How to Make Your Own Baby Carrier

Baby slings and carriers are useful when you have a small baby that likes to be held. With an infant in a carrier, a parent can complete tasks and household work while the baby enjoys being held close.

With the popularity of these carriers, some can be quite expensive. If you have basic sewing skills, you can easily make your own baby carrier for a fraction of the cost. Choose a decorator fabric that you love and spend about an hour making your own baby carrier.

Things You'll Need

• Two yards of decorator weight fabric Sewing Machine Sewing Notions (scissors, thread, pins, etc.) Tape Measure

Instructions

Making Your Own Baby Carrier

1. Cut the fabric lengthwise to a length of 22 inches. This creates a 22-inch by 2-yard piece of material.

2. Fold the material in half lengthwise. Fold in half again lengthwise to have four open corners on the right side.

3. Measure the distance between your shoulder and hip.

   Measure along the upper right edge of the folded fabric the hip/shoulder measurement you measured plus 1/2 inch. Mark this spot.

   Measure the opposite bottom edge the measurement from the top edge plus 3 inches. Mark this spot.

   Cut a rounded edge from the bottom mark to the top mark.

4. Unfold the fabric by the width and stitch the two ends together along the rounded edge that was cut in Step 3. You have constructed a pouch in the sling. Turn this pouch inside out.

5. Encase the seam just sewn in a French seam. Arrange the seam allowance fabric from the seam you just sewed to one side of the seam on the underside. Stitch again along the seam just sewn to encase the seam down. This is an effective way of securing and finishing a seam.

6. Finish the raw top and bottom edges of the sling by turning under and sewing a 1/4-inch hem on each side to finish the baby sling.