Mama By Design

My “baby” is now going on 3 years old. She weighs over 30 lbs. Recently I hurt my low back (gardening and Pilates, not a babywearing injury!) and was unable to walk without pain, even carrying only my own body. I’m feeling a bit better now, carrying in arms is still difficult after about 10 feet or so, though I can do a comfortable back carry for a short amount of time.

However, I’m taking my kids to Chicago for two weeks, and plan to visit a lot of museums and other sightseeing. Traveling without Dh does not seem like the best time to push my body to the limit. So, with a heavy heart, I pulled out the old umbrella stroller.

The thing was in sad shape. We purchased it for a trip to San Francisco when Ana was about 1.5 years old, back in the days when the only carriers I had were the OTSBH and the Kelty frame pack, neither of which was particularly comfortable or convenient when walking around a hilly city and hopping on and off cable cars. It has seen some use with Sylvie as well, Grandma uses it when they walk the dog. Note the ripped-out side seam and otherwise faded and decrepit appearance. Since I’m mourning the end of my babywearing days, bemoaning all the beautiful carriers I won’t be able to wear, I thought I’d see what I could do.

The frame was in great shape still, so I unscrewed the old seat and spread it out. As it turns out, it’s just a big rectangle with a little cut in the side, bound with twill tape and folded and stitched to form the seat and go over the frame. I made a new seat out of black twill and this fun anime fabric, and I quilted the dragon with sparkly thread (this cool holographic-coated mylar stuff, called Laser Brights or Kaleidoscope). I even re-did the bag with a coordinating blue asian floral. I’m very happy with it. It might not be a gorgeous new fluffy, but it was a lot of fun to make.