Recent Updates
[04/07/2008] We have just created our new website. We hope you enjoy!
[03/27/2008] We are happy to announce the birth of our son, Marcos!
[12/2007] Apapáchame© becomes a registered trademark with the Puerto Rico State Department
[7/2007] Apapáchame starts selling slings to the public.
[7/2006] Our daughter Lele is born and a love affair with baby slings is born.
ABOUT THE SLINGS
MATERIALS
Fabrics
Solarveil - (Solarveil is now discontinued. We have a stock of fabric. But once it's gone, it's gone for good. So get these while you still can!)
SOLARVEIL is a lightweight fabric, which resembles netting or gauze, and is ideal for hot, tropical, or desert climates. It’s light and wicks sweat away from the body so that it can quickly evaporate. It is a UV protective fabric, protecting you from the sun’s damaging rays (one layer provides 70-80% UV protection, and two layers provide up to 90-95%). Besides being perfect for every day use, it’s also excellent for safety at the beach or pool, outside or in the water. In this case it has the advantage of air drying in approximately 20 minutes. A sling made with solarveil and the slingrings is lightweight and can fit easily in a baby bag without occupying much space or weighing a lot. These slings can be washed and dried in a regular automatic washer and electric or gas dryer.
We currently have seven colors of solarveil (baby blue, khaki, light green, pink, turquoise, white and yellow).
Designer fabrics
The majority of these fabrics are made of 100% cotton, by well known designers (like Michael Miller, Joel Dewberry, Robert Kaufman) and are specially purchased via coops or sales.
In many cases, your sling may be unique or semi unique in its design, since I’ve obtained the fabrics in limited quantities and combined with other fabrics and rings for this very purpose. In this case, I am looking for a concept sling for the woman who is more fashion conscious. Hand washing and air drying are recommended for these slings.
Rings
All of the rings are purchased through www.slingrings.com. These are designed specifically for use with baby carriers. They are more expensive than other rings because they’re lighter (aluminum or nylon) and they don’t have a visible seam. They’ve been strength tested up to 250 pounds (although typically the fabrics and stitching are designed more for an average weight of 35 pounds).
SEWING AND PATTERNS
All designs are based on known patterns for baby slings, with stitching and materials that are chosen for the safety of your baby. In the case of solarveil slings, I use a hotdog fold, and the designer fabric slings use a pleat fold courtesy of Jan Heirtzler via her
webpage: http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/Baby/sling_pleat.html
You can also design and sew your own baby sling. I invite you to search the net just like I did!