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Wednesday, May 22, 2013 ..:: Make a Carrier » Make a Pouch ::.. Register  Login
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 Happy Baby Minimize
      

 Making a No-Sew Pouch Minimize
Choose a t-shirt that is MUCH too small for you. Cut off the sleeves and top. Fold the top edge down into the pouch to hide the cut edge. Some shirts are stretchier than others. You may need to try several shirts before you find one that is the right size.
    

 Make Your Own Minimize
If you're flexible on quality, you can turn out a simple no-frills pouch in under half an hour. That does not include all the time spent browsing in the fabric story, naturally.
Start with at least one and a half yards of cloth.
Hold it to your body from your left shoulder cap to your right ribs/waist. That's about how long your pouch should be. Don't cut it that short. Your seam will take up some slack, plus there needs to be room for the baby. Plus, well, room for the boobs, too.
Fold it in half length-wise.
Fold in half width-wise.
Cut a gentle curve.
Un-do the fold along the width.
Stitch the curve.
Turn the pouch right side out.
Fold in half width-wise. Done!
    

 Why Buy? Minimize
You may have seen fleece in your local fabric store for under $8 a yard and thought "Why do the fleece pouches sold online cost so much?" Mostly, that’s because they are using a better quality fleece. Fleece you find locally probably will work as well, but may not last as long and will have little fuzz balls on it after a while. They only fleece guaranteed never to pill is Malden Mills.

When deciding whether to sew or to buy, don't forget to calculate the value of your own time -- not only in sewing but also driving around looking for the right fabric, then getting out the machine, then threading the machine, then cursing and crying because it won't thread right, then measuring and cutting the cloth, sewing the tiny short seam, trying it on, and realizing you made it too small and starting all over again. Consider all of that and you may find that many of the pouches sold online are a BARGAIN.

Also, when you buy a pre-made pouch, the sewing may be better quality than what you are able to do. And you usually get customer support. And you can leave your sewing machine in the closet.

But if the machine is already out, and you actually know how to thread it (hey, stop laughing at me), and you've got some cloth laying around anyway, well, then, jump right in! And send me a picture when you're done!!
    

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Make a Carrier!
    

 crochet no pattern Minimize
Yeah, I had to do it too. But of course I am too instruction impaired -- I don't know the names of any of the stitches, and all I can make is a granny square. But in her directions she said "I like the idea of something I can shape as I go along" so that's what I did, I chained until it was twice as long as the distance from my shoulder cap to the small of my waist (I like a high carry in a pouch, and a DEEP pocket). Then I turned around and "granny squares" but not a square, right around the circle for a long time, then adding stitches row by row to make the deep pouch, then removed stitches to make the high tight rail again. What fun. I just went today to buy some super chunky fuzzy yarn and a huge crochet needle --I want to make a warm fluffy pouch for Toni's winter coat. I found that you can wear a wrap over a pouch and this is great because it is just chilly enough here in Texas to need a little something.
    

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 More Help Minimize
    

 Printable Patterns Minimize
    

 Fabrics? Minimize
A huge variety of fabrics can be used to make babywearing pouches.
Fabrics I have used, in no particular order:
Fleece
Jersey
Twill
Stretch Twill
Broadcloth
Denim
Sheets
Cotton Knit

Curently, I have so much cloth in my sewing room that I can hardly walk. Most of it I bought to sew clothes for me and my girls, but never got around to it because I spend so much time on this website. So, I decided that before I can buy another single yard of cloth (or yarn, or scrapbooknig stuff), I have to make something with every last scrap in that room. Pouches are a great way to do this. Some of the scraps are too small for an adult's pouch, but make great pouches for little kids to carry baby dolls.
    

 Links Minimize
    

 Report a Problem Minimize

Broken link? Missing image? Misspelled word? Inadequate instructions? Please email maintenance@wearyourbaby.org. I cannot respond to every email, but I do appreciate your help. I will email you back if I can.  Thanks, Tracy Dower
    

 You are a Master Babywearer Minimize
In China, it is said that "A master is anyone who knows more than you do." So, you are all master babywearers compared with most of the moms in the world. You do NOT need to know everything there is to know about babywearing -- if you know even ONE carry with even ONE type of carrier, you are in possession of knowledge other moms desperately want -- even if they do not yet know they want it. ;-D Therefore, you should all feel confident enough to teach others! So, pick a public place, pick a day of the week, and start sharing your skills with other families! Then, list yourself here.
      

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