DIY sling

Sling is becoming increasingly popular among modern mothers for a reason. Its use provides several advantages at once: the baby is nearby, hands are free, the load on the back is reduced.

This use of carrying is a good time saver: both a child under supervision and a mother can do household chores. But a good carry is not cheap.

Therefore, many mothers prefer to sew the sling with their own hands and thereby save money.

Types of slings

Such a carrier is suitable for children from birth to 2.5-3 years and older. This is completely safe for the child: the baby takes an anatomically correct pose in it and can both sit and lie.

There are many models of slings. The most common:

• sling scarf;
• sling with rings;
• sling pocket;
• May Sling.

These models differ in the distribution of load on the mother: some of them are worn on two shoulders, others on only one. In addition, slings are found with and without a rigid structure. Before you make a sling, you should understand the differences and find the most convenient model for you and your baby.

Fabric selection

The material for the sling must pass air well, therefore the presence of synthetic fibers in its composition is unacceptable.

Use natural, non-stretchable ones. They should be sufficiently dense, but not rigid, with plain or twill weaving. Best suited:

• thick cotton;
• linen;
• bike;
• wool;
• lint-free fleece is a synthetic material, but it passes air well.

Do not buy slippery fabrics, such as silk, satin. Carrying them will be uncomfortable for mom and baby. To wear a sling at home and outdoors in the summer, choose lightweight fabrics. For cold weather, warm and dense materials are better.

How to sew a sling

Consider how to stitch the most popular sling patterns.

Sling scarf

This is the simplest model. A sling scarf can be either sewn from fabric or made from a finished scarf. The product does not have seams and any additional elements.

To sew a sling scarf with your own hands, you need material 5–5.5 meters long and about 70 cm wide. Cut the fabric and work the edges. There are several ways:

• sew along the contour of the sling tape;
• overlay;
• gently twist the edge twice so that the edges of the fabric are not visible, iron and sew on a typewriter.

Often, a scarf is sewn with narrow ends. For beauty, they can be made curly, rounded or cut at an acute angle. To make the self-sewn sling scarf easier to put on, outline its middle – make a small pocket in the center, applique, etc.

Some mothers do without a sewing machine, as they make a sling out of a scarf. The main thing is that it should be made of natural fabric and the right size.

Sling with rings

For him, in addition to cutting the fabric, rings will be needed. They must be durable, because they have to withstand the weight of the baby. Metal rings with a diameter of at least 7 cm are best suited. Consider how to sew a sling with rings. This model has two varieties.

The first is simple, without sewing. To make such a sling with rings with your own hands, you need a piece of fabric 2–2.5 meters long, 70–80 cm wide. You can take a suitable scarf and 2 rings. In order to sew a sling with rings, it is not necessary to build a pattern.

We measure the fabric and cut off the excess, then we process the edges so that they do not crumble. Now we fix the rings at one end of the sling. Thread the fabric through them and lay a stitch, or simply tie a beautiful and durable knot. If you have experience in sewing, the fabric can be folded before being threaded into rings. Such a sling looks more interesting.

The second species has soft sides. You can add a small pad on your shoulder to make it easier to wear the product. For this model, it is better to use a sling pattern with rings and sides.

You will need: rings, a little synthetic winterizer and 2 m of fabric with a width of at least 1 m. Work progress:

1. Calculate the size of the product. The width of the carrier in the finished form will be 70 cm, but you can slightly adjust it at your discretion. Add to this 7-8 cm: on the sides 5-6 cm and on the hem 2 cm. There are two sides, so the width of the fabric for the sling will be 70 + 7 + 7 = 84 cm. We measure this value from the edge of the fabric and cut it off.
2. We will prepare the synthetic winterizer strips for the sides 5×60 cm. Now we measure 40-50 cm from the edge where the tail of the sling will be and make a mark. Here the sides will begin. We lay 2 cm on the hem and 5 cm on the sides from the long edge of the fabric.
3. Fold the fabric along the line and iron to get a beautiful even edge. Now you need to unscrew the fold and starting from the mark, apply a strip of padding polyester. She should not climb into the allowance. After that, we turn the fabric back so that the synthetic winterizer is inside. Stitch along the entire length of the sling.
4. Now let’s take care of the rings. They are fixed in the same way as in a sling without sides. The ends of the product can be tapered so that it is easier to stick them into the rings. To do this, smoothly narrow the sling from the sides to the free ends. The product is ready.

May Sling

In order to sew the May-sling with your own hands, 2 rectangles 40×50 cm and 3 straps 200×22 cm in size are cut from the fabric. The allowances for the seams are already taken into account. To make it more convenient, make a May Sling pattern on paper.

Progress:

1. We cut out the straps: for this, fold the strips of fabric with the front side inwards and sew, leaving one narrow end unbroken. We turn them on the front side and iron them. Then we turn inward and we build off the ends which are left open. In two straps, they will be upper, for the convenience of mom, you can insert stripes of padding polyester.
2. Now we take the squares, fold them with their faces to each other and fix with pins. Many of them also have a synthetic winterizer. We insert the upper straps inside. Their edges should protrude over the seam allowances, so it will be stronger.
3. Stitch all the edges except the bottom. We turn the sling on the front side and bend inward unstitched allowances for the seams. Carefully align the bends with each other, iron and build along the very edge. At the end, we put the lower strap on the sling and sew it on both sides.

Sling pocket

The size of this carry is not adjustable, so you need to determine the length of the product. Progress:

1. Take a centimeter tape and measure the distance between the shoulder point and the most protruding place on the opposite thigh. We multiply this value by 2 and add 5 cm – for summer sling or 7 cm – for winter. We determined the length of the sling, and its width is 65–70 cm. We cut out a rectangle of this size from the fabric and begin to sew the sling pocket with our own hands.
2. Fold the part in half along the length and width (4 layers will turn out) and outline the tuck. We need a narrow side on which there are no folds. We measure 7.5–8 cm from one of its edges, connect it with a smooth arc with another and cut along this line. Fold the fabric with the front side out, combine the resulting arcs, stitch.
3. We are trying on to adjust the length of the sling. We turn it inside out and carefully iron the seam. Now we are laying a seam from the wrong side at a distance of 1.5 cm from the edge, repeating the contour of the tuck. Again, ironing it well on either side, we cut the corners of the seams obliquely.
4. We attach an allowance to the main fabric so that it does not stick out and does not interfere with the baby. It remains to process the edges. We turn them inwards by 1 cm two times and stitch.

Recommendations

To make the thing meet expectations, use some tips:

• Pick fabric by season. For summer, linen or cotton is suitable, for winter – wool or fleece. Contact the seller in the store if you are afraid to make a mistake. He will advise you on the most suitable fabrics for sling.
• To avoid shrinkage of the product after the first wash, it is better to decorate the fabric. To do this, carefully iron the material with a steam iron or wash it in hot water before cutting. Then dry and iron well.
• Choose the color of the material that matches your wardrobe, then the sling will be a great addition to the look.
• You can decorate any carrying model with decoration: applique, embroidery or patch pocket.

You can purchase a carrier in the store. The price of the simplest model (sling-scarf) ranges from 1000 to 10 thousand rubles.

Do-it-yourself sewing any model – a sling with rings, a sling-scarf, a May-sling, a sling-pocket – will turn out to be cheaper, since there is no need to overpay for a brand and a trade margin. You will select the fabric of the desired quality and color you like. With this sling, you and your baby will comfortably spend time together.