Mei tai pattern from Sew Liberated

I’ve been eyeing the Mei Tai pattern from Sew Liberated for awhile now, and they were having a sale so I pounced.  The pattern came on Friday, so I spent Saturday cutting and sewing, and the mei tai was done in no time.  Seriously fast.

Now.  It needs to be stated that I’m a die-hard pouch sling gal, and I always will be.  But there’s something to be said for a one-size carrier that mom and dad can both use, and one that distributes the baby’s weight over both shoulders.  Not an issue for little babies, but older and heavier kids can be harder to wear on my old bones.

I have a moby wrap, and I hate it.  I mean, I love that it’s so incredibly comfortable, like wearing a t-shirt, and Thea is so secure, but hello. It has something like 5 yards of material.  FIVE. YARDS.  I cannot wrap my brain around hopping out of the car and asking 3 squirmy kids to sit still while I swaddle myself.  I wear it occasionally around the house, but it’s not practical when we’re out and about.  Plus it takes up SO much room in the diaper bag.  The less bulk and gear the husband has to carry around, the better.  That’s another reason I love my pouch sling.

The mei tai as a carrier seems like a good compromise.  The straps are pretty dang long still, but I think it’s easier to manipulate and get tied. I like that you can easily wear it in the front or in the back.  Pouches aren’t as easily worn on the back in my opinion — they’re better for front or hip carries.

The pattern itself makes sewing the carrier really very easy.  No lie.  There’s the outer and inner body piece, an optional pocket and the straps.  That’s it.  The thing that took the longest was the straps, obviously just because they’re super long.  The pocket on the front is used to fold the carrier up in on itself, which makes it portable and way more compact.

The pattern has you sew the pocket, sew the body (leaving holes where the straps will go), sew and reinforce the straps, and then topstitch.  I didn’t time it, but it took me a few hours or so in the afternoon to complete it, what with taking breaks to chase children down.  I thought it would be a multi-day project, so I was surprised at how quickly it came together.

I will never give up my pouch sling, but I’m definitely liking the mei tai.  I wanted to finish it in time for our NY trip, so the husband and I can bring one carrier and take turns wearing her.  I haven’t tried it in the back carry yet, so I am worried about bewb-smooshage, but we’ll see. 

I would love to make several more for gifts since there’s no need to fuss with sizing and sewing it up was a snap, but even if I don’t it was worth the cost of the pattern to have one carrier.  Win!