I'm getting an African wrap on Friday!!!

[breezy88]

yeah...I met this lady at a conference and she is from Rwanda. She makes African wraps with traditional fabric and I am going to her house on Friday to pick one out.

Anybody else have one?

[Quiteria]

I do! But I haven't mastered any carries. I got it toward the end of our babywearing days, and didn't have anyone supportive to help me learn to use it. So, I stuck to my ring sling and mei tai, since I could get the kids into those without help. I'm hoping to learn to wrap the baby that's on the way. :heart

[Mother of Sons]

I don't have an official one but a few years ago I was at festival of nations and didn't have my sling. I stopped at the Rwanda booth and bought a piece of fabric. I think it was a sarong or something. She asked me what it was for and when I told her, she showed me how they back carry there. It was really cool!

[Starfox]

:rockon That is awesome!!! You *gotta* post pics when you get it home and try it out!!!

[breezy88]

Oh and btw the lady....who will more than likely become a friend, says that we can get together as many times as I need to in order to learn how to wrap it.
cool heh?

[Amahoro]

Oh how I want one. I should have got one in Rwanda when I was there... :sigh

I do, however have some material from Rwanda. Don't suppose anyone would have a pattern and a step-by-step guide on how to do it?

[Rabbit]

Is there a pattern? In Burkina, the wrap was nothing but a very long piece of fabric. Baby goes on the back, and the wrap goes around, almost like a towel. Tucking it in tight is the only trick, and that takes a bit of practice. Rwanda is half the world away from Burkina, so maybe they have a very different method.

[Amahoro]

Pattern was possibly the wrong word; more how much length do you need?

I've got metres of fabric in my parents wardrobe being stored for me that I'd love to use. This would be brilliant!

[Mommainrwanda]

Shall I play resident Rwanda "expert?" :giggle

Well, really...I can't. All I have ever seen women use here is just a piece of regular cotton fabric and (like Rabbit said) wrapping around and tucking it like a towel. The only difference I've seen between here and W. Africa is that here they usually tie a white tablecloth or something lighter around their shoulders like a cape to protect the baby. Someone told me it was to protect the baby from being poisoned (???), but a more likely guess is for sun exposure (since I am chastised whenever I take the Urchin out without a hat).

So I'm excited to see what you get :) If your friend has a source for woven material in Rwanda I'd totally want to track it down for myself! :)

---------- Post added at 09:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:35 AM ----------

Pattern was possibly the wrong word; more how much length do you need?

Really you can wrap the way the women do here with just about a meter of fabric. It doesn't take much. Just tuck it really tight in the front :shrug3