I finally finished my "Fauxhawk" mei tai carrier,. It's basically a Babyhawk except the waist fastens with two rings instead of with a knot. I made it without a pattern (of course!) using fabric left over from other projects. The shoulders and waist are lightly padded for extra comfort.The straps are made from material I bought in the Paris fabric district of Montmartre. I used it to make two twin-sized duvet covers for one of our guest bedrooms. It's a natural cotton with interwoven linen strings. The dark brown decorative fabric that you see on the back is left over from a custom sling. The mei tai is reversible, and the other side of the body is made from very heavy undyed French linen that I bought several years ago.
Overall I am happy with how it turned out, especially for my first try. The only thing that's "wrong" with it is that I initially made the straps too short, and had to piece on another 15" on the ends. Oops!
I found that it's most comfortable when I criss-cross the straps over my chest, rather than having them go straight down like backpack straps. Otherwise it feels like the shoulder straps are going to slip off. The criss-cross style does accentuate my...ahem...rather ample bosom. C'est la vie, n'est-ce pas?
Zari quite likes it. As you can see, she is happily sucking/chewing on the edge. I mowed the lawn with her strapped to my back the other day.
Anyway, I think I might offer this for sale at a greatly reduced price, since I did mess up on the straps...but then again, maybe I will like it so much that I will want to keep it for myself!
Looks great! And you pull of the criss-cross pretty darn well :)
ReplyDeleteWhat did you end up using as padding? Are the headrest/waist/shoulders all the same padding?
I used a cotton quilt batting for all of the padding, stuff I had on hand. It's quite light, nothing like the shoulder straps on the Yano or Ergo.
ReplyDeleteThis would make the one-strap backpack fanatics at BYU go crazy........maybe that wasn't an issue when you were there, but when I was a freshman there, a huge debate in the Daily Universe focused on how women wearing one-strap backpacks (which are worn across the chest) gave the men immoral thoughts, and that they should be banned from campus. I thought it was the funniest/stupidest debate ever.
ReplyDeleteOh, I like this a lot! The only issue I'd have with the criss-cross is the boobsqwishing effect. I will def try though, because the regular backpack carry hurts my shoulders somehow.
ReplyDeleteSo, how would nursing on the BYU campus go, I wonder? NIP has a tendency to give immoral thoughts to many in the general public as well ;-)
ps. I'm still learning the back carry with a wrap. The other day I ventured outside for a walk and M completely slipped out of the middle portion of the wrap! Eeek!!!
I remember hearing about the "backpack strap" debate. (Rolling my eyes at the ridiculous idea that women wearing backpacks are responsible for leading men astray.)
ReplyDeleteJudit, I don't remember paying attention to NIP because it wasn't really in my radar. But people brought their kids to class all the time. You'd see couples handing off their kids to each other between classes. The baby would be in a backpack, and then the mom or dad would carry another backpack in front with all of their school books. And of course pregnant women all over campus. It was definitely NOT your average university experience in that sense.
Hmmm, I remember being one of those pregnant students waddling all over campus, and the only reason I didn't end up carrying my son to all my classes was that I had him just before I graduated. BYU definitely is an interesting campus, in that respect, as well as many others. :)
ReplyDeletelove it! I make a similiar MT style for sale and my godson just loves to suckle on the shoulder straps. We joke that corderoy must be really yummy! Or at least feel good on the gums.
ReplyDeleteI really want one of these. As in REALLY, REALLY, REALLY! They look awesome, so I will definitely be consulting you before the next baby is born.
ReplyDeleteJust wait till you see the soft structured carrier I am making. I haven't named it yet, but it's a cross between an Ergo and a Yano. With removable & reversible slipcovers so you can change the fabric on the body panel.
ReplyDeleteIs it permissible to drool over baby carriers? I'm drooling. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's a Yamo, not Yano, by the way. I got one of the shoulder straps padded today (thanks to a long pair of pliers that we usually reserve for plumbing jobs). And the waistband is done. Just need to put everything together...then of course I have to make myself more than one because I simply can't decide on one fabric or color scheme!
ReplyDeleteOOh Rixa I am so impressed and excited!
ReplyDeleteI have my own sadness and frustration with carriers, and alwasy knew I should have bought a Mei Tai style and now Charlie is so big...
I looked at fauxhawk and Eden and Kozy, but it seemed like I never had the 90 bucks when I was looking. I would really, really like one, and I don't care about the criss-cross straps, I care about having arms free to live and move.
I have an Ergo (old style) and it was nice for a while with baby Casey, but it isnt perfect by any means. Especially if your baby is tall, they cant truly sleep in it.
I want to order one from you. Hopefully we'll get to talk in person :D
I made my own fake baby hawk today too, with no pattern. It turned out really well and I'm so excited! You're looks great too!
ReplyDelete