Black Rainbow Quilt

I just finished my first quilt, which I have dubbed the “Black Rainbow Quilt” because my 4 year old’s color choices were rainbow stripes on a black background. I had pretty much no idea what I was doing when I was piecing it, so I’m sure there are more efficient ways of doing it, but it came together nicely in the end. 6” square blocks, 9 blocks by 11 blocks, so approximately 54” by 66”, the perfect size for a little kid to drag around from room to room and tote to grandma’s. Self-binding (jury is still out on that one… I think I might prefer a bias-cut separate binding) and Warm and Natural fill. Not bad for a first try! Next one will be a playmat for the baby… can’t wait to go fabric shopping for that one!

SSC Hybrid Baby Carrier

I was disappointed with the performance and comfort of my first carrier, so I tweaked the original pattern mentioned in the Part One Pattern Making Tutorial and made a second carrier. It’s much prettier than even shown in the picture. Straps, waist, and reverse are made of coffee bean bull denim (such a lovely fabric for a carrier!) with a blue, silver, and brown brocade outer layer (inner layers of canvas duck and double-sided fleece for stability and padding). It is also a half-buckle with 4” wide and 82” long straps, but I put the straps in at a 45 degree angle instead of 60, which is far more comfortable for my build. Straps are padded with fleece, but sewn perpendicular to the strap edges, which compresses the padding less and gives a little more loft. I’m going to cut the straps down by at least 6-8” since I prefer to cross in front in a back carry instead of tie tibetan, which was the purpose of the long straps. Waistband is a 3-piece structured curved waistband and padded with layers of 1/4” yoga mat. LOVE LOVE LOVE this carrier, though the straps dragging in slushy parking lots are annoying, so I’m making myself a full buckle based on this same pattern.

Okay, maybe I’m a bit obsessive, but one of these days I’ll hit on my perfect carrier! This one is pretty close.

Half-Buckle Tai Carrier

Well, best-laid plans… I never did get around to writing the carrier sewing tutorial I promised in the previous post- I got into the “just get it done mode” and forgot to take pictures as I was constructing it.

This is a half-buckle mei tai baby carrier, sized for an infant. Body is 12” wide at the narrowest and 14” wide at the top. Top straps are 4” wide by 82” long, and waistband is a typical padded waistband meant to be worn apron style. Picture of the reverse:

I experimented with a lot of different techniques, including a detachable hood which didn’t work so well. I first tried using heavy anorak snaps, which just tried to pull through the fabric. I finally used regular snaps, which were then too thin to set right through the layers of cotton and canvas and just popped out when I used the hood. Oh well. I found that I didn’t like the 60 degree angle of the straps anyway, so this is destined for either my closet or the FSOT forum on The Babywearer. But it’s a very pretty carrier!