Hand-made Osnaburg short/Rebozo baby wrap

Hemming my osnaburg fabric

Today I attempted my first try at making a short baby wrap (Rebozo wrap). I am expecting a child due in September, and wanted a nice short wrap to do some basic rebozo baby wearing carries.

My goal was to create a colorful green and blue wrap, either gradient dyed or some sort of decorative mottled/marbled dye pattern. I'd like something visually striking.

Yesterday, I purchased 3 yards (2.7 meters) of Osnaburg fabric from a local fabric store. The width of the fabric was approximately 45 inches (114 cm). I also purchased two packets of Dylon brand fabric dye in Tropical Green and Ocean Blue.

First thing I did when I arrived home was I threw the fabric in the washing machine to pre-shrink the fabric. I didn't want to have a finished product with perfect measurements, only to lose my measurements upon a first washing. So I washed it on medium heat, and dried in my clothing dryer on medium heat. I did unfortunately lose a scary quantity of length, and I did not record those measurements.

I cut the fabric down width-wise (using a snip-and-rip technique) to approximately 31 inches (78 cm), and checked out my fabric to see how much length I had. I was afraid it may be a loss as I was measuring only 100-some inches (2.54m) but I thought I would need 2.7 meters of length to start with. I decided to continue my project knowing it was at risk for being too short. After trimming my fabric so that it was an even rectangle, I had a length of about 100 inches (2.54m).

Today I hemmed the fabric. I now have a fabric rectangle measuring 28.5 inches wide (72.3cm) and 95 inches (2.4m) long. I had hoped to attain a final measurement of 30 inches (76.2cm) wide and 106 inches (2.7 meters) long, so I had missed my mark on both length and width.

I was a little worried, but I still had hope, as I am a short/thin sized person, so it was possible that a Rebozo fit for me might actually be okay smaller than for an average sized person.

Undyed handmade Osnaburg rebozo/wrap modeled by my 6 year old

I just tried the rebozo on using the carries I intend to use. I do not have a newborn sized model but I used one of my daughters dolls. And fortunately it almost seems the length might be too long for me. I will wait until after the birth of my child to make any length adjustments, but my length worries are no longer an issue. The width seems a bit too wide yet as well. I am optimistic that this might actually work out perfectly for me.

So, the fit and hems are completed. Next step will be for me to dye the fabric. I am still undecided on what technique I will use.