The Babywearing Bag

Thank you everyone for this wave of interest! All your enquiries are much appreciated and your kind words are gratefully received!

The lovely Lucy, who was previously in charge of managing the waiting list and creating beautiful bags, has had to stop sewing for personal reasons. Sad as this is for Onbag, I do completely understand her decision and I wish her all the best in getting everything back on track.

The upshot of this is that I'm afraid I will have to shut down the custom list for the forseeable future. I have just recently moved house (and country) myself and I am putting Onbag into a lower gear while I allow the family to regroup and re-establish. In this situation I do not have the time to sew the bags myself (even if I had a sewing room set up!) or to go through the process of selecting and quality-testing a new seamstress.

Through blood, sweat, tears and dog-attacks(!) Sheila has struggled on and produced a beautiful bag. She has chosen a patterned outer fabric has has done a beautiful job of lining it all up with the pockets.

The two latest custom Onbags...This Onbag Baby in brown has a lovely striped linen lining. The stripes run horizontally which gives a very interesting and unique look.

Notice the rather snazzy new black Onbag Label, which is reserved for unique custom bags!

"I love my onbag baby, but it bigger than I was hoping for when I made it. I finally got around to making a smaller one with the scraps, and it is awsome. Perfect for the daily outings where I don't need to bring a lunch, etc. I think the straps are shorter than I would like, but the size was dictated by the size of scraps I had....

I love the matched bag and sling look - it really streamlines the whole bag-and-baby-and-sling fashion statement :)

This clever lady has not only made a matched bag and sling, but has also put nice elasticated tops on the pockets - and (I think) played around with the sizes a little to get something just right for her...

Thank you for sharing!

Isn't this a lovely shot!?
This DIY Onbag has a flap made out of just the lining fabric - a nice floral print used with what looks like a denim outer fabric.
Well done you!

Here is a completely new Onbag - courtesy of a brave TBWer!

Aren't these just lovely!?

This clever lady has rolled the hems outward to show the lovely lining fabric, and she's done a matching 'Classic' and 'Baby'.

I think they both look great!

"So, I finally got fabric (with my Bday money) and the courage (I'm still pretty new to sewing and usually have my mom help) and made my OnBag & OnBag Baby. I did mess up on the big one...

Please note: This pattern is intended to enable babywearers to make my bags for themselves or their friends and family, absolutely not for sale.  I put a lot of time and effort into coming up with this design, which as far as I know is completely new, so I'll be pretty heartbroken if I find that somebody has pinched it!

I am making the design available for free because we are a small community and I think it is nice if we help each other out - please use the pattern in the same spirit.  All measurements are in centimeters.

Onbag DIY Pattern by Sarah Dickinson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales License.

Onbag DIY Pattern (PDF Format) 1.89MB [version 20081008]

Also see our DIY Kits section, where you can order a hard-copy of these instructions plus some extra goodies to finish your bag in style!

The tutorial also includes a section on adapting the basic pattern to make the smaller Onbag Baby, the Accessories and some other ideas...

You will need:

Outer fabric (medium weight cotton drill works well):

• 1 of 35cm x 35cm - front
• 1 of 35x70 - back and flap
• 1 of 22x350 - straps, sides & bottom (don't be tempted to piece two bits together - this is where the bag gets its strength and a seam will look messy when you put it all together later on)
• 3 of 30x20 - front and back pockets (one in a contrasting material if you wish)
• 2 of 20x35 - side pockets
• 2 of 30x10 - side loops

Lining:

• 1 of 35x35 - front
• 1 of 35x70 - back and flap
• 1 of 22x350 - straps, sides & bottom (or 2 x 22x180, or whatever patchwork you end up with!)
• Velcro for front pockets and flap.
• Elastic for loops (for slingview mirror etc).

These instructions are still quite new and relatively untested so be careful before you cut (!) and let me know where the pitfalls are!

I would love to see photos of your DIY bags - and post them here if I may!?

Be warned that you'll find yourself sewing through quite a few layers at times - go slowly.

For some inspiration look here for some other mama's DIY Onbags.

You may also find this discussion on The Babywearer DIY forum useful.

To be truly free to travel with our babies, a good bag is as essential as a good sling. The Onbag has been designed to use alongside your chosen carrier, enabling you to get out and about.