Wrap Conversions

Yes, I do wrap conversions! I don’t do them super often, but I do them, and I enjoy the process.

My conversions are, in keeping with most of my products, pretty basic, with the focus on function and beautiful simplicity. They are not works of art, but they are quite attractive, well-sewn, and also don’t cost you an entire mortgage payment.   If you are looking for a work of art, or you’re looking to spend quite a bit of money on your conversion, there are certainly other places you can go, and I’d definitely encourage you to look around. There are a LOT of people doing wrap conversions now, and many of them make them much fancier than I do.

I’ve been doing conversions since I opened up in 2004. I don’t remember when the first one was, but someone asked if I could make a wrap into a ring sling for them and I didn’t think it was any big deal. I’ve done a few a year, both ring slings and mei tais, since then. I’ve always just considered them another facet of the custom sewing I do. (I’ve also converted curtains, tablecloths, old clothes, and sheet sets into carriers and diapers… it’s all just fabric.) I never thought of “wrap conversions” as anything particularly special.

Then I closed up for the better part of a year during Teddy’s first year as we dealt with his complex little life, and when I reopened in 2013, suddenly Wrap Conversions were All The Rage and so I feel compelled to make a bigger deal out of them, as well.

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Ring Sling

I can convert your wrap to a ring sling (you can choose aluminum or nylon rings, and you can choose color if you prefer, or I’ll choose a color if you prefer). Depending on your size and how much of a tail you want on your sling, you can get away with a wrap that’s only 2 yards (72 inches) long, but if you’re bigger and/or want more of a tail, you might want at 2.5 or 3 yards (90-108 inches). I can keep your scraps, or send your scraps back to you. The cost is $20 per ring sling.

If you have a very long wrap, such as a 6-7 yard wrap, you can always have it made into a ring sling and a shorty wrap for no extra cost, or two ring slings for $20 per sling.

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Mei Tai

I can also convert your wrap to a Mei Tai. My wrap conversion mei tais typically have the same basic shape as my regular mei tais – rectangular body, straight waist straps. I can make a contoured body if you prefer. I can make narrow (1/4 the width of the wrap OR 5 inches ish) straps, with or without padding, or wide straps (1/2 the width of the wrap) that join the body in pleats or gathers. At your request, I can add a layer of bottomweight material inside the body of the carrier. I can add a hood and/or a pocket if there’s enough material. I can add a little zip pouch that snaps around the straps, a fabric loop to hold keys or toys, or make a fancy (hoodie or pixie) hood. If you have enough wrap material, the sky’s the limit. I make my conversion MTs reversible, just like all of my other MTs are reversible, though they will look the same inside and out.

It takes about 130 inches minimum to make a wrap conversion (about 3.75 yards) without any extras like a hood or a pocket. We can convert shorter wraps, but you give up length on the straps.

The cost for a Mei Tai conversion depends on what options you want to a certain extent. The average cost is $70-$80.

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Onbu, Podegi, or Shortening

I can also convert your wrap to an Onbu or Podegi (average cost $70). Required length will depend on what you want, but will be similar to the Mei Tai requirements.

Or is your wrap just too long? Happy to shorten it. Cost is usually about $10. Is your wrap too short? I can have my fabric fairies weave you additional length for $1 million. (ok, I’m just kidding. You cannot make a wrap longer.)

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Interested in having me convert a wrap for you? Just shoot me an email and we can discuss! sarah @ wallypop . net

Please note, I do not provide wraps for conversions.

All About… repairing bumGenius pocket diapers

bumGenius diapers are easily the diaper brand I repair the most. Mostly pocket diapers and all in one diapers, sometimes fitteds. Typically, the original hook and loop tape has worn out and users either want it replaced with better quality hook and loop, or with snaps. In addition, about half the diapers I repair also require new elastic.

Because I happen to be working on three rather large repair orders of bumGenius pockets this week, I thought I’d do a quick post about the ins and outs of repairing these diapers.

First, I have recently decided to stop accepting certain types of pocket diapers for certain types of repairs. I cannot (and am unmotivated to) keep up with what the different versions of bumGenius diapers are. One version features three different seams across the front seam:

Contrast that with another version, with just one seam across the front:

I will no longer be replacing the landing strip of the three-seam type. I will be happy to convert that version to snaps, but replacing the landing strip with new loop is all kinds of trouble. In order to pay myself fairly for my time and effort, I’d have to charge you nearly what the diaper cost new.

Fit of repaired diapers.
Your repaired diapers probably won’t fit exactly the same as new, but that probably also isn’t as important as it might seem. First off, your kid is not the same size and shape as they were when the diapers were new. But in reality, I have no way to determine exactly how the diapers fit when new. I use different elastic, with a different stretch. If converting to snaps, that is of course going to fit a bit different.

Wear of old diapers.
In my experience with bumGenius diapers, they usually have hidden damage that is not immediately noticeable. This particularly is noticeable after the old tabs have been removed. The stretchy fabric that holds the tabs actually develops small tears where the thread holds the hook and loop tape in place. These tears are hidden under the tab, and largely held stable by the threads and the tape. Once the threads and tape are removed, they become much more noticeable.

There’s not a whole lot I can do about these small tears. In my experience, based on what I hear back from customers, they don’t tend to grow very fast, if at all. I would advice that users take care when opening the snaps to be sure not to tear them any further.

Affect on one-size fitting
Surprisingly, this is a question I get fairly frequently. “How will this affect the one-size aspect of the diapers?” It won’t the “one size” designation comes from the snap-down rise, which is unaffected by the repair or conversion.

Recommended snap placement
If you choose to mark placement of your snaps yourself, you may decide on any snap placement that suits your fancy. I generally recommend two rows about an inch and a half apart, with the snaps in each row spaced either 1 inch or 1.5 inches apart. You’ll need to mark two snaps on the tabs to correspond with the two rows of snaps on the front.

If you choose to have me decide where to put the snaps, I will put in two rows of snaps, 1.5 inches apart, with the snaps in each row 1 inch apart. I will put two snaps on each tab.

Sloppy snap placement
If you choose to mark snaps, I will place snaps where you place marks. Sloppy marks mean sloppy snaps. I strongly recommend using a ruler to keep your lines straight and even and the marks evenly spaced. If you wish to remove the old hook and loop tape yourself to save money, but prefer me to mark the snaps for you to make sure they’re straight, I’m happy to do that.

Affect on function
A diaper repair should not affect the diaper’s function or waterproofness. The only exception is the fact that those holes are NOT going away. The needle holes from where the original hook and loop were sewn on will ALWAYS be there. It stands to reason that this might make them prone to wicking or seepage, but although I think that this is likely, I’ve not heard from a single customer who has experienced this. As I often say, that doesn’t mean nobody has – just nobody’s told me about it.

And some pictures for you.

here’s an “after” on a diaper that had the tabs, landing strip, and elastic replaced.

Here’s an “after” on a diaper that was converted to snaps. In this case, the diaper’s owner had me remove the old hook and loop and mark the placement of the snaps myself. You can see how much the diaper has faded with use – the strips where the old hook and loop were are much darker.