My lovely neighbor Katie has made a ton of these slings, for both herself and for friends, and she’s graciously shared this tutorial. This makes a great baby gift for a friend, and even if you’re not overly sewing proficient, you can make one for yourself while the baby is napping! These work for small babies, up to toddlers…
Katie has given us a great step by step with pictures, but if you have any additional questions, just ask!
Making a Baby Sling
Buy 2 yards of cotton fabric, the sort that feels like men’s dress shirt material, no stretch. You will also need a spool of coordinating thread. Wash Fabric to pre-shrink.
Fold the fabric in half long ways, so that the “good sides” face each other.
Sew a seam along the entire side, making a tube. Turn “right side” out.
Organize the tube so that the seam is in the middle if you lay it flat. Fold in half, so that the seam you sewed is on the outside in the middle (“wrong side out”). Match up the sides well, so that they are aligned on either side.
Measure 28.5 inches on one side and 23 inches on the other side. (These measurements seem to work well for regular weight people between 5’6 and 5’8”.
Step 5, continued. If you are concerned that might not be big enough, make the measurements larger on each side by the same amount). You can always make the sling smaller, but not larger, so try bigger first.
Step 6: Draw a straight line from the side where you measured 28.5 inches to about an inch before the middle of the fabric. Now make an almost flat arch from your straight line to where you measured 23 inches. See the ribbon in the picture for a general idea of how your line should look.
Step 7: Pin the fabric together just above your line, but not were the pins will be in your way when you cut. Cut out the line through all 4 layers of fabric together.
Step 8: Set your machine to the zig zag stitch. Sew a seam were you cut 4 times, using the zig zag stitch.
Step 8: ..more
Step 9: Turn Sling right side out.
Step 10: Try on your sling. Always put the 28.5 inch seam toward your body, so the sling makes a deep pocket. For a small baby, fold sling in half before putting on. The baby should sit near your belly button when placed in the sling.
An older baby should sit comfortably on your hip. You only need to fold the sling in about ¼ of the way with an older baby, taking care to keep the 28.5 inch side closest to your body, so the sling makes a pocket.
If the sling is too big, you can easily shorten it by turning it inside out laying it flat and sewing a straight seem at the top to take it up. You can do this in ½ inch increments until you get to a size you like.
It can be helpful to leave the excess fabric when you take it up because it helps you find the top when you are trying to put it on. If you choose to cut it, you will need to sew the seam four times with a zig zag stitch to make sure it is sturdy.
My lovely neighbor Katie has made a ton of these slings, for both herself and for friends, and she’s graciously shared this tutorial. This makes a great baby gift for a friend, and even if you’re not overly sewing proficient, you can make one for yourself while the baby is napping! These work for small babies, up to toddlers…
