"Depth of taper" refers to the difference between the long and short sides of the wrap, on one end of the wrap. Most Didymos, Hoppediz, Storchenweige, Dolcino, BBSlen, and Girasol wraps have a taper depth of 6-10", with the average being around 8". Some wraps, however, including Kokadi, Vatani, Ellevill, and Zara, have very deep tapers, between 18-24". A taper depth this long means that the finished slings will have one very long and one very short end, and a shorty wrap made from one of those wraps will be shorter than one made from a more traditionally-tapered wrap. The sling length is calculated from the center of the taper, so with deeply-tapered wraps, a medium (75") sling could have a short edge that's 63" long and a long edge that's 87" long. Please keep this in mind if you're using a wrap with very deep tapers, as it's best for the taper *not* to end up in the rings. In the image below, you can see how the remaining wrap piece is cut. So if you have a 470cm wrap and I cut it to make a size small sling (using 206cm, measured from the center of the taper), the remaining shorty will be less than 264cm because of the taper depth.

For reference, Ellaroos are straight across with fringe and Easycares are straight across, for a 0" taper; BBSlens and Natibaby wraps have a 4-5" taper; Didymos are between 7-10" depending on the weave; Girasols and Dolcinos are generally 8"; Lenny Lamb wraps are 10"; Kokadis are 18"; Ellevills are upwards of 24". I don't have a Hoppediz or Storchenweige on hand to measure, but I believe they are between 6-8" and will update when one comes in.

There are two main categories of wraps: woven (where the threads are in some kind of over/under pattern, whether simple or complex) and knit (where the fabric is made like t-shirt fabric -- similar to the way sweaters are made, but smaller in scale). In general, woven wraps are more supportive than knit wraps. Most common knit wraps (like Moby and Sleepy wraps) are not suitable to be turned into slings, because of the amount of stretch and the tendency for them to be on the narrower side. I have slingified Wrapsody Bali Stretch wraps, but would not recommend a pleated shoulder with these due to the damage the needle can do to the fabric when it punches through so many layers -- a gathered shoulder would be a better choice for those, and is available at Zanytoes. I do not recommend turning Wrapsody Bali Breeze wraps into ring slings, because gauze does not hold a weight-bearing seam well. I have done them in the past in a double layer (which is fine), but for a single-layer sling, I would ask that the buyer not resell or gift the sling, and keep a close eye on the seams for signs of pulling or tearing.

Woven wraps vary in their width, weight, and the number of threads per inch. Unlike sheets, a lower thread count is desirable in a sling, because it will have more "give" and be more comfortable; since most woven wraps have a fairly low thread count, they make lovely slings. Generally speaking, if you can do a comfortable single-layer carry in a wrap, it will be fine for a ring sling.

I now have a form you can send to the person you're buying the piece from. The file includes a cutting diagram and the other information the seller will need to ensure the piece is cut and mailed correctly. Save this PDF file to your computer, and open it with Adobe Reader. When you've finished filling out the fields, save the file, then click the little envelope in the toolbar at the top to email the completed file directly to the seller (although I would recommend emailing it to yourself first to make sure the fields are actually completed). The seller can include a printout of the worksheet with the wrap piece if she would like to, but it's not strictly necessary if you've already placed your order with me. The form does not replace the order you place on my site -- it's meant to help the seller correctly cut the wrap piece.

The form should help a lot, but if you choose not to use it, here's what you and the seller need to know. First, make sure the piece you're buying will actually end up being the length you want. Many sellers will measure a wrap piece along the long taper. That's fine for an actual wrap where both sides will be the same length, but when having the piece made into a sling by me, it's not the measurement that counts. I assign sizes by the length at the center of the taper (as shown in the diagram above, under "depth of taper" question). For example, if you're buying a piece that the seller says is 75" long so that you can have a size small sling, find out if that's on the long taper, short taper, or in the center. If it's along the long taper, the sling will actually be much shorter than a small when it's finished (depending on the taper depth). The other thing that happens sometimes is that the piece will be cut on a taper, especially if the original wrap has been chopped to make a shorter wrap. In that case, if they measure along one full rail (and not from the shorter edge where the piece was cut), the piece will actually be shorter than stated by the entire taper depth, since the new cut taper has to be removed to make a straight edge for sewing in the rings.

The second issue is detailed below in the pattern orientation section. If the piece you're buying is from a wrap with an asymmetrical element (like animals, scenery, or stripes), find out which way it's oriented. Below, the smiley faces can be right side up or upside down depending on which side of the wrap was cut, and if it was cut opposite your preference, it will have to be flipped right-side or inside-out to get the orientation you want.

Third, as with any second-hand purchase, make sure everything is disclosed that should be -- broken threads, weaving flaws, stains, weaknesses in the fabric, etc. I have gotten wraps with lots of animal hair, wraps with broken threads, food stains, odd smells, and a host of other peculiarities, and all I can say is that none of those things are picked up here (we have no pets, my studio is kept clean and food-free, and I take the pieces out of their original bags only long enough to sew and re-package them), so if they're on your wrap when it gets to your house, contact the seller for details.

Please tell me what color and style of wrap you have -- "Didymos" or "German wrap" isn't very helpful to me, since there are so many different colorways. I receive somewhere between 40-60 wraps per week to make into slings, and I need to be able to tell them apart. I am also not terribly familiar with all the different companies' names for their wraps, so a description, like "Brown with orange edges" is much more helpful to me than "Hoppediz Costa Rica". I'm getting better, but can't guarantee I'll be able to identify a wrap by its brand name or the name of the colorway.

The option for shoulder style refers to the way the rings are sewn in. Standard SBP is what I've been doing for years (as shown on the "construction" page). Eesti-style is a modified gathered shoulder, with two small pleats on the edges and a gathered section in the middle. I recommend the latter if you have already tried an SBP sling and didn't find it to your liking, or if you have tried an Eesti and found that you prefer it. I do not recommend it for users who haven't tried either, since it can be a slightly more difficult style to use, as it spreads out a great deal more and can cause issues if you don't know what you're doing.

You do not have to pick a primary shoulder -- the one you will be wearing the sling on the most often -- if your sling does not have a directional element (like fish, birds, or asymmetrical stripes), if you will be switching shoulders frequently, or if the directional element doesn't matter to you. As an example, the same sling is used in both figures at right -- worn on the right shoulder, the red rail is on top; and worn on the left shoulder, the pink rail is on top. (The bottom rail doesn't show when worn because it's tucked under the baby's knees.) So if you specify in the special instructions box that you want the pink rail to be on top, I need to know which shoulder you'll be wearing the sling on, since the color shown on the top rail will change depending on which shoulder you wear the sling on. This "primary shoulder" is only for orienting patterns, since both shoulder styles can be worn on either shoulder. However, if you specify an orientation preference, I must know which shoulder you will be wearing the sling on -- selecting "doesn't matter" means I can't take the orientation into account and will have to email you for clarification, resulting in a sewing delay.

There is another consideration when splitting wraps that have a directional element -- please read below because this happens on a fairly regular basis.

My standard procedure is to sew the sling with the hemmed edges facing outwards in the body of the sling. That corresponds to the image on the left-hand side. I find this to be very slightly more comfortable for the wearer and baby, since then the hem isn't facing into you -- if your skin is very sensitive, this can be an issue (although for the vast majority of users, it is not). From a cosmetic perspective, the tail is usually more exposed than the body of the sling (since the bottom edge should be bunched up under the baby's knees anyway, and the top edge can be rolled so that the hem does not show), so that having the hems out in the tail is more obvious than having them out in the body of the sling. However, if your wrap has a wrong side (this is not usually an issue for BB-Slen, Girasol, Ellaroo, and BaraBarn wraps, just the jacquard-woven wraps like Didymos and Natibaby), this does mean that the wrong side is out in the body of the sling. If you would prefer the hems in (so the "wrong" side is out in the tail -- corresponding with the image on the right-hand side), please select that in your order. If the wrap is tapered, this does also affect the side the long end of the taper falls on, so if that is important to you, please hold the wrap up on yourself as if you were wearing a sling to decide which way you want it sewn. If there is a conflict between the right/wrong side out and the desired pattern orientation on a wrap that doesn't have an obvious wrong side, I will favor the pattern orientation over the hemming preference.

There is another consideration when splitting wraps that have a directional element -- please read below because this happens on a fairly regular basis.

Another consideration is for wraps that are being split into two slings. If there is a directional element (asymmetrical stripes, animals, etc.) and both slings are sewn for the same primary shoulder (see above), then one sling will have to be hemmed-side in and the other hemmed-side out. In the image at right, I have used a jacquard-woven wrap with a happy face pattern, where the faces are right-side up only in one directions, as an example. If both buyers want the faces to be right-side up on their right shoulder, then the second piece has to be flipped over so that the hemmed side is facing in on the wearer's body. Both slings cannot be hemmed-side out with the same pattern orientation on the same shoulder. This is less of an issue with striped wraps (example here), which can simply be flipped inside-out, than with wraps that have a pictoral design (like fish, cityscapes, or other animals). Ideally, both buyers will either select opposite shoulders with the same hemming preference; or the same shoulder with opposite hemming preferences. They cannot both select the same shoulder and the same hemming preference, because the wrap piece has to be flipped one way or the other. If you are splitting a wrap that has a directional element, please discuss these specifics with the person you're splitting the wrap with, or I will have to email you both when the wrap arrives in order to make it to your specifications.

All scraps are returned with the slings. The selector that deals with scraps is just if the piece is going to affect the weight of the package -- a long scrap of more than 1m in length will usually bump the weight up to the next shipping price interval, while a small piece will not. I do not keep scrap pieces, so if you don't get anything back, it means there wasn't anything left over after cutting and sewing. I have to admit, it hurts my feelings a little when someone puts on their order form "Please return all scraps!" or similar. For one, it means they haven't read the wrap conversion product page (it says right on the page that I will return the scraps), and it also feels like they don't trust me to be honest and return their property to them. I have no use for scraps and no time to sell them, so even if I weren't an honest person, I'd have no reason to keep them.

For any other details I will need to know when sewing, please use the "special instructions" box even if we have previously corresponded about the details of your sling; I use the order sheet, not emails, to do my sewing. However, you do not need to repeat the information in the "additional information" section at checkout.

I have a comprehensive page about sling sizing here. In brief, I suggest ordering by your standard t-shirt size. Heavier women who are also shorter than about 5'6" may prefer to go down one size from their t-shirt size (e.g. if you're 5'1" and usually wear an XL shirt, a large or even medium sling will generally be sufficient).

Yes -- the WCRS sewing slots (availability shown at the top right of every page) control the number of WCRS orders I will be sewing, otherwise I just get completely overwhelmed. When you purchase a wrap conversion, you will see a drop-down menu for "Wrap arrives at SBP:" and a set of dates. Please select the date range that represents when I should receive your wrap. Each WCRS requires its own slot, so if you're splitting a wrap with someone else (for two slings or a sling and a shorty), each order will require a slot. If there are no slots left for the week you'll be sending it, please use the next available week. If you are making a sling from a wrap that's a preorder from another vendor and it's likely to be several months until the wrap is available, please wait until you have their confirmation that the wrap is arriving in the US before you place your order, as it will otherwise take up a conversion slot that can't actually be used. Wraps that arrive before their conversion time will be stored until that date, unless I am able to sew it sooner; wraps that arrive after their conversion time will go to the end of the queue for the period of their actual arrival (so if you say it will arrive the week of July 4, and I don't receive it until July 11, it will be sewn after I've sewed the slings that were supposed to arrive that week).

If you have pets or are a smoker, please wash the wrap (without fabric softener) before sending it to me -- we are very sensitive to pet dander, cigarette smoke, and perfumes here! Because of our sensitivities and to keep my sewing area clean for all the sewing I do for others, wraps that arrive excessively dirty (lots of pet hair, overwhelming perfume scents, or other accumulated detritus) will be returned unsewn at the sender's expense.

Please make sure that its long edges are already finished (hemmed or selvage, either way is fine -- all Didymos, Storch, Girasol, and most other major brands are already finished); if it needs hemming, it's a custom sling rather than a redo. If your wrap has a fringe at the end of the tail, I will leave it in place unless you specify otherwise; likewise, if it's tapered, I leave the taper unless you'd prefer it hemmed straight (which will result in the loss of several inches of length overall).

Please do not send wraps braided or, if they have been braided, please iron (or wash/dry/fold neatly) before sending. Braided wraps are extremely wrinkled, which means either the final pleating job looks messy, or I have to iron your wrap for you. I will invoice for the extra time that ironing takes me, as it's not a trivial job and takes me at least as long as sewing the sling, and when I receive 10-20 orders per day, time is necessarily money.

If you are ordering a wrap specifically for a conversion, you may have it sent directly to me. Please place your order so that I have your information before the wrap arrives -- it's much easier for me than trying to track people down when the wrap gets here. If your wrap is a preorder, I would recommend waiting until you receive shipping confirmation from the seller before you place an order; otherwise, the wait can be quite long, and I can only do full refunds within 60 days of purchase on my store.

Please address packages as follows:
[Recipient's Name, if different from sender's name]
C/O Jan Heirtzler, sleeping baby productions
12 Davis Ave.
Durham, NH 03824-1940

It is MUCH easier for me to sort through the many packages that arrive at my house daily if I can tell who it's for at a glance. Otherwise, I have to spend a lot more time sorting through existing orders, and the longer that stage takes me, the fewer slings I can sew each day.

Please include your name and/or order number with the wrap (or ask the sender to do so) because I do get many, many wraps each day, and sometimes more than one of the same colorway. You need not print out the order confirmation email; I have all the info here and there's no need to waste the paper. If you are buying the wrap from a third party and having them send it to me, please ask them to include a note with your name and email address in the package. I've gotten many wraps with no identifying information and no existing orders, and that's very confusing for me, resulting in a longer wait time while I try to figure out who it's for. If the customer has not placed an order before the wrap arrives here, I also need the buyer's email address, or I can't let them know the wrap has arrived.

If you are sending a wrap to me to be split with another person and the finished slings will be sent to two different addresses, please place two separate orders (usually, each person places her own order) -- shipping is calculated based on the weight, so if two are included in the same order, there's not enough shipping paid to ship to two addresses, and I have to invoice for the additional costs. If both pieces are being sent back to you, a single order is all that's necessary (but do make sure you add two conversions to your cart or I'll have to invoice for the second).

If I will be hemming/converting both sides, please do not cut the wrap before sending it. It is generally more difficult for me to work with already-cut wraps. There may not be enough continuous length for the accessories that have been ordered, and often, cuts are made at an extreme taper, which changes the usable length and may make the piece too short for the buyer's requested size. This doesn't apply if you are splitting it and not sending both pieces to me -- only if I'll be sewing with both pieces. However, if you will be cutting the wrap before sending me a piece, please take a moment to read through my wrap cutting directions -- this makes a nice, even cut, and while it takes a bit longer than just eyeballing the cut, it's a lot easier to work with!

If you are purchasing a wrap redo and an in-stock sling in the same order, I will wait to send your in-stock sling until I have received your wrap fabric. If you want the in-stock sling sent before the fabric for your wrap conversion arrives, please place two orders -- otherwise, I will have to invoice for the additional shipping.

For insurance, please select your value for the total package value in the options on the ordering page; and, at checkout, click to select insurance below the address fields. Because the cost of having the conversion done is less than the actual value of the wrap, I need to know how much you feel it is worth in order to add the appropriate amount of insurance coverage, and the pull-down option adds the correct insurance cost to the order total. If you are having multiple slings returned to you, please add the total insured value to only one of the slings -- otherwise, the additional charge may be higher than would actually be necessary to cover the package for the stated value. You must also check the insurance box after you put in your address during checkout! This is what tells the cart that you're getting insurance, and without this box checked, the shipping price quoted at the end will be incorrect. If the box is not checked, I will not add insurance to the package because I have been very clear about this, and do not wish to pay for insurance out of my pocket.

Insurance is not available on orders shipped via First Class Mail International. The USPS does not offer the option. You can get insurance on Priority Mail International for an extra cost... but not, for some reason, on those sent by Priority Mail International Flat Rate.

Most wraps will require large diameter rings -- 3" and above. Anything smaller, and the fabric just won't budge when you try to adjust it. Please keep this in mind when ordering, or if you plan to send your own rings. If you are petite, you may find that large rings take up a lot of room on your torso, and may want a thinner wrap (such as Vatani stripes or Ellaroo wraps) that will accommodate medium-sized rings instead. I would not recommend nylon rings with the majority of woven wraps; they are much more bulky than aluminum rings, and combined with the weight of the fabric, they make a really big lump when worn.

Wraps that have tapered ends will be measured from the center of the taper, so one edge will be 6-10" longer than the other. Some wraps, including Vatani, Zara, and Amazonas, have extremely long tapers, where one side is 18" or more shorter than the other. This can mean that even though the sling's length to the center of the taper is 75" long (for example), the shorter end will be only 65" long, and the long end 85" long. This can be awkward to wear, so please make a note of the taper's depth and how you would like it to fall on your body when ordering. I can re-cut the taper and hem to make the taper less steep. Most wraps (Didymos, Girasol, Storchenweige, Neobulle, etc.) have a much more gentle taper, so this difference in length isn't as much of an issue.

That depends on how long you want your sling and whether you want any accessories. A rebozo-length wrap -- or, for that matter, a rebozo (about 3 meters) -- will have ample fabric for even the longest sling, plus a pocket or snap-on pouch.

For reference, here's how much fabric each size sling and accessory takes (add 3 " for the Eesti shoulder):

To convert from centimeters to inches, divide the number of centimeters by 2.54; to convert from inches to centimeters, multiply the number of inches by 2.54. Using this method, you can find out how long a wrap you need for the sling size you want, or just use the calculator above.

Using a long ring sling for ruck-under-bum back carries: I do not personally recommend using a long ring sling to do this style of carry, and must completely disclaim any liability for incidents that occur when using this position against my recommendation. Back carries, especially those done with infants, are inherently more risky than front carries, whether you've been using a sling for a week or for years. I would encourage you to get comfortable with front carries first, and if you want to do back carries, purchase or make a short wrap for that purpose, rather than buying an exceptionally long ring sling to do it. If you would ordinarily wear a size medium, but purchase an XXL sling so that you can do ring sling rucks, and then you find that you are only using the sling for front carries anyway, the tail is going to be super-long, and that's a tripping hazard. I know this is a very popular idea right now, but it's really recommended only for experienced, seasoned babywearers, and I must discourage you in the strongest terms from doing this carry -- or for purchasing a too-long sling for the purpose -- if you are a new user.

If you are having a wrap split into a ring sling and a shorty and your shorty has to be a certain minimum length, please make a note of that and I will cut the wrap portion first, ensuring it is the correct size. Otherwise, I will go by the ring sling length that you specify. If I don't know what your minimum wrap length is, I can't really be responsible if it's too short. Please measure carefully -- keeping the taper depth in mind -- before selecting the sizes! There is a delay in sewing time if I need to email you because the wrap isn't long enough for the lengths you've chosen.

If your original wrap is long enough, you can add some accessories like a snap-on pouch or zipless pocket-- please be sure there is enough fabric first, however! Zipless pockets will be made from a horizontal slice of the fabric unless you request otherwise and there is enough fabric to take a vertical piece -- I need at least 28" of excess wrap (length beyond what's required to sew the sling) to do a matched pocket (vs. 10" for a perpendicular pocket). More information about the pockets is shown on the pocket detail page. On a wrap with two different sides, the pocket can be matching or contrasting; please specify which you would like in the "additional information" section. The default is to use the same side that shows in the tail.

If you want to split a wrap between two people and have two slings made from it, it should be at least a size 4 (370 cm or 145", enough for two short slings, no accessories) though at least a size 5 (420 cm, 165") would be necessary for two size medium slings. I would recommend a size 6 (470 cm, 185") or size 7 (520 cm, 205") if you want two slings plus any accessories. Of course, a used wrap may have been machine-dried, leading to some shrinkage, and a brand-new wrap will be longer than advertised, in which case I'll sew it a little longer to account for that, so none of those lengths are set in stone.

Please check out the calculator at the top of the page -- you can use it to figure a number of different combinations. The table below is available as a general reference, but the calculator will nearly always be more accurate.

Very Important Notes: (please read them all!)

• The wrap lengths shown are the "ideal" lengths, and may not be the actual length of a used wrap, which may have been washed and dried so that it has shrunk. I've frequently gotten size 5 wraps that are long enough for only two *small* slings, not two mediums, for example. If you are buying a used wrap, please email the current owner for its *exact* length, since that can be significantly shorter than what it's marked as.
• This is also true of wraps that have been dyed. There is frequently significant shrinkage involved in that process (i.e. I've had a size 6, which should be 185", come as 170" long), and although some of the length can be regained when the sling is worn, the tail of the sling isn't under stress and therefore won't stretch out unless further stretching of the whole sling is done.
• The lengths shown include 3" for sewing in the rings -- they show the amount of wrap that I need to make the sling its correct finished length.
• Leftover includes the full length of the tapers -- actual leftovers will probably be between 3-7" shorter, depending on the depth of the taper.
• Didymos wrap sizes shown; other wraps have different sizing, but the lengths shown are fairly standard for wraps.

* Please allow me to measure the wrap before ordering a number of accessories, since the table above can only be an approximation based on the "ideal" length, and may not reflect what's actually available for sewing.