Hey guys! Sorry it's been such a hiatus; life got busy ya'll! between graduating nursing school, starting my first nursing job, learning to balance work with family, starting in a new unit (and therefore, more learning!), starting my BSN program online, and, oh yeah, finding out that Baby Numero Dos is on the way (!!), I've had to put this blog on the back burner.
Having said all that, I can't promise my posts here on out will be consistent in any way, but I'm here now, so let's celebrate that working mom/wife win. Today's post is all about making a woven baby wrap! Let me start by saying that I did not make any of this up; it all came from the Babywearing DIY Advice and Support and the Dyed Baby Carriers groups on Facebook. Those ladies helped tremendously with all their resources!
Here is what you need to make a woven wrap:
- Sewing machine (or a LOT OF TIME AND PATIENCE if you choose to hand sew). An expensive one is not at all necessary for this job. You're just going to be using it to hem and the appropriate fabric weights for this project don't require anything fancy.
- Needle and thread (duh)- pick an appropriate needle for the fabric you're using and get a new one if it's been awhile since you've changed your sewing machine needle. Trust me- you do not want a dull needle!! Also, if you're going to dye your wrap, a white cotton wrapped thread will do nicely. Most recommend Gutterman or Coats & Clark and both can be found at craft stores. I found Coats & Clark at Hobby Lobby and both at Joann's Fabrics).
-Pins (to... uh.. pin the fabric :-P A pin cushion would come in handy as well!)
- Fabric. More details below because this is kind of an integral part of the project :)
- Measuring tape, ruler, or t-square and washable pencil or marker. Just something you can use to measure your fabric with in order to figure out where you need to cut ;)
- Scissors. Preferably sharp ones ;-)
- Iron and ironing board. You think this is going to be one of those "necessary" items that is not actually necessary, don't you. Well you, my friend, would be wrong!
Some of the necessary supplies
If you're going to use Osnaburg fabric: you also will need -
-Large pot (that will not be used for food later)
-Soda ash (sodium carbonate- can be found in the pool section as pH plus. you can alternatively use Washing soda and just use a third more. Or you can bake Baking soda at 200 degrees for 2 or more hours to convert into soda ash. DO NOT use baking soda by itself. It will not be sufficient!)
-Dawn dish soap
- *When working with soda ash, use a mask and gloves! You don't want to breathe it in and it can be caustic to the skin! Always handle soda ash water/ soaked fabric with gloves.
Dawn and Soda Ash
Scouring Osnaburg... Note the muddy water- eww!
Okay, so I promised to talk about fabric. Well here is the deal. First and foremost, follow this rule: All fabric used for a woven baby wrap must be between 5.3oz and 7 oz per yard. Will every bolt have the fabric weight listed? Of course not. They want to keep you guessing. They want you to fall in love with that goregous linen/cotton blend on sale and then make you weep to realize that it is probably not thick enough but you'll never know because they don't tell you! (not that this happened to me... totally hypothetical...right...). For a woven wrap, you'll want something more on the 5.3 oz side of the spectrum. Make sure that when your hand is behind it, you can't see the outline clearly from the other side. For more information on figuring out if a fabric is thick enough, do a web search ;) I'll come back and add links if I have the time later.
Type of fabric: You want natural fabrics against your baby's sensitive skin. These fabrics are also more breathable than polyester and the like. (which you will definitely want with a hot baby pressed against you!).
- Thick gauze (Diaper gauze from VeryBaby.com was recommended to me- no affiliation) for a lightweight wrap that can be used in hot weather with younger babies. I've heard anything between under 20lbs to under 25lbs as being appropriate. If you decide to use gauze- PLEASE DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH to find out what is safe. Also know that gauze requires several passes to provide extra support since it is so lightweight. I have no experience with using gauze for a wrap so I can't help much there. I do know that it is possible to make a no-sew wrap with gauze. So... bonus for the non-sewing crowd!
- Linen is a great hot weather option, however it is costly! Fabric-store.com has nicely-priced linen and LISTS THE FABRIC WEIGHT! Hello! Win-win! (again, no affiliation). That was my plan, but I ended up buying a linen/cotton blend from another DIY'er on the DIY swap site for super cheap. The benefit of a linen/cotton blend is the softness and ease of care of cotton mixed with the super breath-ability of linen!
- Cotton is always an awesome option. Again, make sure it is thick enough. Quilter's cotton is not appropriate fabric to use for a woven wrap!! I know it's pretty and readily available, but its a no go. Sorry guys. You can use lightweight denim, tablecloths, osnaburg (NOT MUSLIN!), or cotton jersey (for newborn stretchy wraps only). You can use cotton blends that have 60% or more cotton with 40% or less synthetic fabric and still have a pretty, safe wrap. But if you're going to dye it or if you're worried about breathe-ability (heLLO Texas heat!), then stick with the natural stuff! I"m going to focus on the two types of cotton that I used: Osnaburg and tablecloth fabric.
- Osnaburg is a utility cotton that is cheap, 100% cotton, and often the fabric of choice for DIYers, especially those who dye their wraps. It comes in one color; natural. It turns quite fluffy and soft with repeat use and breaking in, and is pretty lightweight/breathable. I found it at Walmart for $2.79/yard, but Joann's and Hobby Lobby also sell it (and if you use a coupon, it can come out to be the same price). Some stores (Walmart, apparently) sell the kind that is permanent press, which involves chemicals, and between that and the fact that the cotton hulls are still in the fabric means that SCOURING IS NECESSARY! Do not skip this step, even if you don't plan to dye. It takes an hour and its pretty easy. You just mix 1/4- 1/3 cup soda ash and 1/2 tsp Dawn per gallon of water in a large pot and boil it. Then add your fabric (add enough water to cover your fabric completely. This was between 2.5 and 3 gallons for my wraps). Cover and let sit, agitating occasionally, for at least one hour in order to remove any chemicals from the fabric. Then, (LET SIT TO COOL), drain water, and throw in the washing machine for a quick wash with some more dawn or gentle detergent (one without optical brighteners). Done.
Osnaburg
- Tablecloths. Here is where you can get really thrifty! Try going to a local thrift store and look for a 100% cotton tablecloth with a good feel that you like and go ahead and buy that bad boy. The only drawbacks is that they only make tablecloths long enough for a shortie wrap (see the length section), and often the fiber content is not listed. However, they're pretty cheap at thrift stores and when you get home, you can use the burn test (Google it!) to determine if its cotton or synthetic.
The other option is to buy a tablecloth. Apparently Target has some appropriate 100% cotton tablecloths. Or you can shell out some cash for a Mahogany brand tablecloth on Amazon, like I did. These tablecloths can be cut in two to form two long size 2-short size 3 wraps. The other half can be sold on a Babywearing DIY swap easily, as many people know, trust, and prefer this brand. Or you can have two of the same, I'm not going to judge :-)
My Mahogany Tree of Life tablecloth. It is jacquard, which means that the design is woven in and therefore each side is the mirror opposite of the other side :-)
Okay, now that you've decided what KIND of fabric to use, you need to know the length! Well the length is based on your size and personal preference. I made a size 5 with my Osnaburg, a size 4 with my linen/cotton blend and a long 2/short 3 with my mahogany tablecloth. I wear a size 4 pant/size small shirt, and have a long torso, so I used that comparison to figure out what similarly sized momma's were using. I also am brand new to wrapping and don't know what carries I prefer yet! Always better to err on the side of too much fabric, as it can always be cut and hemmed further down the road. But unless you're a sorcerer, that wrap isn't going to magically grow in length.
Here, Here, and Here are few of many charts available to figuring out what length you will need. There are many others. Do your homework :)
**KEEP IN MIND that cotton shrinks!! My 5.5 yards of osnaburg shrank to 5 yards after my initial wash.
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Have you made it with me this far?? Excellent. You are a patient one! Or, maybe you skipped ahead. Either way, bravo! Here is how to make the wrap!
First, wash your fabric on hot once or twice and dry in dryer on hot once or twice. This will allow the fabric to shrink prior to cutting and hemming so that it doesn't inadvertently get shrunk later on!
You want your wrap to be 25-30 inches wide. 25-27 is appropriate for newborn to younger babies, while 27-30 is better for toddlers. I stuck to about 27 inches for all of mine. IRON your fabric so that you can get an accurate measurement! Also- DON"T FORGET THE HEM DEPTH ALLOWANCE! You need to hem this bad boy, so don't forget that you'll be losing 1/2-1 inch on each side, depending on how big of a hem you want. Personally, the 1/2" double fold hem (which takes up 1 inch per side) is easiest for me because it is a bigger area to work with. However, I ended up doing 1/4" double fold hem on the long border of my linen wrap and it worked out quite well for me :) Play with your fabric and decide what will work best. Keep in mind that a double fold hem is going to work best, especially with fabric that frays. Here is a link to a Youtube video showing you the basics. She folded over, ironed, and folded again. I folded over the entire width (1" for my 1/2" hem) and then folded under the extra 1/2" (See pictures below). Either way works and to be honest, now that I"ve seen her way, it seems easier ;) My way may make it easier to keep a straight edge. I just mimicked my grandmother in law, so do what works best for you!
If you're using the Osnaburg or Mahogany tablecloth, snip an inch or two where you want to cut, and then rip. That's right, take one side in each hand (or go ahead and have a buddy take the other side a la turkey bone style) and RIP that fabric. The reason for this is that, being woven, these fabrics will rip straighter than you will ever be able to cut. Sad truth there guys and gals. It is satisfying, quick, and easy. Nervewracking? Yes. But exhilarating and effective.
Ripping my beautiful tablecloth!
If you're using linen or a linen blend, lucky you! Linen, or at least my linen, ends up with wavy, stretched out sides where you ripped if you try it. So, to be safe, there is a better way. There are many ways to cut fabric straight but I'll let you know the most reliable way with woven fabrics: select a thread where you want to cut your fabric, pull it up with a pin, and pull it until the thread puckers the fabric. pull it until it breaks, grab another strand in the same line from farther down and repeat. That's probably not the best description, but see my pictures below and This video for a better explanation.
Pulling a thread
Look carefully for the line that was formed by pulling the thread
Once it is cut, back to the ironing board!! Cotton, and definitely linen, will unravel at the ends if you so much as give it the stink eye. So, with my linen (okay, I'm going to admit something really quick... My husband's saintly grandmother hemmed my osnaburg and Mahogany for me. That's right, I cheated. But I needed to see her do it first to get the confidence myself!), I used pinking shears to pink (give it zig zags) the edges to be hemmed in order to prevent fraying while I was working with it.
Cutting with Pinking shears
So, now is the time to decide if you're going to do a 1/2 or 1/4 hem (Actually, the time was before you cut the fabric, but whatever). As I stated above, there are two ways to do a double folded hem. I'll talk about how I did it, since that is what is in the pictures. See the video above for the other way. First, I folded over my full width, measured with a ruler, and pressed in place with an iron (1" for a 1/2" double fold hem and 1/2" for a 1/4" double fold hem). I did this down the length of what fit on my ironing board
Then, I went back and rolled the fabric underneath itself to form the appropriate length hem, pressed, and pinned in place. I continued with the next section and repeated the process until my entire fabric was pressed and hemmed. when pinning, keep in mind which direction you'll be sewing so that the pins are easy to remove (the heads will be toward you while you're at the machine).
Look at this image upside down. It might make more sense ;)
This is a 1/2" double folded hem
Pinned
Here is a completely pinned Osnaburg- ready to sew!
Note that if, like my linen wrap, you have a selvage edge, You don't have to hem that side! Isn't that fabulous!! Also, if you're using tablecloth, three sides should already be hemmed and you just have to complete the fourth side where you ripped it in half! yay!
Last step is to take it to the sewing machine. While sewing, you want to stay approximately 1/8" from the inside edge of the hem. A straight stitch with suffice here because it is not weight-bearing. Concentrate on your guide on your machine or on how the fabric is fed through the foot instead of the needle itself. If you are looking at the needle, your stitching will not be straight. Don't forget to backstitch a couple of stitches at the beginning and end of each side of the fabric in order to secure your stitches. Also, when switching to a new side, remember to keep the needle down into the fabric, pick up the foot, rotate, and put foot back down in order to keep your stitching continuous and to prevent having to start and stop. Also, be aware of where those pins are so you don't get poked ;)
I've got my line. Ready to go! Note my selvage edge that doesn't need to be hemmed :-)
Nana is a pro!
I'm a sewing newbie... It isn't perfect but I'm still proud!
And that's all folks! You, my friend, have a woven baby wrap! For a fraction of the price of what most cost. Many fabrics will need to be broken in to be nice and soft. Some suggestions are braiding and un-braiding, using water softener in your rinse cycle (White vinegar works well for this!), or drying on hot with tennis balls in your dryer. Whatever you do, do not play tug of war or any other kind of stretching maneuver to try and soften the wrap. You don't want to stress and strain those fibers in that direction and weaken the wrap!
Here are examples of my poor braiding... Takes some practice!
My slightly failed grad dye on the Osnaburg (more about that in a grad dye post!)
This is my Mahogany Tree of Life tablecloth! Isn't it pretty?? This will be featured in a tub dye tutorial!
Now, if you want to dye your project, like I did, that is going to be another long blog post ;) I grad dyed my Osnaburg (slightly failed because my mail carrier put my dye shipment in the wrong box and it sat in the hot Texas sun for a week... ruined my maroon!), I tub dyed my tablecloth, and I hand dyed a sunset palette on my linen blend... it's going to be exciting, so stay tuned!
