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Baby-Related Crafts | Links

Please note: I (and others, who have allowed me to post their directions) have put a lot of time and effort into these directions. They aren't just some random web freebie. If you intend to make them to sell, I would really appreciate a link or some other form of credit. (Click text for further details.) If you use the directions for items you want to sell, please, I'm begging you, put a link back to the sewing directions page for that item, at the very least, to give your customers the option of sewing their own, which is the WHOLE POINT of me having these directions up! (Click the "some rights reserved" graphic for more information)

So, you want to start a baby carrier business? Please read these essays:

Please don't copy: Making a design truly your own is far more rewarding than using someone else's.
Why does it cost so much to buy a WAHM-made baby carrier? The hidden costs you might not be aware of.
If you want to sell baby slings... There's a lot more to it than you think -- it's not easy money.

The URL for this page is: http://crafts.sleepingbaby.net/ (Want to link to me?)

Baby Carriers:

Ring Slings	Pouches	Asian-Style Carriers	Wraps	Additions and Whatnot
One-layer ring sling for sturdy fabrics without a "wrong" side Reversible sling 1 for two fabrics of the same weight Reversible sling 2 for two fabrics of differing weights Reversible sling 3 for two lightweight layers Reversible sling with "rails" for 45" wide prints and coordinates Sewn-in pleats for polar fleece and other thick fabrics No-Sew sling for short wraps and other appropriate pieces of fabric Other shoulder styles because pleats are not the only way to make a sling!	illustrated with line drawings illustrated with photographs Crocheted hip-carrier/pouch -- not great for tiny babies, but terrific for babies who can hold up their heads. More an experiment than anything completely useful; I recommend a fabric carrier for more than 30-minute periods.	Korean Podaegi An Asian carrer with a single long strap -- this version is for a wide podaegi; I hope to have ones for narrow later. Basic Mei Tai colloquially known as ABC, Asian Baby Carrier, Kozy (which is a brand name, and a great carrier), a mei tai can be used in many different ways, depending on the baby's age. Beth's "Man Tai" Beth's great directions, hosted here. Kimber's "Ball Baby Overall" mei tai Kimber's directions, hosted here Sarah's "Frankenkozy" Sarah's directions, hosted here. Mei tai strap bag: A handy little bag that slides onto the strap of your mei tai.	Ring-Wrap: I wanted a wrap that was easy to use, without too much excess fabric, and this is incredibly easy to sew as well! Try one and let me know what you think! This version has the rings sewn in. Convertible Ring-Wrap: rings are held in place with snaps. Can be used as a ring-wrap, ring sling, and regular wrap, and has an easy-to-find center because of the snap flaps. Note: I no longer really recommend ringed wraps, at least ones that take any work. You can use a scrunchie to hold the rings in place on a regular wrap, which is far more versitile and, once you've got the hang of it, easy enough to use.	Fabric and Rings FAQ Please read before buying fabric or rings to sew a sling! Zippered Patch Pocket Inset pocket (works well with 2-layer sling or sling with accent, below) Tail accent (for a little flair on a plain sling) Adding padding and/or a shoulder accent to an unpadded sling (retrofit) Doll sling: a child's play sling (not meant to be weight-bearing!) If you're making ring slings as a gift, be sure to enclose some wearing directions. These are not for use in slings you sell, only for gifts! Hemming foot tutorial: I use a hemming foot on nearly all the slings I sew, and this is how I do it.
Other ring slings:	Other pouches:	Other mei tais:	Wrapping helpers:	Other resources:
MayaWrap; padded sling (600K PDF); Sling-A-Ma-Bob; Sling Me Mommy; UpMama! adjustable pouch sling; Didymos pattern (in German)	Sweet Things Baby Slings reversible, contoured pouch kit ($); Stacie's pouch sling; MamaToto directions (pretty much the same as what I have); Resizing a too-long pouch at Sweet Things; Karma Baby	Susan's modified Mei Tai, Emma's Sewing, Legs-Out Small Body MT Mae's interchangeable panel Mei Tai, Olivia's Scandi-style MT, Chelsea and Shira's soft-structured carrier	Mamatoto.org and WearYourBaby.com both have extensive information on using a SPOC (simple piece of cloth) to wear your baby in dozens of different ways.	Babywearing Resources from Thriving Babies The BabyWearer: mecca to all babywearing fans! Here's a great tutorial on making zippered pouches

Other Useful Items:

Breastfeeding Helpers:

Things to use with kids:

Things for Grownups:

Purses, Bags, and Storage

Drafting a nursing pillow pattern
Nursing Pillow
a.k.a. "Boppy" or "My Brest Friend" -- this one is sized to fit your body, even if you don't have a 24" waist.

Simple nursing t-shirts
made from regular t-shirts -- horizontal or vertical overlays

Nursing Bra
Turn your favorite regular bra into a nursing bra -- very easy, no sewing machine required.

Hands-free pumping bra
Convert a regular bra into a hands-free bra for pumping

Other nursing helpers:

t-shirt with overlay
(illustrations)
t-shirt like mine
(lots of step-by-step photos),
shirt with horizontal, snap-closed opening.
Easy nursing necklace

Simple cloth doll,
similar to Waldorf dolls.
Pattern based on this one, but includes a full-size pattern and my own style of directions.

Becca's Sleep Sack
Uses an existing sleep sack as a template for a bigger one

Restaurant High Chair Cover

Grocery Cart Seat Cover suggestions

Chair sling or tie-on baby seat

Black-and-white stimulating mobile

Diaper with gussets Adding gussets to cloth diapers. Just directions for adding gussets - pattern links below.

Toddler bed sheets: a pillowcase-style bottom sheet with a top sheet that won't come untucked

Diaper patterns:

The Diaper Hyena
Ottobre Designs pattern (to add gussets, omit elastic step as described)
Faux Fuzzi Buns (omit side elastic)
Emma's make your own pattern from existing diapers

Quick, cute bibs

Maternity pattern alterations
Easy pattern adaptations for sewing maternity wear

Cloth menstrual pads
a la Jan Andrea

Sarah's babywearing poncho (based on the directions at Gypsymama.com)

Other babywearing apparel:

Thread on the babywearer
Babywearing sweatshirt
(baby on back)
Babywearing sweatshirt
(baby on front)
Fleece hat to match a fleece carrier or poncho
Non-babywearing child's poncho

Stéphane Dupont's free instructions for adding a panel to technical jackets for maternity and babywearing

Misc. stuff:

Wild Ginger software has a free program to help you create your own accessories (hats, bags, aprons, etc.) to your own measurements.

Breastfeeder's diaper bag/purse: simple and small, because we don't need to carry bottles and formula! Other versions: LITE (smaller and simpler -- 9 by 5 by 2"), Hippie Mamas for cloth diapers (9 by 8 by 6")

A completely different diaper bag/purse: sack-style bag with four pockets, two inside and two outside.

Fabric diaper case
holds a few disposable diapers, plus a travel wipes box of wipes.

Flat wallet with lots of card slots: Frustrated by the lack of wallets with as many card slots as I wanted, and not finding a pattern online, I made one up for myself.

Easy umbrella stroller accessoriesStorage bag and water bottle holder

Cloth grocery bags
or buy them from reusablebags.com

Patterns I do not intend to add (but have been asked about several times): infant car seat covers that replace existing seat covers; infant car seat covers that go over the baby; toddler training pants. The first one is because replacing an infant seat cover with a third-party cover voids the seat's warrantee, and I'm not comfortable going there; the second, because I don't have an infant car seat to measure from, and they're all different, anyway (and I want to reduce people's reliance on portable infant car seats, not encourage their use!); and the third because I just don't know how! Also, nursing covers -- for reasons why, click here.

Want to share this site with people you meet? Print up some cards!
Works with that special business card paper, or just cut along the lines. (90 K, PDF, opens in new window.)

Link to me!

Did you use any of these patterns and like them? Please link back to me from your site!

The URL for this page is: http://crafts.sleepingbaby.net/

Here is a little graphic you can use: Rev. Jan's Baby Crafts

To make a link, please copy the graphic to your own directory by (PC) right-clicking on it, or (Mac) clicking and holding, and selecting "Save picture as..." Then copy this code and paste it onto your page wherever you want it:

<a href="http://crafts.sleepingbaby.net/" target="_blank">
<img src="link.gif" alt="Jan Andrea's Baby Crafts" height=50 width=135></a>

Remember to change the image source to wherever you've saved the image! And thanks for the link!

All content, barring that which is otherwise attributed, is ©2007 to Jan Andrea. If you wish to use my content on another page, please email before doing so, even for content with the Creative Commons licenses. Text/images used elsewhere must be attributed to me. Be advised that I will pursue copyright violations.