DIY NO SEW Moby-style wrap for $10 OR LESS!!

Yeah, cruddy photo.  Sorry...

Baby stuff is EXPENSIVE.  Seriously.  Sure, you can get things second hand (which I'm all about, by the way), but it's hit or miss most times.  I'm on my fourth baby and I've tried all kinds of baby carriers to make my life easier.  A good chunk of them aren't for use with babies under 4 months because of risk of suffocation - which totally freaks me out.  And then I saw the Moby and LOVED the idea of it.  Baby can be carried in any number of positions, and there are some positions that are great for newborns without the major risks.  Right after I saw the Moby - I saw the price tag.  Almost $50!!!  No doubt, they're worth it, because they're made of awesome stuff and all that.  But I just don't have $50 floating around to spend on that, no matter how much I might want to.

So, my brain went into hyperdrive trying to think of something I could do.  I searched the internet and found several tutorials, this one being my main inspiration.   But look at how many steps there are.  And sewing.  Blah.  I'm all about easy.  And I'm all about cheap.  Beyond that, I've tried making wraps with regular knit and it just stretched out too much and didn't give me the support I felt I needed.  I always felt like my baby was going to fall out at any given time.  Not. Cool.

Anyhoo, I decided to take a trip to my local Hobby Lobby.  (If you don't have one near you, they have a website, so you can still do this project!)  I found the knit fabric section and started stretching away.   4-way stretch = no bueno for baby wraps, in my opinion.  But 2-way stretch = yes bueno (as my 2 year old would say ;P).  What does that mean?  4 way stretch means that it stretches equally pretty much any direction you stretch it.  2-way stretch usually has more stretch in one direction (like width-wise or length-wise.)  While I was there, I found something called "travel knit".  What does that mean?  No clue.  But it's a 2-way stretch, which rocked my world :D  So, as per the instructions from my inspiration tutorial, I bought about 6 yards of the steel rock travel knit fabric, just to be on the safe side.  Which, if you must know, is $4.99/yard.  Here's the best part - Hobby Lobby ALWAYS has a 40% off coupon which you can use on a continuous piece of fabric yardage.  JACKPOT!  So, I paid $18.

What's that?  That's more than $10 you say?  Well, little do you know that you can get 2 wraps out of that one 6-yard piece of fabric!!!!  (If you're really tiny, I'd only get 5 yards, which would make each wrap cost about $7.)

I didn't take any pictures of the steps to make it, because really, there's not much to it.  I laid it out lengthwise on my living room floor, folded in half just like it came off the bolt, and cut along the fold with good fabric-only scissors.  It was too long for my living room, so I had to flatten out sections of it, cut, pull over the next section, cut, etc.  The only important thing you need to remember to do is make sure that the fabric stretches more on the shorter side than the long side.  You should be able to take it as it comes off the bolt, since it should be folded in half already for you.  But just in case, test it to make sure.  Here's a sad, pathetic little diagram for you:

 If you want to make a no-sew version, stop there.  You're done.  You have a nice long piece of fabric to wrap around your body and hold your sweet baby close :D  You might want to mark the center of the wrap with something so you don't have to constantly search for it.  You could iron some sort of appliqué on that section, or just mark with a Sharpie.  Anything works, as long as it works for you.  Wash that sucker and use the junk out of it.

If you want to sew it, keep reading. I did, but I don't think it made much of a difference, to be completely honest with you.  Maybe added a little stability on the edges, but who knows.  Wash your fabric first, and then using a stretch stitch or zig zag stitch, fold over a hem on all four sides of your fabric and stitch.  You can fold over once or twice, depending on the look you want.  Again, it doesn't matter - knit doesn't unravel.  You could also use a serger.  I also took a piece of twill ribbon, folded it in half, and sewed it to the center of the wrap so I didn't have to constantly search for it. And that was it.  DONE!

Here are some links to help you out with your crafting:

Don't like gray fabric?  Hobby Lobby has brown and black, too.

Don't know how to tie a Moby wrap?  I didn't, either.  Check out their website for wrap instructions and different hold positions.

To make your life easier, make sure to cut first and then wash the fabric.  This seems counterintuitive, but it won't shrink much and it will keep you from having to refold everything.


I'd love to see what you come up with - send me some pics if you get a chance!!

Enjoy!

***I fully recognize that any amount of intelligence or creativity I have is a gift from God.  What I have been freely given, I freely give.  But if you choose to use these tutorials to sell items from, I would ask that you consider joining the Let Justice Flow Initiative, where you commit to donating either 10% of the total purchase price of each item, or designate a specific item for sale where the entire purchase price is donated to an organization that helps fight injustices around the world.  There are specific groups listed to give you an idea on the LJF page.  And feel free to snag the LJF button and put it on your page or etsy site.  Thanks!!***