Mei Tai Baby Doll Carrier

My little girl has been asking for a way to wear her babies for at least a year now. When it made it to her Christmas wishlist this year, even at age six, I decided it was about time. I studied these 2 tutorials and kind of mixed them together: here and here.

Lily loves her new baby doll carrier I made for her! I could have saved it for Christmas, but I knew she would want to get as much playtime as she possibly can before then. Plus, she came home and saw me working on it so I had a hard time keeping it a surprise. It’s double-sided (reversible) with a flower print on one side and a black/white polka dot print on the other if she wants a more neutral feel, and I even tried free-hand quilting to give it more support. Her carrier can hold little dolls and big dolls, I suspect up to 18″. She can wear her babies and stuffies on her back or on her front, and can face them to her so she can kiss them, or outward with the flap down so they can see what she sees.

First, I didn’t really measure anything or print out or make any patterns. Just kind of winged it! If you’d like to do what I did, here it is:

1. ​Cut 2 strips of fabric as long as you like (I did a yard) and at least 3.5″ wide.
2. Fold each strip in half vertically so that they are now half as wide, right sides together, and press.
3. Pin the long skinny pieces of fabric all the way down and sew a long tube, leaving some room at one end or in the middle for turning. These will be your straps!
4. After you’ve turned the straps, press them. My straps were too long, so I simply snipped the rest off and made them the straps for the waist area.
5. Cut 2 rectangles from coordinating fabric (one for each side of your carrier).
6. With your body fabric right sides facing together, snip a triangle from each corner on a narrower side.
7. Create the little neck support flap by folding a rectangle piece of fabric in half, folding in the corners to create a tab.
8. Create a sandwich, pinning the neck support inside the clipped area. Pin the long straps inside the corners you clipped. Pin the small straps to both sides of the bottom.
9. Sew all the way around, leaving the bottom open for turning. Turn inside- out and stuff the inside with batting cut to size or padding, then sew the bottom shut. Quilt it up!

Update: L carried her baby doll to the Aquarium here!