There are a lot of ways and types of carriers you can make yourself if you are a crafty person. It is highly recommended that you use Guttermans thread or heavy duty due to the amount of weight and wear they will get on them. I would recommend limiting any carriers you make to use for yourself, family or at the most close friends. There are standards required for carriers made for others as well as selling carriers, of which can be found through the BCIA and CPSIA. I also highly recommend you know the proper uses for the type of carrier you are using as well as safety information. It would also be helpful to see an already made carrier of the kind you are making in person to get a better handle on the quality of materials used, fabrics as well as stitching.
Stretchy Wrap (such as a moby, sleepy wrap...) - Very easy to make and no sewing is even required. You can get 5.5-6 yards of cotton knit fabric (with stretch no more than 30%), cut it down the middle (depending on the width of your fabric) length wise and you're done! You can hem it all the way around for a more finished look but it's not necessary at all.
Water Wrap- This can also be done very easily and no sewing is required. You get 5.5-6 yards of football mesh, cut it in half length wise (depending on the width of your fabric) and you have 2 wraps. You can serge the edges all the way around or hem them if you want, but it's not necessary.
Woven Wrap- This can be done with minimal sewing skills. You can use gauze, osnaburg or 100% linen. All 3 are safe for front, hip and back carries. This will depend on the length wrap you want. If you want a standard long wrap which would be around a size 6 You'd get 5.5 yards of the fabric you choose. You should be able to cut it down the middle length wise to get 2, but it will depend on the width of the bolt. I'd recommend 25-30 inches wide for a wrap when finished so it would need to be at least 52 inches wide to get 2 out of one piece. After cutting it down the middle length wise you can also "taper" the ends which would be to cut them at an angle. This will help when tying it when you wrap so it wont be so bulky. These vary based on wrap brand so if you already have a wrap you have tried and like then you can measure the difference on that one, if not, you can make it an average taper of anywhere between 5-10 inches. You do the tapers opposite of each other (meaning, on one end of the wrap the "top" is longer with the "bottom" shorter, on the other end the "top" would be shorter and the "bottom" would be longer). Then, you'll hem it all the way around the length and width of the wrap. It may also be helpful to add a "middle marker". This could be done by just a short decorative stitch, a small scrap piece of a decorative fabric to mimic a tag, or just a few stitches. This will help you when wrapping to know where you should start from depending on the carry you choose to do.
top rail
\ ^ \
\ middle marker \ Taper
\ \
\ \
\ bottom rail \
Ring Slings- This can be done with moderate sewing skills. It is only recommended to purchase the rings used for slings from slingrings.com. They have been weight tested and proven to be safe. They are also not welded so they have no weak points in them which under pressure could cause them to break. There are wonderful tutorials on how to make ring slings on sleeping baby production's website.
One Layer Ring sling- http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/Baby/sling.html
Reversible Ring sling(same fabrics) http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/Baby/reversible.html
Reversible (different types of fabrics) http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/Baby/reverse2.html
Two layer with lightweight fabric- http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/Baby/doublelayer.html
NO SEW Ring sling- http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/Baby/no_sew.html
8 steps to sewing an x box.
Mei Tais- This can be done with a moderate to higher level of sewing skill. You should be sure to use heavy duty thread, reinforce all seams, extend the straps at least 6 inches into the carrier and use "x boxes" on the shoulder straps where they extend into the body of the carrier. There are a lot of great tutorials and patterns out there on how to make a MT and many threads over on thebabywearer.com. Here is the link to a post there with numerous patterns and directions.
faux ball baby overall MT- http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/Baby/bbo.html
wrap conversion MT- http://www.wrapmeitai.blogspot.com/
(You could do this with 100% linen and Osnaburg fabric as well.
Scandi MT Tutorial- http://scanditute.blogspot.com/
Soft Structured Carriers- This can be done with moderate to higher level sewing skills.
SSC tips- http://www.thebabywearer.com/forum/showthread.php?117666-SSC-(Soft-Structured-Carrier)-Tips
Chelsea and Shira's SSC Pattern download-http://www.thebabywearer.com/forum/showthread.php?233690-Free-SSC-Pattern-now-available!-Have-fun-)
SSC PDF download pattern- http://www.mediafire.com/?whdfr3hbm9t
SweetPod SSC tutorial- http://www.thebabywearer.com/forum/showthread.php?393607-sweetpod-ssc&highlight=buckles
Tip to turn MT into a "half bucke" without sewing-http://www.thebabywearer.com/forum/showthread.php?418472-Converting-a-MT&highlight=buckles
Podaegis (Pods)- This is a blanket type carrier with straps on the top. These can be made with moderate sewing skills.
Wrap Pod- http://wrap-pod.blogspot.com/
Straight strap pod- http://www.thebabywearer.com/forum/showthread.php?93216-Pod-directions-draft-version
Angled strap pod- http://www.thebabywearer.com/forum/showthread.php?114473-Silk-Pod-sew-along-directions!-Finished-yay!
PDF download straight strap pod- http://www.thewahmmall.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=46_56
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