Peter and I have been pretty dedicated to babywearing over the past year. The stroller comes in handy for long walks and some shopping trips, but there are times when it just isn’t necessary or convenient to lug out the stroller. And there are times when we want to keep Catherine close.

Our two babywearing mainstays have been a ring sling and a baby backpack. These have both worked well for both of us: Peter with Sling, Rebecca with Sling, Peter with Backpack, Rebecca with Backpack. Each has its own pros and cons so we switch between them depending on the situation.

For a while now I’ve been wanting a new carrier; one that is soft and can be used in the front carry or the back carry position. I thought that it would come in handy when the external frame backpack (with its wonderfully large pocket) would be more carrier than I needed.

Something like this:

Thanks to a couple of online tutorials I was able to sew my own Mei Tai carrier. After studying the pattern for several weeks I finally found the time to visit the fabric store. Thanks to a good sale and a gift card I scored a great deal on some beautiful fabric. I was excited to get started, so as soon as we were home and Catherine was tucked in for her nap I broke out the scissors and sewing machine.

A handful of hours later I had a finished project! The carrier is beautiful, fits perfectly and Catherine seems to like it.