Baby Wrap DIY

As one of the many (many, many) sewing projects I am planning to make for our little bebe, the one that I was the most excited about was a baby wrap.  I have seen reviews for several different brands on the baby blogs which I follow, but they all really seem to do the same thing (and come with the same $50-60 price tag!)  So I decided for a fraction of the price, I could make my own and it would be exactly what I wanted.  As well, it was a lot of fun to make!!  I am in love with how it turned out.  Here is how I did it:

While I did make some changes, for the most part I followed this tutorial here:  How to Sew a Baby Wrap

(If you don't know what a baby wrap is click on the link above to see photos.  She also has a great video that shows how to put on the wrap.)

I started out with these fabrics:

3 yards of one-way stretch jersey knit, and 5/8 yard of the sweetest owl fabric I have ever seen

One of the changes that I made was instead of joining the two 3-yard pieces of cut fabric together to make 6 yards, I instead sewed the ends of the knit fabric to my owl pattern fabric piece.  This was because laying the owl fabric on top of the dark brown resulted in the brown showing through the lighter fabric on top.  I lined the owl fabric with a piece of thin cream-colored flannel for extra strength, warmth, and softness against baby's skin.

I used a French Seam on the inside of the wrap where the light and dark fabrics met, so it was a nice, neat looking join.

When it came time to taper the ends of the jersey knit, I decided on making a "point" with the ends of the wrap.

After I was done cutting, I simply hemmed the edge of the entire wrap with a regular straight stitch.  When I tried it on for the first time I quickly realized that I had made a mistake in cutting the knit.  I had cut off the end of the knit to make up for the fabric I was adding to the middle, but accidentally cut it when it was doubled, so I took off an extra 22" or so...  Not to worry though, I quickly whipped up a couple ties out of leftover owl fabric and sewed them to the end of the wrap.

Finished product:

Front panel looks really big here, but it will fit a lot better when there is a baby inside...

Back view.  Again, straps will be much tighter when baby is inside...  On a side note, like my disco pants??  They were a find from the last clothing swap...  I tried them on as a joke and my friends convinced me to take them home.  Lately they are all I want to wear!  :)

Side view...

Now, at the risk of looking completely ridiculous, but still wanting to demonstrate the wraps function, I will show you the photos below.  Please don't stop reading this blog because of what you are about to see...  ;)

I put Bosco in the wrap!  Sorry for the grainy pics, these were taken with Erik's iPhone...

Strangely enough, the instant I stuck him in the wrap he started purring like mad and cozied up against me immediately.  A very strange little animal indeed!  Having him inside made the wrap fit perfectly and I know it will be just right for the bebe...

So there you have it.  A homemade baby wrap!  I really can't estimate how long it took to sew...  I worked on it on and off for the better part of a Sunday afternoon and then a few evenings during the week where I could sneak in 20-30 min to finish hemming it.  It felt like a pretty quick project and I really enjoyed making it.

Total cost:

3yards knit fabric x $9.99/yd = $30 (I paid $15 with my 50% off coupon)

5/8 yard owl pattern cotton fabric = aprox $6

I had the cream colored flannel already so that = free

I have a pretty decent size piece of each fabric left over too.  Enough to make a bib or two at least.  So for less than $20, you can make your own wrap too!  

Can't wait for the day when I can wrap up the baby, not the cat!  :D