How to Make & Use a Woven Wrap

View pdf tutorial here: Woven_Wrap_Tutorial.pdf

Woven Wrap Construction Basic Steps

1. Pick your length
2. Choose your fabric
3. Scour (osnaburg only)
4. Wash & Dry
5. Dye (optional)
6. Cut to width/length
7. Hem
8. Soften/Break In
9. Learn to use

Pick your length

Almost anybody can use nearly any size woven wrap, it just changes what carries you can do or how you wrap it. Most people find it best to learn on their “base size,” which is whatever size you need to do a front wrap cross carry (FWCC) and tie off in back. For the majority of average sized women, a size 6 is a great place to start. Some people find that much fabric simply overwhelming. If so, perhaps try out a size 2 or 3 wrap and learn some “shorty” carries, or a size 4 or 5 and learn midsize carries (typically standard full-length carries with alternative tie-offs, like tying a fwcc under baby’s bottom instead of crossing under their bum and tying off in back.) However much length you want for your wrap, add 10-20% when buying the fabric (multiply the yards by 1.2) to account for hems and shrinkage.

Woven wrap widths vary from 26-32" wide (70-80cm.) 29"-30" is generally considered a great width that will be good for newborn through toddlerhood.

Woven Wrap Size	Sizing/Purpose	Length in Meters	Length in Inches	Length in Yards
Size 1	Traditional Sling Carry Length	2.0m	79"	2.2y
Size 2	"Shorty" carries	2.5m	98"	2.9y
Size 3	"Shorty" carries	3.1m	122"	3.4y
Size 4	Midsize carries	3.7m	146"	4.0y
Size 5	Petite Base (t-shirt size XS-Sm)	4.2m	165"	4.6y
Size 6	Avg Base (t-shirt size Med-Lg)	4.6m	181"	5.0y
Size 7	Plus Base (t-shirt size XL-2X)	5.2m	205"	5.7y
Size 8	2X+ base, tandem wearing, fancy finishes	5.6m	220"	6.1y

Choose your fabric

There are a number of safe fabrics to use for a DIY woven wrap. Below are a few of the more popular choices. Go back to the main site map to look for where to buy fabric in your country! Whatever you choose, make sure to review the 4 Rules of Safe Fabric Selection to make sure it's safe to use!

Osnaburg

One of the most popular choices for DIY woven wraps because of it's low cost and great wrap qualities. Osnaburg is light, breathable, and easy to work with. It only comes naturally colored (with a few exceptions, especially internationally) which makes it an excellent dye blank. It does require scouring to clean it since it is not cleaned and processed like most fabrics, but scouring is not nearly as scary as it sounds. The downside is that most fabric store employees are not familiar with it and will not be able to help you find it. Either have them look it up in their computer, or simply search around the burlap and muslin. The bolt will say "osnaburg" on the tag. It will usually be 100% cotton, although Walmart sells osnaburg with a 3% polyester blend.

Duck cloth

Duck is a canvas-like fabric. While it is a little stiffer than osnaburg and slightly less breathable, duck is often used because it breaks in for a nice floppy, supportive wrap and, more importantly, comes in gorgeous, colorful prints. The downside to duck is that the prints are one sided, so your wrap will have a blank "wrong" side.

Linen

100% linen is the gold standard for breathability in the heat, and known for its strength. It can crease (which is mostly just a visual issue) and takes longer to break in, but the linen from Fabrics-store.com comes pre-softened.

Scour (osnaburg only)

Most fabrics are highly processed, cleaned, and dyed. Osnaburg is not, and therefore the fabric is built up with a ton of chemicals and mysterious junk. Scouring is a deep cleaning the removes what a simple hot wash cannot.

Instructions for scouring vary, but the common ingredients are:

• Steaming/Boiling hot water
• Blue Dawn Dish Soap/Fairy/Synthropol
• Soda Ash
• An hour long hot soak

Soda ash is "sodium carbonate" - not to be confused with baking soda, sodium bicarbonate. You can buy it in the laundry aisle under the brand name Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, in pool supplies as PH+, or you can make it from scratch by baking baking soda in the oven until it changes from a powdery texture to a more crystalline one.

Some people prefer to literally simmer the fabric on the stove in a non-reactive (not aluminum) pot (if you do, it is recommended to not use the same pot for food.) An easier option is to pour boiling water into a cooler and shut it to keep the heat in. I scoured mine in the sink starting with boiling hot water and just kept the sink covered to keep it hot enough. After an hour, my water was still steaming hot. The important thing is just to keep in hot - whether you do that through direct heat or just insulation is up to you.

As far as amounts of soda ash and soap, for a size 6 wrap I’ve seen everything from “a few teaspoons of each” to “several tablespoons of each.” Don’t agonize too much over it. I always aim for “a generous scoop/squirt of each.”

After an hour long soak, making sure to turn the fabric so it is all soaked, properly appreciate how brown and stinky the water is, then toss your fabric into the washer for a good hot wash with a wrap-safe detergent.

Wash & Dry

Regardless of your fabric choice, you'll want to wash your fabric before you start in order to get any and all shrinkage out of the way up front. The general recommendation is to wash your fabric however you plan to wash it in the future, but I prefer to start with a very hot wash and hot dry to get any and all shrinkage out of the way in case someone were to "help" and wash my wrap for me.

You'll want to use a wrap-safe detergent. In general, wrap-safe detergents:

• Are free of dyes and fragrances
• Have no added fabric softener
• Are liquid, not powdered
• Have no optical brighteners

Popular brands include Ecos (despite the label, there are not any unsafe fabric softeners in this detergent) or Seventh Generation.

Dye

(Optional) Dye with a baby-safe dye. Join the Facebook group Dyed Baby Carriers for more info.

Cut to width/length and (optional) add tapers

Re-measure after washing and drying and cut to length if needed. Cut the width down to between 28-34” (for a finished hemmed width of 26”-32”.) If you bought a 60” wide tablecloth, you will simply need to cut it in half lengthwise to be (approximately, after shrinkage) 28” wide. Some fabrics, including osnaburg and duck, will “snip and rip” straight. Simply snip about 1" of the fabric at the right width and then rip it down the length. If you aren’t sure, test near an edge. Otherwise, you can measure and iron a straight line and then cut along the crease.

Click here for info on tapering you ends (totally optional.)

Hem your edges

After washing and drying your fabric for shrinkage (and scouring it if it was osnaburg) hem all four edges.

Hem with whatever method you are comfortable with. A double folded hem of between 1/4”-1/2” is typical. You can iron and pin your hems before sewing, use a rolled hemming foot, or just pinch press them like Jan does in this video. Serging not preferred, but is okay (although the rails will not be as strong and more prone to damage.) Hemming by hand is tedious but safe.

If you really want perfect mitered corners, this is my favorite video that shows how to do it (yes, the video is about dinner napkins. The technique still applies.)

It doesn’t matter too much what thread you use for the hems. An all-purpose thread is fine. Just keep in mind that while polyester thread is stronger and less likely to break as you are tightening your rails (especially if your fabric has any give to it), if you plan on dyeing your wrap, polyester won’t take dye, so use a thread matching the FINAL color of your wrap. Unless you are an experienced sewer, avoid “heavy duty” thread, as these can jam up your machine if you aren’t used to adjusting the tension. Again, since hems aren’t “structural,” feel free to use a straight stitch, zigzag, or even a decorative stitch for your hems. The main point of the hem is just to keep the folded fabric in place.

If you don't have a sewing machine, after cutting your wrap to size, you can take the fabric to your local dry cleaners to have it hemmed! You can call for an estimate, but many will do it for anywhere between $5-$20.

Softening/"Breaking in" your wrap

New fabric is going to be very stiff and difficult to wrap with. Breaking in will help conquer onsaburg's scratchiness, linen's stiffness, and duck's thickness.

Good techniques to soften your wrap:

• Washing & tumble drying with tinnis balls/dryer balls*
• Steam ironing
• Sitting on it while you watch tv or drive
• Sleeping on it
• Leaving it in a warm car (out of the sun; sunlight can damage the fibers)
• Braiding and unbraiding repeatedly
• Running it back and forth through the crib rails
• Making a "wrap hammock" for your kids to play with by tying it around a sturdy table
• Knot dragging

*Note: linen and linen blends can actually be made stiffer by over-drying. Tumble dry linen until just barely dry, then finish drying by steam ironing.

Learn to use it

Current BWI safety recommendations include wearing babies upright tummy to tummy (not in a cradle carry position) to help ensure a clear airway and legs outside of the wrap in an M position from birth to make sure the baby’s weight is on their bum instead of their feet. Make sure you are always following the TICKS rules for safe babywearing.

There are several videos on YouTube that can help you get started. If you need further help, look for a babywearing group locally or on Facebook. Learn a good starter carry (below) and then look up other carries on YouTube to branch out. Learn several front carries well before attempting a back carry, even if you are starting with a toddler. Good YouTube channels include Babywearing Faith, WrapYouInLove, WrappingRachel and Wraplena.

Good starter carries to learn:

• Front Wrap Cross Carry (FWCC) is the "standard" starter carry for a base-sized wrap.
• FWCC Tied Under Bum is good if your wrap is just barely too short for a FWCC
• Front Reinforced Torso Sling (FRTS, formerly FRTR) is a good starter carry if you have a midsize wrap (usually a 4)
• A Traditional Sling Carry, formerly called a Rebozo Carry, can be done with even the shortest of wraps. Similar to a ring sling without the rings.
• Kangaroo (for a short wrap) or Reinforced Kangaroo (for a longer wrap) is a little more challenging, but good practice for tightening before moving onto back carries.

For a complete list of woven wrap carries based on size, click here!

-- Alyssa Leonard - 2016-07-16

Return to Main - TICKS Rules for Safe Babywearing