If you’re looking for the shop, please try www.mamagear.com
Technical Difficulties!
February 7th, 2010Out of the Office
August 28th, 2009We will be on Vacation through September 10th. All questions asked and orders placed will be andswered and processed upon our return. All current orders will ship before we leave town. Thanks!
Who made your Calyx?
February 5th, 2009I thought it would be fun to introduce everyone to the folks who actually produce the Calyx. T&J Custom Sewing and Design is a small, owner-operated shop in Springfield, OR. They have, combined, over 50 years of experience in commercial sewn product production. In addition to sewing for MBD, they produce a number of products for other companies including cloth diapers, bibs, aprons and blankets, and the have also sewn for larger companies such as Burley, Paul Mitchell, and Boeing.
The shop itself is clean and airy, with natural sunlight pouring through the windows and music playing on the radio. T&J stands for Terry and Julie. Here is Julie, working on a Calyx:
There are a row of shelves along the wall, with cut pieces ready to be sewn. Do they look familiar?
They have a lot of fun equipment in the shop. Industrial sewing machines and sergers, and also webbing cutters and hydraulic snap presses. Here is Terry, setting a snap:
And some more fun machines:
Especially in these uncertain economic times, I am very proud that my little business helps to support other local, family owned businesses. Not only is it important to keep people in our local community employed, it is vital that the skills necessary to design and make the things that we need stay alive in our community as well. Thank you for supporting MBD, and Terry and Julie too.
Calyx on Celebrity Baby Blog!
January 8th, 2009
Calyx Baby Carrier: Designed by a Mama… Obviously!
I wear my daughter a lot. Almost all the time, really. And the Calyx Baby Carrier by Mama Design ($129) has been a favorite around my house since it arrived. Capable of holding children 4-months-old right through to toddlerhood, it’s a wonderful go-everywhere carrier option.
Calyx slip covers -fundraiser for LLL
August 29th, 2008Fundraiser to support La Leche League of Kent, Washington.
La Leche League is a non-profit organization supporting breastfeeding families.
Covers fit the Mama by Design Calyx carrier www.mamagear.com. Covers fit all sizes of the Calyx. Many of the strap covers are minkee lined for softness on the baby’s legs. The hoods provide sun protection. The covers are reversible, side A is one side, side B the other.
Your entire order ships for just $4.00 (first class mail US). Priority shipping is available for $6.00. Please contact us for shipping outside the US.
Order 3 or more covers and your shipping is FREE!
Purchases can be made by contacting Beth N. Paypal accepted. Please include the cover numbers. Each of these covers are unique, so don’t miss out.
We strive for perfection but some of these covers we actually made while NASM (nursing at sewing machine ). We have checked them over carefully. Covers are not returnable, unless we made a huge mistake.
Thank you for your support.
Thank you to Mama By Design for the donation of the pattern and our local quilt stores for fabric.
Hi Rebecca,
Thank you so much for your support of La leache league by donating the use of pattern. We finished the covers and have them in the VFSOT section of the TBW.
Here is a link to the carriers. If you want any other photos I can send them too. We have some pictures of making them too.
We had a lot of fun working on this project. It was a LOT of work (I don’t know how you do it). hopefully this will bring you some business too.
Thanks Again,
Beth
How To Back Carry
June 15th, 2008Always have a spotter ready to help you!
Step One: Put a leg up on something, in this case a handy park bench. Lay the Calyx flat on your thigh, and then have the baby straddle your leg on top. Notice how the waistband is well out of the way, the baby is sitting on the middle of the panel. This is important, because the panel piece needs to form the seat. Too close to the waistband, and you get a big gap between it and your back, and the Calyx will not be comfortable. Clip the harness and tighten it to the smallest possible opening.
Step Two: Make sure the shoulder straps are on the correct side of the legs. Cross your arms, and grasp them in your hands as close to the baby as possible. This is very important, because without your hands there at the baby’s chest, it is possible for her to somersault forward and possibly fall.
Step Three: With your spotter at the ready, begin to lift your baby over your shoulder. Make sure to start high, so the weight can settle in to the right place. Steps three and four go quickly!
Step Four: At the right moment, have your spotter help you stick your arms through the straps, one at a time, then settle the load. A good way to do that is to reach back and grab the place where the straps meet the carrier body at the top corners. Giving a very gently bounce (never shake a baby!) pull up the slack all the way along the strap to the buckle, and adjust the webbing. Your spotter can help.
Step Five: Clip the sternum strap and then the waistband. Your spotter can help you adjust the shoulder straps and make sure the padded tongue is protecting the baby’s legs. Once you have the Calyx adjusted comfortably, you can roll up the excess webbing and secure it with the elastic loop on the end of the strap.
The HUGS Calyx
June 14th, 2008
MBD and Help Us Give Slings have teamed up for the Babywearing Conference! These beautiful carriers will be available at the HUGS booth and through MamaGear.com. MBD buys the Selendang slings at full price, and uses the fabric to decorate the Calyx. In addition, a portion of the sale price is donated back to HUGS. As well as the Emerald Green carrier shown, we also have Garnet Red and Ruby Pink.
HUGS is a non-profit family effort that provides baby slings to mothers on both sides of the Pacific. Purchase a beautiful Indonesian selendang baby sling to enjoy the benefits of the traditional practice of baby wearing. The funds raised are used to donate slings to mothers still living in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in tsunami affected regions in Indonesia.
MamaGear.com will continue to offer these as a special order Calyx, so don’t worry if you can’t make the conference or need a special size.
Incommunicado
June 9th, 2008I will be unavailable until Friday, as I am on an Amtrak train en route from Portland, OR to Chicago, IL. From now until July 4th I will be traveling, and while I can answer emails (probably in the evening) my availability will be limited.
MBD products will still ship, I have some helpers back home assisting with that. I will try to get the new products listed tonight, though I have a million other things to do so please forgive me if they don’t go up until the end of the week.
How to Attach the Headrest
June 5th, 2008The first thing you need to know, is that the rings attached to the Calyx have nothing to do with the headrest. Those rings can be used to attach toys, teethers, sucking cloths, or anything else you might find useful. They’re also for the Kit Bag, a diaper bag attachment we’ve got in the works.
The headrest is rectangular. Along the top edge is a strip of webbing, which extends out to each side. The straps on the sides have clips, which allow the webbing to loop around the shoulder straps and clip to itself. That holds the headrest in place, and allows the headrest to adjust to support the baby in a comfortable position. The bottom edge is hemmed, with elastic cord loops at each corner. The shoulder straps are threaded through these loops before you put the carrier on.
While your baby is awake, it will look like this. If you don’t want it to hang down in front of the panel, you can attach the webbing straps in advance, but it makes it much harder to deal with when you want to use it. If you have a helper with you, it’s not as difficult.
When your baby has fallen asleep, you reach back to grab the hanging webbing strap. Gently ease the headrest over the baby and loop the webbing around the shoulder strap, clipping it to itself. It is a good idea to use a mirror, window, or helper to make sure that the head is positioned well, and airways are clear.
Post Office Strangeness
May 22nd, 2008For some reason, none of the packages I have shipped recently seem to be showing up on USPS tracking. I don’t understand it, because I helped the mail carrier put the boxes on her truck myself… please let me know when they start showing up, I’m just as confused as you are.
ETA: I have learned that apparently they are only required to scan them upon delivery, and it is not unusual for them not to show up until the last minute. So hang on, don’t worry, your Calyx will be home soon 