It is finished

 This is a wrap conversion half buckle with wrap straps. I'm not sure if this is considered a Mei Tai or a hybrid. The straps and waist band are padded with a soft high density foam, while the head rest and legs out sides padding is a little less dense.

The reason I went with wrap straps instead of a full buckle design is because I find buckles under my arms to be somewhat annoying. Now, if one were to have fixed straps without the buckle (such as with a Boba or Tula) than there is only webbing to contend with. Though I can still get a nice carry with an adjustable buckle carrier like Kinderpack and Beco's Gemini that allows you to wear the straps straight or crossed because of the buckle. Truth be told I miss my Gemini, which I sold to acquire a infant sized Kinderpack. I feel that right now the Kinderpack is too wide on the top and my little one doesn't seem as comfortable in it. While the standard size was a fabulous fit for her older siblings, I'm struggling to find the love with the infant version. I save it for times when I truly just need quick "ups" or errands.

 Meanwhile at home I'm more drawn to using a wrap to achieve a carry that's imitates what an arms embrace would feel like. Which brings me to the second reason I wanted wrap straps and this narrow contoured body panel was so I could adjust the carrier for a more custom fit every time. To narrow the seat I place the waist belt higher (where you'd want a new baby anyhow), and can spread the wrap passes in such a way as to hug the baby more snuggly than I could in my full buckle carrier.

I wish I could make more of these! I wish I could sell them... or donate them without fear of regulations and lawsuits should someone has an accident or something. I think that this design has some potential, but I don't have the time nor capital to test it in order to make it compliant... but if all I had to do was sew, I'd make one of these a week with whatever wrap someone wanted just for the thrill of accomplishing something.

Rainbow Ring Sling

Big squish
(little squish was asleep)

Since the new squish arrived, I've been reminded why it is that ring slings make the best carriers for newborns. They're so little, you just want something that hugs them up close and snug. They don't weigh much so a one shoulder support is amply sufficient. Yet, my other slings were inching in towards my neck instead of resting on my shoulder. The solution for this is a different shoulder style; Eesti Shoulder.

The hardest part was building up the courage to cut my wrap. Since I like to use the sling tail to create a second seat pass or to serve as a nursing cover, so this is a long sling.

I selected to convert my Girasol light rainbow size 2 "shortie."

The Que

I'm trying to cross a Kinderpack with a Girasol Mysol Mia Tai...that's what this boils down to. I want the deep seated triple panel of the Kinderpack, with the height and leg adjustability of the Mysol. Combine the ease of buckles with the squishy softness of a hand-woven wrap, and an element of adjustability and perhaps I will have it all.... or will go crazy thinking of new combinations to try.

So I've redrawn a body panel of my own by connecting lines between sizes. Instead of experimenting with my Girasol Donau size 4 wrap (that I procured explicitly
 for conversion, I'm going to start with my water carrier first. Yes, even though I have a water sling, I think I "need" a water soft structured carrier too. Last summer I watched a mom wear her baby in a beater Ergo in the pool almost everyday. It was a marvelous idea as Ergos can be found for cheap and aren't so valuable that you'll be loosing money wrecking it in the pool. However, the only thing that bothered me a bit was I noticed her Ergo fabric (cotton) was wearing out pretty good. It certainly seemed stable enough, but I conjectured that there had to be better materials out there for water use. So I found a polyester canvas to pair up with my polyester comfort sport mesh fabric, and hope that this would prove a more water durable option. Nylon is lovely too, but tends to be a bit slippery, and flimsy, so Polyester it is. One downside though is this polyester canvas is not very soft... at all. It's not going to win any squishy baby carrier awards that's for sure! However, since I need an experimental for this new pattern I'm playing with, if it doesn't turn out awesome, I won't be heartbroken.

On the other hand, if it's as I'm hoping, I'll have a more clear direction to take with my precious Girasol Donua Wrap.

Donau Wrap Conversion

I have all the materials, except my made up mind at hand. I know I'm turning this wrap into a carrier with buckles. I like how the olive drab webbing looks with this, but I haven't determined if I want a firm structured waist belt or a softer quilted belt. Do I want a ventilation panel or the baby pouch to be totally made out of the wrap? What size I've yet to determine. So I'm not sure when I'll begin this particular wrap conversion.

My Bernina is back!

It's like a brand new machine! Excepting that it's actually quite vintage, it's running smoother than ever. Before I dove into my major wrap conversion project, I did a quick recycle t-shirt into bamboo lined, side snap, fitted diaper. I forgot to give the Lastin a little more clearance on the legs (which would make a cute little ruffle around the edge). Opps. It's still works, just not as cute. While the boys bathed I used my little snap pliers to add snaps to the diaper and the suck pads for my new soft structured wrap conversion carrier... which is a one-of-a-kind (Ooak).

Recently, I went through my oversized diaper stash to decided to cull the herd. I could literally diaper triplets at any age! I plucked out diapers I hadn't even used for the last baby and some I decided I wouldn't be using for the next, and began listing them for sell on a diaper trading site linked on Facebook. First I sold things in smaller, but like groupings and lost a lot of money on shipping cost. Some of the packages I shipped cost me more than I had charged total. To keep things simple I included shipping in all my listings, making many of them practically free for shipping (or in some cases it didn't even cover that). So I decided to make even more cuts and listed some or my more prized items, like all my newborn kissaluvs, and most of what remained of my Clover collection...neither of which have seen much use since child number 4... as 5 was too crabby to let me do anything and I turned to disposables for a good amount of time. Then 6 had health issues that caused me to stop using cloth for a considerable time. So honestly, I thought it was prudent to pass them along. Still not wanting to just "give them away" I listed them for a price I felt was fair, but not quite a bargain. If they didn't sell, it wasn't going to break my heart, because they were still good and I "might" still use them. Perhaps they would be the perfect diaper for number 7? 

Anyway, despite my best efforts, nobody left any feedback, though some would e-mail me privately and indicate that they'd received their packages. It didn't bother me, till I had one gall contact me over my Clover diapers. She didn't like my price, wanted me to come down. I really just wanted to pass on her since she seemed to be very nit picky, and I just had a feeling she wasn't going to be happy with them.  I disclosed they were used. How old they were, and that they were indeed stained, though in my opinion still useable and elastic in good condition (because they're adjustable, the diaper will fall apart long before that elastic will be totally useless. I posted pictures inside and out, and hid nothing. I even sent a long letter describing my washing and household allergens for the entire lifespan of the diapers.  Still, she insisted, and insisted again she wanted them. I even knocked the price down when my washing machine needed to replaced and (it forced me to just let them go). So I sold them to her, shipped them off, and got on with life. A couple days after they were scheduled to have arrived, she writes to tell me how disappointed she is and wants a full refund, ect. I just had a feeling she was going to do that.  But how do you turn down a buyer...just cause you have a feeling they're going to come back and bite you in the butt? You really can't and not be decried as unethical or unfair or something. You can't say, "I just have a feeling you're going to be a pain in the..."

Seriously, they're just diapers, and if I don't use them I'm going to give them away to either a cloth diaper charity or see if one of my friends wants them.

The whole experience has caused me to think about all of my sewing and knitting projects in terms of my goals. While it's kind of exciting to think about maybe going back into business and making things for folks. I enjoy making things that I KNOW folks will want and will enjoy. However, I'm not thick skinned enough to digest the critics. And frankly, I've noticed that even truly awesome products receive a lot of hate from some folks. And sometimes these select few are down right mean and try to actually harm the seller/ maker. Very little credit is given to the time and energy the maker spends and puts into their product. It's usually so much more complicated than anyone realizes. And well... I could wax on and on about this all day.

For now I'm just making my wrap conversions because I'm curious. I want to know how it's done. Like a kid and a toaster, I want to take it apart and see how it works :) I don't know how many times I've read someone comment, "Oh I wish (said carrier maker) would make a wrap conversion," or "I wish they still made their straps puffy like they used to," or see them clamor for certain fabrics and such. I like seeing the various wrap conversions out there right now, and look to see innovations and hear what folks find comfortable. And of course I like trying to figure out ways to have it all in one carrier. I've done this with knitting, diapers, clothes, and many things. Usually, I do not churn out the perfect replica nor the new improved model. My stitches aren't perfect (my machine can only do so much) and I'm only so patient. I'm human and I have limitations. However, I'm going to keep trying. I'll enjoy my successes and learn from my mistakes, which is always better than never trying at all.

So with this second wrap conversion I learned that a bamboo cotton blend Ellevill is a very scrumptious and silky soft fabric. It has a bit of stretch to it which makes it very comfortable in the body and arm straps of the carrier. However, as a waist belt, it's a bit too stretchy and doesn't hold the firm foam padding in place nearly as well as the silk cotton Natibaby wrap (which was significantly thicker). I think that a quilted waist belt might have looked and functioned a lot better with this wrap. For this wrap I changed a few things.
1. Moved the arm strap buckles so that the buckle will stay on the padding even when the straps are adjusted. Sure they're one way adjust, but I like this better and find it easier if trying a side hip carry or crossing the straps.
2. The chest belt strap are sew with the webbing folds under, reversed from what I did with the last carrier, as it just looks nicer.
3. The hood has one seam, almost in the center of the inside (again my sewing is very human, sometimes things come out a little off center and I'm not going to rip out the seam in fear of destroying the fabric along with it). And I decided to add a little strip of lastin at the top sides of the hood to give it a little contour. Lastin is very stretchy and soft!

And after that...Girasol Rainbow Wrap Conversion

Okay...I'm making myself stop after this one... or at least I won't buy anymore for myself after I finish with this rainbow beauty. It's becoming an obsession.

This weekend I'll be knitting...but I really wish I could be sewing!

Update:... I've changed my mind. This s such a delightful wrap, and now that I know a few tricks in how to make it work, it won't be getting cut up anytime soon. Besides, my machine is going to be in the shop for at least another week. The positive side of that is the repairman really seemed to know his stuff and his diagnostic seemed spot on with what I was expecting after I read the service manual. So I'm hopeful that he's going to get it up and running as good as new, and it will be worth the wait indeed. That machine has been ailing for years, but even so it still sewed much better than any new machine I've had my hands on. They just don't make them like they used to. My Bernina 731 is all metal, and solid as a tank!

Next...Ellevill Paisley Vanessa Soft structure carrier wrap conversion

Even though my sewing machine hates me, and is now in the shop (please be cheap and easy to fix) I've begun another wrap conversion attempt. While not the most esthetically pleasing, my 3 year old loves to be in the "blue carrier" so much, that I've got a serious itch to try this again and see if I can do even better this time around. After I went back and altered the straps I found the sweet spot with my big fluffy straps, which I adjusted so the padding goes under the buckle. It makes carrying the 35+ pounder feel like next to nothing.

I picked up this wrap remnant from a mama on Facebook (my new buy, sell, and trade market place), which had been cropped to be converted into a ring sling. My half was almost, but not quite enough for all the pieces I will need. As soon as I saw it, a dress fabric I once used popped into my mind, and sure enough I had a yard in my stash. Thus it became clear I needed to make the exterior side panels with this thicker floral print cotton canvas, to give the flimsy bamboo/ cotton Ellevill more structural integrity, as this paisley wrap is not as thick as the Natibaby Dandilion wrap had been. Since this will be a smaller carrier I feel it will be alright, as a much lighter load will be carried by it. All interior fabrics will be the soft wrap, and the key strap points will be anchored into the canvas fabric.

Getting to work on these little projects makes me feel more... excited... happy... productive! Accomplished....

Also, I just cast off the hemline (but there's no hem) of my oldest's daughter's wool knit dress. Tomorrow I'll begin the sleeves. After that one is complete I'll need to sneak in a baptism gown.

Wrap Conversion

I'll start by saying my sewing machine did not like this project. I broke more needles than I could keep count of sewing this soft structure carrier, and there were things I wanted to do that just weren't going to happen with my machine. Finally, since hatching the notion to convert my wrap, it is done!
I even had enough wrap left over to make a ring sling , though not enough for a padded shoulder, but with fabric this thick, it's not necessary.

The wrap was Dandies by Natibaby, size 6. Now it's a toddler sized soft structured carrier conversion with plus sized straps (so dad can wear it too) and an adjustable panel (for my tall torso kids with short inseams). Yes, that's solarveil in the center. Admittedly, even though I adjusted my Personal Fit adjusters up an inch from the carrier I mimicked, the hood is essentially useless when the PFA's are cinched all the way down (which I have to do for me. But since this carrier's body panel is so tall, I don't think I'll ever actually use the hood for head support. Perhaps we might use it for shade...or not. I'd have to rethink that aspect of it should I ever take on a project of this magnitude again.