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 Please feel free to join our Yahoo Message Group for more information on our carriers, wearing help and stocking times. Yahoo Message Group Custom carrier information
Custom carriers are for people who love our carriers, but would prefer to choose their own panel or print fabric or would like a solid or two toned carrier. Because there is no wait list for your custom order we ask that you please have your fabric ready when you place your order to keep things moving in a timely fashion. If you are not sure of what you would like, please feel free to wait until you do know as we will be stocking new slots every week. We have two styles of carrier, the Full Buckle, sometimes called a soft structured carrier (SSC) or a Half Buckle also called a hybrid carrier. The full buckle carrier has buckle straps for the shoulder and also for the waist while the half buckle carrier has longer straps that you tie to secure and a buckle waist. Both are equally supportive for the wearer and the child, but each has their own set of benefits. You can find out more about the size and style differences on our Product Info page.
How the custom process will work
We have decided to try this "stocking" type plan for our custom carriers instead of a wait list for a few reasons. The first one being that we are expecting our third son sometime in the winter and I hate the thought of committing to an entire list of people that are waiting on me just in case something happens and I can't get all the way through it. I imagine that it would quickly become a repeat of our last list that was well over 100 people and I doubt even with my wonderful seamstress and husband that we could get through the whole list before the baby. I know I would feel just awful leaving people waiting with no end in sight and so we are going to try this out instead. So this way we will post slots on the website in the Shop area of our site under Create Your Own! This will allow us to take on only as many customs as we feel we can complete in a 2-4 week time frame. The other reason is that babywearing really is such a short time in your child's life that what works for you today might not be what you want in the 6 months that you might wait on a list. Doing it this way means that people aren't getting an email about a spot they might not want anymore and the people that are waiting will be able to have their carriers much sooner. So all around I think this will be an improvement.
Ok, so on to the important stuff. : ) Once you have purchased your slot you will receive an email from me sometime in the following 24 hours. This will confirm your order and allow me to answer any questions that you might have about the process. I will give you my mailing address if you are sending in your own fabric for your carrier and I ask that you please try to get it mailed within 5 business days to keep things moving smoothly for everyone. If you haven't already chosen your carrier size and style as well as strap color, we will go over those choices and find out what will be the best match for you. On occasion we will length the straps on either the half or full buckle carrier to accommodate someone that is fairly tall, but other than that we are not able to make changes to the design of our product. We have
worked extremely hard on the design for this carrier and it has been
tested as it is designed. To change the design would make the testing
of the carrier nullified.
When I finish your carrier, I
will send you an email with a link to the website where you can see a picture of your finished carrier.
There will be a spot for you to purchase your carrier for the balance
due, minus the deposit and the shipping which you would have already paid. You will be able to check out through my site and then the
carrier will be on it's way to you within 3 business days of your
payment. In the event of non-payment, I reserve the right to sell your
carrier after 14 days. I will not refund your deposit and you will not
receive a refund for the cost of your fabric.
Fabric Information
When
you are looking for your print fabric keep in mind that the panel for
the baby size is 16x16 inches and the toddler size is 16x18 inches. This means very large prints will be
chopped up and will not look the same as they do on the bolt or online.
You can find a wide variety of fabrics on line if you do a search for
quilting fabrics or if you visit your local fabric shop. Also, remember
there are darts in the body to provide a seat for your baby, but they
will interrupt the pattern some. On most things it's unnoticeable, but
for stripes it is visible and if this is something that will bother
you, you might be better off choosing something that won't be disturbed
by the darts. I am more than willing to use silk, minkee, velvet or
suede on your carrier, but please note: anything that needs to be
stabilized will incur a $15.00 charge that will be added to your
balance. Please keep in mind, not all of these fabrics can be washed or
cared for in the same way, just as they will not all wear the same way.
It's important that you think about the way you will care for your
carrier while you are choosing your fabric.
If you are having your fabric dropped shipped from a vendor Please have them include a note with your name and address inside of the packaging. If you are sending your fabric directly to me make sure that your full name is on the outside of the package and that you include a note with your name and address as well as your email address inside the package. I have lots of packages coming and it is otherwise very difficult to keep fabrics with the right people.
You will need
to order one yard of your chosen panel fabric. If you want the inside
of the carrier to be made from something other than the strap fabric,
you will need one yard of that as well. Of course, I am more than
willing to discuss your fabric choices with you and help you figure out
how much to order, however I cannot help you choose your fabrics or
decide between prints. Your fabrics need to be something you want to
look at everyday and something that fit your lifestyle and that is not
something I can decide for you. If you are having a hard time deciding,
you can always post a poll at The Babywearer. I am pretty certain
that most people choosing custom carriers are registered there and the members love seeing
what people are planning and will offer suggestions if they can. I am not able to take various pictures of your print fabric with strap fabrics. If you are concerned that a
particular strap fabric might not match your panel fabric, I am more
than willing to send you a swatch for $2.00 (includes postage).
I will try and keep a variety of strap colors in-stock for you to
choose. If for some reason I do not have a color you want and you don't
want to substitute a color I do have, you will be able to order a different color from the retail website of the supplier that I use. The fabric will have to be shipped directly to me to ensure that it is only ordered from the approved retailer. Please understand that special ordering
strap fabric will set your order back by approximately 2 weeks while I
wait for the fabric to be shipped and then cut.
I will not pre-wash panel fabrics or strap
fabrics. All of our strap fabrics have been pre-washed by the mill and will not bleed. If you are afraid something will bleed, please have it mailed
to you first, so you can pre-wash it and iron it afterwards. If for
some reason you are not able to have it shipped to you first and need
it pre-washed, there will be a $5.00 surcharge added to your balance
per fabric. I also want everyone to be aware I have a dog and a cat.
They do not sleep on or play with the carriers, but they are in the
same house. I do lint roller everything very, very well before I pack
it, but if you have extreme allergies please be aware of the
possibility of stray hairs.
Time Frame
Most all of this will depend on how soon you get your panel fabric to me and if you know what you want when you place your order. Assuming that you know what you want when you place the order and you also mail your fabric right away, I would say that you could expect to have an email notice about your carrier with in two weeks of my receiving your fabric. If it takes awhile for your fabric to arrive or if we need to spend some time deciding what you need that will back the order out some. The goal is to have an order completely finished and shipped within a 4-6 week time frame from when you purchase the slot.
Break down of charges
Full Buckle
Standard 16 inch body- $165.00
Extended 18 inch body- $170.00
Organic Standard- $187.00
Organic Extended- $192.00
Half Buckle
Standard 16 inch body- $160.00
Extended 18 inch body- $165.00
Organic Standard- $191.00
Organic Extended- $196.00
Extras
Stabilizer (silk, minkee, etc.)- $15.00
Pocket- $12.00
Swatches- $2.00 (includes postage)
Pre-washing and ironing fabric- $5.00
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