Home made Mei Tai style slings

[Lu28]

Have any of you made a Mei Tai style sling? I've seen a few patterns on the net and am tempted to give it a go as I don't have the money to buy one at the moment. Also, has anyone considered buying a homemade one?

 

[dippy dee]

Hi hun i have made one and i'm just about to make a second one that is more funky, as long as you remember to xbox the straps you will be fine, if you want and info, hints or tips then give me a shout x

 

[kirsten1985]

I would totally buy a homemade one, and I would love to make one but I am rubbish at sewing. I want to give it a go at some point though.

 

[Lu28]

Right, I'll give it a go then! dippy dee, any hints tips or info you could give me would be great, I'm a total novice! If it goes well, I might look at selling some on ebay for extra cash...

 

[dippy dee]

Brill that you are giving it a go they are so easy to make and save you loads of money, for my first one i made it out of some cheap material so i didn't waste money if it come out wrong and also you always learn what not to do on your first one, i have tweaked mine a couple of times now so it is how i like it now.
Start with a basic pattern and then you can build on that after, like i said before xbox's are so important to the straps as they help with stand the weight of lo and ensures the straps don't give way.
For the straps i didn't pad mine first time but i am going to on the next one, just the bits that touch my shoulders as they can cut in if lo is heavy or you are carrying for a long time, also copy everything you cut etc onto paper so you have the pattern for next time and write sizes down of the straps etc.
There are some concerns regarding using cord for straps so if you are going to use cord please line it with something like canvas so to re-inforce the strength.
Mmmm i can't think what else but if you want to give me a shout if you think of anything else then please feel free to do so. x

 

[milkmachine]

dippy dee can you do an idiots guide to making one for me??

 

[kirsten1985]

dippy dee can you do an idiots guide to making one for me??

That would be great

 

[Lu28]

Yes please! I printed out the pattern and guidelines last night and turns out it's a bit more complicated than I expected so I'm looking for a MUCH simpler one now!

 

[dippy dee]

Ok girls so here is how i made my idiot proof one lol, please remember sizes will differ as i am a size 18 in clothes and i made mine to my size, but i will tell you how to do yours.
So for a reversable mt i bought/found
2.3 yards of strong material such as denim, cord, canvas, twill etc best way to measure use a tape measure as if it was a strap and wrap it around you as if it was a strap and then add a little onto it to accomodate for lo and different clothes you will both wear. I made mine 7" wide before sewing so it ended up 3" wide each strap with 1" allowance for sewing. I made 3 of these straps not 4 so i had 2 for the shoulders and 1 for the waist i found this easier and safer for me.

I also had 2 x fat quaters of pretty material ( i bought mine from ebay very cheap) a fat quater is around the size i needed to make my mt once i had hemmed it and faffed around with it. You can measure how big you will need it by holding your baby against you as if he/she is in a my and measure from where baby is against you to upto the rise you want, please add a bit extra if you want a curve on the top that you can roll over, for my first one i did a plain flat top one ( i will add pics after ) General sizes are around 14" x 18" for a baby, and 18" x 22" for a toddler size
Some padding for the shoulder/ waist straps and for inside the pannels if you require. ( for the pannel padding i am cheating this time and using a pre fold nappy, strange i know but it is just the right size for mr h and
And lastly some decent strong thread in the colours you require.

Ok so for the distructions lol
Wash your material as it takes out any extra dye in the fabric and any chemicals that may irritate lo or you. It also makes sure all shrinking will be done before putting it all together.

So i started easy and made the straps, i turned the material inside out and sewn along the edge, i didn't add padding to the one i made lastly i then found a long pole and threaded it on it so it turned the material the right way round, do this 3 times then pin your straps onto the material , this time i have pinned it onto my pre fold for a neat outer on the pannels, the bottom one i have put straight along the bottom folding the material in half and marking the middle and then the same with my prefold then i linned the 2 middles up, i stitched the bottom strap down and then did 4 xboxes across it to make sure it wouldn't come away.
then position a top strap at the angel you want. i have mine straight upwards which i prefer, pin it in place then fold the mt in half so you can line the other strap up ( i find this easier than using rulers etc) then pin in place, stitch and then x box.
then it is just a matter of stitching the 2 pannels in place and you are done and ready to wear lo.
this has ended up like an essay if you want more help either pm me or i can show you on pictures later step by step if you send me your email addy as i doubt it would be appreciated if i loaded hundreds of pics on here.

 

[dippy dee]

simple steps of how to do it can be found if you google Beth's "man tai" she has done a very simple pattern.

 

[Kaites]

I love your idea of using a prefold for the padding!

I think I'm going to have to give a MT pattern a go soon- the Moby takes me way too long to wrap Emma up in when we get out of the car now that it's getting cold and she hates the sling I made so I'm thinking a MT would be a good solution.

 

[dippy dee]

Thankyou hun.
With my mt i tie it around my waist before i get in the car and just tuck the rest away so it doesn't get in the way then when we get out i just have to plonk him on me and quickly do my top straps and he is done, so much quicker that way.
Let me know how you get on x

 

[kirsten1985]

I love the Man Tai pattern, I think I will give it a go after xmas when I have some time! Where do people on here get their fabric from? I don't know of any good places near me.

 

[dippy dee]

There are loads on ebay, if you get the fat quaters then they are really cheap and just the right size for 1 pannel, if not try carrydot.co.uk, also fabricland.co.uk is my favorite as they do some amazing prints at just £1.

 

[JayleighAnn]

John Lewis have really nice patternscalthough I don't know about price as I didn't look I will deff give this a go after xmas

 

[dippy dee]

oooooooo thankyou for the info i will be looking to see if i can see any x

 

[saraendepity]

what fabric does everyone think will be best (safety wise?) i always worry that its not gonna be strong enough and rip or something?? i know there is some concern with cord straps but what should be used??

 

[milkmachine]

im gunna borrow MIL sewing machine and give this a go

 

[dippy dee]

cord as long as you line it, or any upholstery fabric all preferably of a bottom weight (9-10 oz) fabric (canvas, twill, corduroy, or denim) is the best.

 

[JayleighAnn]

I'm planning to use corderoy as I think it's the most asthetically pleasing (big words ooo lol ) I'm going to try one with removable panels so I will feel like I have loads