Making Mei Tei Slings?

[suse]

Oh, and forgot to add, the most common fabrics to use are:

- cotton drill / brushed twill for the straps and panel centre. You do need a bottom weight fabric for the straps as they will take a lot of beating.
- quilter's cotton for the front panel (or any decorative fabric of choice)
- polar fleece for strap padding
- sometimes dupioni silk or minkee is used for the panel inner (the bit that goes against baby)
- sometimes baby cord is used for straps, but this isn't recommended by some makers due to concerns against integrity when weight bearing
- there is a type of MT called a Ball Baby Overall, there are instructions on the jan andrea site, which uses wrap style straps - this uses decorator weight fabric.

Depending on the weight of the linen it may need reinforcing. A lighter weight fabric is more suited to a wrap style MT which spreads the weight out over a much wider strap area.

If you join baby carriers downunder there are lots of DIYers who would be more than happy to help out!!

[Beach Mama]

Gem!! Hear me - gem!!!! Seriously - thanks heaps Suse! I have checked a few places out but have been totally overwhelmed! Will try a few tonight and see how we go! What does bottom weight fabric mean? Is that like a heavier type canvassy material so it is strong??

[suse]

Canvas, cotton drill or brushed twill are all bottom weight. Drill & twill are a bit softer and more malleable than canvas, making the carrier more comfortable. Basically you want the softest heavy weight fabric you can find, as it will make the straps more comfortable. Brushed cotton twill is lovely.

ETA: denim works well too!

[suse]

Oh, and just remembered something else - linen makes a beautiful ring sling - medium weight for a single layer and hanky weight for a double layer. Lovely and breathable for summer. Sakura Bloom make beautiful linen slings but they are really exxy.

Sarah, may I ask where you got your linen from. I'm on the hunt for some for a ring sling and have not been able to find good linen (that does not cost the earth) in Australia. I found good Irish linen on fabric dot com if anyone's looking, but shipping from the US is a bit of a pain.

[{sarah}]

I actually found it on ebay!

[suse]

Cool, thanks! Will keep my eye out for some!

[paradise lost]

ANYONE who wants the instructions, just post or PM me an email addy to send it to.

I used lightweight crepe for mine and it works fantastically, i recently made a new one with padded straps as DD is getting heavy. I used exactly the same fabric, in a different colour (blues/grrens instead of pinks/purples) and i used 3x thicknesses on the straps and 4x ticknesses on the seat. To pad the straps i used....wait for it...old stained terry flat nappies! They're inside so you can't see the stains, they wash GREAT because they're nappies, and they don't sweat like fleece because they're cotton.

Bx

ETA - i'd like to make a ring sling or 2, but where to get the rings? I found a company in the US but it's pretty pricey!