is usually not the best approach.
I sometimes dance delicately in writing posts for fear that I will come off as off-putting or even offensive. One of my most popular posts – “Thinking Beyond the Bjorn” – originally had the title “Why You Should Avoid Crotch Dangler Baby Carriers” (a title which sadly lives on in the url but which I haven’t changed because it was widely linked). A reader named Holly, with better sense about this than I, pointed out that the “crotch dangler” term was easily alienating to those who had used the carriers I was advising against and that my message (which was not intended to vilify users of any carrier) would be lost as a result; the comments of several other readers proved this to be true and I belatedly changed the title. Sometimes even when our message is well intended and meant to create dialogue, our wording or tone sends a different message.
I don’t think we should shy away from controversial topics and I don’t think we should waffle on our opinions at the risk of offending others. Having a strong stance is great; sharing what you know and believe is great. But I think it’s also worth remembering something I used to tell my high school students about argumentative writing – it’s not enough to simply state your opinion. You must also really understand the other opinion/s around the issue, be well-informed about the issue, and be able to defend – with evidence – your argument. If you can’t do that, you are merely repeating someone else’s propaganda, not defending your own position. And if you allow your defense to become overrun with high emotion and wild claims…well, that’s not a very defensible position to take.
In several online communities I participate in, posters who are disappointed by the occasional rudeness they find are sometimes told to look elsewhere for “puppies and rainbows.” And I think one might dismiss this post as “puppies and rainbows” or even “holier-than-thou.” And that’s ok. I think we could use more puppies and rainbows in the world. Having kids has made me even more aware of the need to engage in dialogue not shouting, to model respectful engagement and passionate, but rational, defense of a position.
Whether we are talking politics or parenting it’s worth remembering even if we don’t cheer for the same team, we ultimately all share the same ballpark – we are all parents and all world citizens – we are all people worthy of respect.
A while back I shared with you one of my first “real” sewing projects – a “shabby chic” messenger bag. I’ve made a few more since and definitely think bag making is a great way to test out your sewing skills. The construction is pretty straight forward, there’s plenty of room to experiment with trims, stitching, etc., it’s ok if your measurements end up a bit off or if your stitching is crooked – it will still hold stuff. Really, if I can do this, so can you!!
Callum’s new backpack in action.
Callum had a super cute little backpack from Bratsacks …but its strap had an unfortunate accident. I repaired it, but it just wasn’t the same. Plus, I needed a good excuse to try my hand at a new bag project! Callum picked out the cute robot fabric (on sale at our local Joann’s) and I used some leftover red cotton duck from mei tai making. The lining is just some solid blue broadcloth I’ve had laying around for ages. Toss in a length of cord for the tie, a few snaps and my handy new Kam pliers (which I’m finding all sorts of fun uses for), some thread and we were ready to go!
As far as a “pattern” goes, I basically just used the dimensions of the backpack we had and added a bit for the seam allowances. I took a look at a couple of different tutorials on making a drawstring bag (there’s a nice list here) and put some elements together. And then I just guessed at the best construction method based on the bag I had and the drawstring tutorials. And, hey, it worked!! I boo-booed a few times – once in forgetting to sew the straps in on the bottom when I attached the back and bottom panels – yay for seam rippers! And my inner lining is actually a tad wide and therefore bunchy at the top. But all things considered, it turned out pretty cute!
It’s been a while since I’ve featured anything about cloth diapering – so how about a giveaway?!? One winner will receive a free diaper and another a custom slot from Baby My Waye!!
Getting ready for bed in our Baby My Waye fitted
I met Jayme, the work-at-home-mama behind Baby My Waye, through Eleanor’s due date club. So when she started making diapers, I of course had to try them out! Jayme is a mama of three and actually didn’t start cloth diapering until her youngest was 4 months old. But she got so hooked by the fluff that she had to start making her own – and Baby My Waye was born.
Greeting the morning in our Baby My Waye Ai2
Jayme shares my love of side snapping diapers, so I was pretty excited when I got the opportunity to test out her side snapping fitteds. Baby My Waye fitteds are one-size with a snap down rise and a 3 piece snap in soaker that allows you to adjust the absorbency and bulk of the diaper as needed for the size/age of your baby. Each soaker has 2 layers of organic bamboo fleece and a layer of cotton or bamboo velour. The body of the diaper has a hidden layer of organic bamboo fleece, an inner of cotton or bamboo velour, and of course a cute outer print.
Recently Jayme introduced sized all-in-two diapers. These have a print PUL outer, wicking jersey inner, and snap in inserts of bamboo fleece and hemp terry. Additional inserts are available as well. These have a great stretch along both the waist and leg. The medium (which has a recommended size of 14-28 pounds) is a great fit on Eleanor (who is 21 pounds) with plenty of growing room.
You can learn more about Baby My Waye and check out her cute diapers on her Big Cartel site. And keep up-to-date with Baby My Waye stockings and news via her Facebook page.
Want to try your own Baby My Waye?? Here’s how!
Leave a comment below telling us which type of Baby My Waye diaper (fitted or sized AI2) you’d get if you won.
Two winners (one for a free diaper, one for a custom slot) will be drawn on Wednesday, August 22 at 9pm. Entries must be posted by that time. Winner will be selected from the comments posted on this entry using random.org. Winners will be notified via email and will be announced on the Becoming Mamas and Baby My Waye Facebook pages.
Winner of the free diaper can select boy colors, girl colors, or gender neutral. Winner of the custom slot must pay diaper costs and shipping and may select one custom diaper.
I’ve written before about using a mei tai as a way to back carry your young infant, but it occurs to me we skipped over the part where I tell you how to use a mei tai for a front carry - so let’s fix that! The mei tai is probably the carrier I recommend most for newborns – it’s perfect for those who don’t care for the idea of wrapping (or just want something that doesn’t involve 4+ meters of fabric!) but who don’t have babies large enough to use most buckle carriers without an infant insert or harness (or who just don’t like the fit of buckles). Mei tais are compact, easy to care for, easy enough to make if you sew, and just comfy. Disclaimer…I may also be a tad partial to mei tais as a Babyhawk was my very first carrier…I blame them for my addiction!
Not quite a newborn but somehow I have no front carry newborn mei tai pictures decent enough to post!
What is a mei tai? Mei tais are traditional Chinese carrier – simply a square piece of fabric with 4 straps. Modern mei tais come with a variety of features – you can read more about those on the mei tai page of our babywearing guide.
What mei tai should I choose for a newborn? As with all carriers, there’s no one “best” brand. In general though, mei tais with unpadded waists and smaller body sizes work better for newborns, particularly if you want to wear your newborn or young baby legs out (which is my preference). If you are buying a mei tai specifically for a newborn or younger baby, I would suggest getting one that has a narrower body and less structure.
So what do I do with this thing? Unpadded waist mei tais are worn “apron style” – that is you tie them on like an apron with the outside of the mei tai (they are reversible so it’s ok if you mess this up!) facing towards you and hanging down like an apron. Baby goes in the carrier which comes up between baby’s legs. The straps cross behind you and come back to the front over baby’s legs. You can either tie under baby’s bum or bring the straps back under baby’s legs and tie behind you. Clear right? Probably not…so here’s a video!
As with any baby carrier, it’s important to practice before taking your show on the road. If you haven’t already, check out our Newborn Babywearing Safety Basics before trying out your new mei tai skills. Happy Babywearing!
