D.I.Y. ring slings

making ring slings

My first ever sling which I ordered when my daughter was around two months old could do with some modifications. As I mentioned in an earlier post, there were parts about it that I didn't like. I found it difficult to adjust, the fabric was stiff and rough and a little too narrow for me. I searched on how to make your own ring slings and there came up hundreds of blogs and sites. The rings were available online. They come in either aluminum or nylon. My first sling had aluminum ones but I chose nylon because I thought it would make adjusting easier and I didn't like the aluminum rings clinking, although the nylon looks chunky. I purchased the trial pack that had one pair of each size (small, medium, large) which came out a lot cheaper. I found several tutorials on how to make a no-sew ring sling (Here's one.) and so I tried it using my lavender shawl. Okay, I did make a few stitches but only to keep the shawl in place because it was short and I didn't want to keep on checking if it might be sliding off. 

For the second one, I bought a cotton fabric that was soft, not too light, just thick enough. I made it wider but shorter. Before I used any sling, I thought the long tail would look cool especially as it swayed but turns out it was a bother. 

Sewing a ring sling is very simple. I just decided the length and width of my fabric (1.9x.0.80M), finished the raw edges, folded the pleats on one end and then secured the two rings by sewing the pleated end together.

The no-sew sling is easy to make if you know how to thread an ordinary sling. Basically, you just thread both ends of the fabric. What could make using this difficult is the space between the rings. This sling is my alternative when the other ones are in the laundry. 

Easy Hand-sewn Nursing Tube

I now rarely get the chance to craft. When I'm not looking after the baby, it's either chores or sleeping. I decided to try making a nursing tube because I don't like the usual bra with clasps and the bandeau I purchased wasn't a good fit. I came up with this after combing the internet for designs and tutorials. It's like a hybrid of the overlay top and the nursing bandeau/tube. And since I only had nuggets of time to do this, I made the process super simple and sewed by hand. I didn't even use any measuring tool.

This works with stretch fabric. I used the one I bought for my wedding dress's lining, which the seamstress said was the wrong kind. Luckily it's stretchy. 

Here goes. I determined the size by stretching the fabric tight across the bust area. (Fig.1) I made it go all the way down to the belly button. That should make a rectangular or square piece. Then I cut three of that. (Fig. 2) This is a good time to deal with raw edges before moving on. One piece will become the back part while the other two will go in the front, which I ruffled by using running stitch on the sides. Form the ruffles by pulling the thread until the cloth is about two-thirds of its original length. (Fig. 3) I assembled the pieces, concentrating the ruffles in the middle part, where the opening should be. (Fig. 4 is an elevation and my best attempt to illustrate how the layers go. Hope that helps.) I back stitched them all together then turned the whole thing  inside out. (Fig. 4 and 5)

This is one of the few things I made that I actually was able to use. I'm planning to make another using  a better fabric and with more polish.