Step by Step- DIY your own baby wrap!- Washing, and cutting, and sewing

Part two of my step by step diy wrap instruction

part one can be found here

http://barefootbuttercup.blogspot.com/2011/04/step-by-step-diy-your-own-baby-wrap.html

After you have found your perfect fabric the first thing you need to do with it is wash the fabric.  This is very important because the fabric may shrink a little and if you wait till you are finished sewing it to wash, you are going to have a mess.  Your fabric should come with washing instructions, if it does not, ask one of the people working in the fabric shop the best way to care for your material. 

My advice for you is, if its going to be a challenge to wash it every time, you may want to consider another fabric.  Babies spit up, poop, pee, etc.  Wraps can get dirty, so washing usually happens time to time.  For the most part, natural fabrics are easiest to care for, so usually dont cause problems.

Dry your fabric in the dryer, this will help make sure it has done its strinking.

When you are done washing your fabric, you need to cut it to the width you want.  I sudgest making it between 27-32 inches wide. Rember you are going to be hemming it so I would make it about 1.5, two inches wider than you really want it.  Depending on the width of the material when you buy it, you may be able to get two wraps out of it! 

Now you will need to hem your wraps edges.  Some people like to iron their seams first making it a bit easier at the sewing machine... I am too lazy and I dont do it.  As far as thread goes, get the colour you want- most people like to get a colour that is the same colour as their fabric.  If you are dying your wrap (I will have instructions soon on how to dye a wrap soon), then you can buy a white cotton thread and it will dye up nice.  I always use Gutermann's 100 percent cotton threads.       They are very strong good quality threads.

At the sewing machine I fold the edge twice this way you are not seeing the raw edge

fold once                                   fold again

My sewing machine has markers on it so I can make sure that the seam is the same width the whole way down which is why I dont iron it first.  I sew a bit then I fold the next stretch, sew, fold, etc. 

Sew down the side of your seam near where you folded, that way it is closed. It does not really matter how long your stitches are, but a smaller stitch in my opinion always looks nicer.  It takes a bit longer, but in the end, I think its worth it.

Do this down the two long sides of your wrap and the two ends of your wrap and TADA you are finished and have a cheap affordable comfortable baby carrier! 

next in the series ~~ Dying your wrap