Ring Sling for a friend :)

This was a special request from a special friend, namely a team member of Malaysian Babywearers :)

She provided the fabric and specified the shoulder style she would like... just because this is not available for sale in Malaysia and it would cost a bundle to get in from where these kind of shoulder style is sold.

So, yes, I did it for her :)

Would love to post actions shots of this but I am just not into using someone's stuff before asking for permission. Probably wait for her to give me some? :)

Would you like to make one for yourself or for a friend? Click the link below for instructions.

Please read the note and please respect the owner's rights to the instructions. They are put up to make babywearing affordable, so, please don't make them take these instructions away.

My first DIY Ring Sling

Our next topic for the Penang Babywearers' Gathering on the 21st June is going to be "Eyes on Ring Sling"... focusing on everything and anything ring sling.

Excited as I am to be discussing on something I do not us as much as the Pouch, I am aiming to create my own ring sling for the very first time... perhaps, someone would like to know more about DIY-ing than the no-sew method? I will then be able to truly share my thoughts on ring sling. Indeed, have been wearing Arthur (whenever I get a chance to wear him) with a ring sling since I decided on the topic.

Anyway, still hot and newly completed from the sewing room, with help from Jan Andrea's instructions, is this:

100% Cotton, Fully Reversible Ring Sling

Yes, those are aluminium rings you see.... from SlingRings
In a way, the pictures look better than the real thing ;p

By now, I guess it is no longer a secret that I love things that are reversible (so we can get more use out of it) and 100% cotton (so we are more comfortable) where slings are concerned... though I must admit that sewing a reversible 100% cotton ring sling is tedious task as it is just so bulky.

Taggies Bag custom order

This is one of the few custom orders that got me excited. It is totally custom... most times, my customs are just one of Peekaroobaby's products, tailor made to the customers' desires... the colours, the fabric etc.

This particular one was a very exciting project as Peekaroobaby never sewn this for sale before. Too bad, I forgot to take pictures of the completed project... it will be a very lasting memory, this one.

What is this??!!
This is a custom made drawstring bag for a lucky girl, whose name is embroidered with ribbons... bordered with ribbons.

Inspired by the taggies, this was indeed a very special request.

Lion Dance Pants!

This project has been pending even before Arthur was born!

Yes, my nephew, Jung, is very into Lion Dance. Though I did not make a promise, but he had indeed made a request for these pants since about 2 years ago... and this Yiyi... lazy... wasn't sewing as much then... took her own sweet time to drag out the sewing machine... (read DIY or Buy? Buy or DIY?)finally, got it done this year!

Why this year? How about Arthur is also into Lion Dance.... the sewing machine is always set up unlike before... already got more than enough fabric for this project... mainly, before my nephew is all too grown up to dance with the lion! He is going to turn 6 this year. He is so into Lion Dance that he even went all the way to perform during his last prize giving ceremony... too bad this lazy Yiyi hasn't got it done then ;(

So, here's how it looks ;)

Threealtogether... since I am already making them.. might as well make one for each... my nephew, Jung... his sister, Jia Wen and or course, my little Arthur
That about wraps up my sewing for the year of the Boar... now, let's be patient and see what I can come up with for the Rat Year ;) ... adjustable pouches?

DIY or buy? Buy or DIY?

As far as my promoting babywearing goes, the slings does not have to come from me. I even encourage interested parents/caregivers to DIY their own slings. I would even help them work it out ;)

So, then, rises the questions...

1. Why DIY when you can buy?

I'm not sure how many of you would actually like to DIY your own slings. Indeed, I'm not even sure if the DIY link I've posted on my blog months ago is attracting any attention... it's not a post... it's a link that stays on the right hand side of my blog under 'Babywearing Sites'... yes... the one named "Sew your own sling" and it's got links to sew all sorts of slings ;)

If you were wondering at all... no, I did not have enough luck to stumble upon this when I was trying to DIY my sling. It was much, much later that I saw these links. The Peek-a-Pouch comes from a combination of techniques and tests but the link that started it all for me was Stacy's instructions.

Anyway, why would anyone DIY their own slings when they are readily available on the market?

• unique fabric ... basically, you can choose whatever you want
• saves money ... though this might not always be necessarily true
• you know your size and your preference best!
• your sewing machine is already up and running... so, this will just be another sewing project ;) that is, if you are attempting to DIY something that needs to be sewn
• Not sewing? You can always just cut up some fabric for a no sew sling!
• loves experimenting.. it's fun!

2. Why buy when you can DIY?

So, now that there's so much 'advantages' to DIY, why would anyone buy instead of DIY-ing?

• fabric you've never seen/ hard to get
• don't have time to visit fabric store ("What is this?! Where are they?!")
• have customer support ... though this might not always be up to satisfactory results
• doesn't want to spend money and time trying out and experimenting the different types of fabrics
• "I don't sew and DIY is just not my thing!"
• "Ok... I sew but by the time I lug the sewing machine out, cut the fabric... work out how to sew... actually get time to sew... actually have a will enough to finish it... my baby no longer needs a sling"

That's all I could think of now... any more to add?

Please note that 'buying' does not necessarily mean buying from a Malaysian vendor. It just means 'buying', be it from Malaysian vendors or importing them from overseas.

An addition... to the team

Yes! After much thoughts and consideration, I have finally purchased an overlocker. Much thoughts and considerations went into whether it is necessary for the extra investment on an already tight budget. Then again, it meant better serged edges in everything I sew... so, after much calculations, I have decided to invest in a second hand one.

Why an overlocker? See for yourself!
On the left was how I lock the edges to prevent fraying with my trusty old sewing machine. On the right is how it is done with the overlocker (aka serger). Which do you think looks better?

Doggie Attire

As far as special requests are concerned, this is by far the most special request that is way out of Peekaroobaby's products...

Fie Fie is my brother's dog. Looking at how attached to the sewing machine I am these days, my brother wondered if I could make a special attire for Fie Fie... ok, I'll try... result? Not too bad, if I'd say so myself.

It is of knit cotton material (T-shirt) and it was a tester fabric that I purchased to try for slings. As claimed by most DIY instructions, this kind of stretchy material is just NOT suitable for a sling... it stretches too much. Even with the right size, Arthur kept falling lower and lower until his bum was hitting my thigh... so, just chopped it off and turned it into attire for Fie Fie.

Thinking of it now, I shouldn't have cut it off. I could have saved it to show our group of Malaysian Babywearers what it means to sew a sling out of this fabric. **regret**

Special Requests

I am one who sews what I sell. It is no wonder that every now and then, there are some special requests and also custom orders where customers get to choose what they want and how they want it done ;)

Big and absorbent bibs, reversible doll slings (yes! I didn't know someone would be interested enough in doll slings to have them reversible!), pillow case, custom wipes case... bedsheet?? (I was contacted to make a bedsheet out of the baby sling material but really, it is too costly to make one out of the same fabric)... just to name a few.

Custom made wipes case

Custom made reversible doll sling

As far as babywearing is concerned, some are also trying me out for pods and mei tai. Well, I am just happy that the choices to wear our babies are growing but no, I am not ready to sell and promote them as I do pouches. Simply not confident that I can help out enough, with my little experience with them. So, that has to wait until my little Arthur is happy enough with them for me to wear him more with them to work out the pros and cons.

Meanwhile, I understand the frustation of knowing about the existence of these carriers but not being able to obtain them as they are quite pricey to be imported. So, as with some who has contacted me, I will be glad to sew them for you as long as you understand that I am only doing the sewing part and I am really not experienced enough with them.

Finally, I've made a CD!

Yes! I've finally made a CD! Double yes! It is out of recycled T-shirts. Cotton T-shirts are good...

I know I've missed out on some photos... too bad I didn't realised it until the CD is done. Arrrghhh... I so should have taken the photos of the worn out T-shirts I used. Used one of mine and one of DH's.

To my pleasant surprise, the fit came out to be nice.. I was actually just trying it out and yes, this is the very FIRST CD I made. Quite happy with myself...




Anyway, this fitted CD is constructed with a total of 12 layers of the cotton T-shirt material - 4 layers for the casing and 8 hidden layers for the soaker... results? Still not as absorbent as those on sale though it is still much better than the lampin.

All I can say is.. No.2 will sure benefit from this ;)


See my proud little one?

Wet bag of Recycled material

Call me stingy but really, let's just say I'd rather use the money for a wet bag on a CD. I know they must have their worth but I'm just not willing to part with the money for a CD for a wet bag. After all, mine will not be used to contain dripping wet swimsuits or CDs. Just need one that is good enough to keep odour at bay.

Ok, it all started with this:

In search of a cheaper option to a wet bag, I bidded and won the above item from ebay at less than USD 6, postage included. Quite happy with the win, I received the above item only to find that it is nothing like the laminated PUL for the CD... (not quite sure if a wet bag's PUL is meant to be laminated, though). Initially, I must admit that I was a bit disappointed. Then again, after trying it out, I am happy with it. It did keep odour at bay!
I tried pouring water directly into it... no leaks, too! So, it was a good buy, after all, dismissing the uneven stitches...

I'm not sure what a wet bag should look like as I never owned a proper one (is there such thing as a proper one?) or, I never owned one sold by those selling CDs but this one is simply an outer layer of fabric sewn with something like canvas for tents as the inner, waterproofing layer?

Anyway, it was working for me with my CDs. I was about to bid on it again for smaller ones to contain my cloth pads when I came across this lying in my store room:
It is a broken indoor pool. How it broke... ask my little Arthur... I just knew I could use it for something... Anyway, inspired by my ebay purchase, I tried my hands on making a mini wet bag out of the bottom layer (waterproofing) material.

It works! Happy!

My First Pod - Action Pics ;)

At last, a way I am confident in using to back carry my Little Arthur... not that it cannot be done with the pouch but just lacking confidence to do it with my little explorer (wiggly one, for sure) for a long distance...

He just loves the back carry... Now that I have this podaegi (originated from Korea)... I'm sure we'll be going places in the back carry position ;)
A bit bulkier to be bringing along, though. So, yes, the pouch will always be in my bag while this will be very useful on short trips to the neighbourhood grocery store..... wear him from home ;)

My first Podaegi!

Yay! Yay! My first Pod! I have a feeling I will love it! Anyway, I was very excited that this is made that just after I finish, I took pictures to post them here ;)) DS is still asleep (I woke up early to finish this)... so, no action pics yet.


Just like how I always like them... reversible (trying to get the most use out of it) and of course, for our climate... 100% cotton... even the denim used for the straps.

Now, this is a narrow blanket type of pod and the straps are 80" long on each side... will let you know if these work for Arthur and I.

Can't wait to try it on!

Mei Tai in the works, too ;)

A Mei Tai or a Pod?

So, I was going to sew a Mei Tai, right? No... now, I am not sure which I'll be sewing.. a mei tai or a podaegi (pod) or both??! Maybe, you can give some comments on shich I shall try out with first.. considering I am to carry a 12kg toddler.

A little on each...

Mei Tai

(photo taken from www.meitaibaby.com)

Traditionally, the Chinese mei tai was a square or nearly square piece of cloth with parallel unpadded straps emerging from the sides of each corner. It was traditionally secured by bringing all the straps together in a twist with the ends tucked. The mei tai did not become well-known in the United States until 2003, when several designs that added padding, a longer body, longer top straps and a more "wrap like" tying method were created and made popular.

Podaegi

(photo taken from http://ellaroo.com/podaegi.php)

A podaegi (sometimes translated as podegi or podeagi) is a traditional baby carrier design from Korea. It is a piece of fabric that wraps around the mother and baby and is secured with two long sashes holding the baby in place on a mother`s back.

There are four (that we know of!) hands-free ways to carry the child, from infancy through toddler-hood, including one method that does not use the shoulders to carry baby's weight. This makes the podaegi particularly well-suited to a variety of body types and physical conditions. All of these characteristics come together in a versatile and practical baby carrier for anyone who needs to get things done.

If you've read Distribution of Baby's Weight, you'll know that the carriers used in babywearing your little one can generally be grouped into three - one shoulder, two shoulders and the torso carries.

While the Mei Tai is more like a wrap and shall be able to do most carries and distribute the weight all over the body, the Pod is more a torso carrier... then again, from the instructions, the pod looks much simpler to sew but it has a little extra blanket that will hang out, unlike the Mei Tai, which is all tucked... which looks better to you? Which one are you more interested in to see a blog on?

Mama Pads

While I cannot say that I qualify as an environmentalist, I would like to think of myself as trying my best to care for the environment through the simple three steps : Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Especially so now when I have a child for "...we did not inherit the earth from our ancestors... we borrowed it from our children..."

As such, I always believe that what we borrowed should be returned in its original condition... we really should do our bit for Mother Nature.

While Cloth Diapers is a great way to reduce waste and encourage reusability.. it is also better for my baby's bum bum... which led me to think... shouldn't mama be wearing cloth, too?

Well, thoughts went back to the time when Mom told me that we are so lucky that pads and tampons are available these days... in her days... she had to use cloth... who do you think is the lucky one here?

Anyway, it is with these thoughts that I searched the Internet... only to find that people still use cloth menstrual pads and like the CDs for my darling, they are good for the environment and even better for people who uses them... which led me to experiment with them ( I might be sewing CDs, too.. one day... when I get suitable fabric...)

I have been experimenting with some mama pads for a while. As I am still breastfeeding, I am unable to test it out for absorbency.. Glad that a friend of mine offered to help... these are what I made for her...

... just like the diapers for my dear son, they are stuffable and adjustable for absorbency, with a layer of nylon sewn in to make it leak proof... I shall be sewing more of them shall it turn out to be ok... will wait for my friend's feedback and I shall keep it posted here, too

Bib for Arthur

This is probably one of the most useful thing I'd sewn for Arthur so far.. And, truth be told, he seems to like it and doesn't let me take it off ;) Makes it all worthwhile...

Sew Fun

For those who know, I am kind of a crafty person. Basically, I like to make things from scratch.. which is why I like to cook, sew, knit etc.

While I have longed to attend sewing classes to learn how to make more stuff... maybe some clothes.. maybe a quilt... well, it makes it tougher to do such things with a baby in tow...

My passion for sewing started when I was just a little kid.. seeing my Gran sew patches of cloths into a mini quilt for me.. then, I was around 10 years old... my Gran was kind enough to let me have a go at the sewing machine with some scraps... sadly, the next thing I know... she needs to get someone over to repair the machine... oopss...

You see... Gran's machine was one of those traditional ones where you need to keep stepping on it with a rhythmic flow for it to work smoothly.. then, my legs are just touching the paddles and my 'rhythm' was all out.. Lucky me, I was not punished for jamming the threads. Gran even wanted to give me another go when it was repaired but I just dare not.. that was my first experience at a machine that could really do wonders..

Fast forward 10 years and I was pursuing my studies in Sydney.. with much time and a job with a decent pay... I decided to invest in a sewing machine. After much research and comparison, I'd decided in trusting the salesman to get a Janome Decor... “...easy to maintain... no need oiling..".. these were enough for me to get it and true to his words, the machine is still in tip top condition today. I am glad I trusted him. Then, I sewn myself simple skirts and a quilt for my then baby nephew which he still holds on to til this day...

After returning to Malaysia, though, I have somehow 'abandoned' the machine as work was taxing and there are just so much to do with family, friends and relatives around... It is now that I have quit my job to be a SAHM that my trustworthy machine is out once again...

Then on, I have been sewing, sewing... bibs for Arthur.. pillowcase for Arthur... wipes for Arthur... sling to carry Arthur in... thinking of sewing an apron for Arthur.. yes, can't help it but my world does revolve around My Little Arthur.... it's just sew, sew fun!