Podaegi!

I made my first podaegi recently. What is a podaegi, or podeagi  (or "pod" for short)? It is a traditional Asian carrier that is similar to a mei tai. Pictured podaegi, below, is from Etsy, here.

Sew She Sews has a very cute one pattern to make a podaegi here, and Jan Andrea has one here. Mine was pretty close to that first pattern, but I chose not to use multiple fabrics for the outside.  I used a pretty decorator fabric for the exterior of the body, and lighter fabric for the inside.  I used duck cloth for the straps.  After it was finished, I was excited to play around with it, as I'd never tried one before.  At first I had trouble getting it right... the decorator fabric seemed too stiff, and the blanket seemed too narrow.  Once I got the hang of it, it worked well, though. It seemed even easier than a mei tai!  Sadly, I didn't get any pictures before I loaned it out, but I have another one in the works... this one will have a wider body.  Not a really really wide one like the Jan Andrea pod, but definitely wider than the one from Etsy pictured.  I think the narrow body design was harder to wear correctly... I am very comfortable doing a back carry with my mei tai, but it was a hassle getting the pod spread out when the body was so small.  Also, my understanding is that the blanket part of a podaegi isn't weight bearing, so it can be blanket type fabric, so I'll use lighter weight fabric which I think will be easier to manage.  Plus I'll be able to use fabric from my stash, instead of having to wait to buy some! ;)

Here is a YouTube video of a back carry with one...



And here is a front carry, although I have to note that she ties the straps in a bow, I would much prefer a square knot for safety.



(Related posts from Babywearing it Up!: pod sew along on TBW
and Wrap pod tutorial.)