It took some time, and much begging and learning and ironing, but with the help of family and friends we have sewn our first (of probably many) slings. We’re still debating on the length of tail we want as I’d like for my preschooler to be able to hold onto it on walks and when we’re out and about (it gives him a sense of freedom). Any suggestions on making it more hand friendly? We were just going to make the hem a bit thicker so it was more noticeable in his hand but I’m not sure how, if at all, it will affect getting the tail through the rings.

Over all it was a very easy project but as neither I nor my husband had ever used a sewing machine we had to recruit some help. With the remnants of fabric from the first one we both have intentions of practicing until the fabric is thoroughly worn out so we can make our own. Our intentions are to have a back up in the car, plus another one just to have. I might consider making one with a warmer fabric as we live in the prairies and winters here are quite unpleasant.

Thank you so much for sharing this with everyone, this is my first exposure to a ring sling and was the only affordable option at the time, I’m now enamored even more and plan on making some pretty ones for friends who are expecting.

I’ve included a picture of us using the sling on the first out-of-house excursion – a test walk through toys-r-us.

Thanks for writing Angel! The sling looks great and it’s so fun to see you wearing it with your adorable little girl.

That’s a great idea to have your son hold onto the tail so that he stays near you when you are out in public. To make it more hand-friendly, you could sew another sling ring to the end (of course, that means that you could not take the sling apart completely anymore because you couldn’t get that ring through the other rings, but I can’t think of a reason why that would be a problem). You could also sew the end of the tail fabric into a loop. Anyone else have ideas for Angel? Leave a comment!

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Materials:

• 1 yard of fabric.

• D rings. They are the rings that you can adjust your strap with. They are in the shape of a D, hence the name, and come in silver or gold. I got the 1 1/4 inch size, but you could go a little bigger.

• Corset Boning. It comes in white or black and it comes in different strengths (or stiffness). I chose the stiffest one they had and bought 1/2 yard. It is ~1/4 inches wide.

• Of course you need thread. The whole project cost me $8.00 to make two, the fabric was on sale and I had the thread.

1. First, I cut the fabric 26×38 inches. The finished product is 24×36 inches (that is the size of the original Hooter Hiders) so cut it a bit bigger so you can sew the hem around. This size is perfect because the longer side wraps around your sides under your arms and covers anything that might be sticking out.

2. I cut the strips for the neck straps. The longer one I cut 31 inches long (this seems just a little long to me as I have a lot of excess when I make it the right length for breastfeeding) by ~3 inches wide. The shorter strip which will hold the D rings I cut 10 inches long by 3 inches wide. Here are pictures of the straps below:

Long strap

Short strap

3. To sew these, I just sewed down the middle turning the fabric under (you can see on the long strap my stitch down the middle). I sewed the long strap to a point by just folding the corners down and stitching over. I sewed the short strap the same way and just put the D rings on the end and sewed the fabric over. The raw ends of both straps will be sewn into the hem so you don’t have to worry about finishing them.

4. Now set the straps aside and sew a hem around 3 sides of the large piece of fabric (leaving the top, or one long side, unsewn). I just folded the edge under and sewed around, no pinning needed because I just held it as I went.

5. Next I sewed in about 10 inches on one side of the top where I will put the straps and boning. I then put one strap with the raw end folded under the hem and sewed over it.

6. Next you want to put your boning in between where your straps will be. All you need to do is place the boning under the hem and stitch the hem just like the other side. Make sure you put the boning in so the curve is going to face the right way (It will have a definite bend/curve to it). The distance between my straps is about 13-14 inches.

7. Next, sew your other strap on and then finish stitching until the end. I did make another stitch on my straps above the original stitch (see in picture of short strap above) to give is reinforcement.

View from back

View from front

Boning in neck

8. Now you can add a little pocket to the bottom corner on the backside. I didn’t do that yet on this one, but what works really well is to take a baby washcloth (I bought some on clearance) and sew it on three sides. That way, you could put breast pads in there and use it to wipe your little one’s mouth or your breasts if you need to.

The finished product

Heather insists she is not an expert seamstress, and this project took her just 30-45 minutes! Thank you so much Heather for sharing this project!

For other do-it-yourself breastfeeding and baby gift projects, see:

~ Knitted Nursing Tank Top
~ Pullover Crew Neck Baby Bib
~ Baby Bib with Neck Ties
~ Ring Sling
~ Nursing Necklace
~ Nursing Pads
~ Baby Booties
~ Cloth Diapers
~ Nursing Pillow, Nursing Shirt, Nursing Bra and Pumping Bra, Cloth Diapers, and More

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

For other do-it-yourself breastfeeding and baby gift projects, see:

~ Pullover Crew Neck Baby Bib
~ Baby Bib with Neck Ties
~ Ring Sling
~ Nursing Necklace
~ Nursing Pads
~ Baby Booties
~ Cloth Diapers
~ Nursing Pillow, Nursing Shirt, Nursing Bra and Pumping Bra, Cloth Diapers, and More

Hat tip to Lil Irish Lass for the breastfeeding tank top link!

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

~ Free Pattern for Sewing Your Own Crew Neck Over-the-Head Baby Bibs
~ Judge Denies FLDS Request to Keep Mothers with Nursing Babies
~ World Health Day 2008: Protecting Health from Climate Change
~ Breastfeeding Basics Checklist for a Good Breastfeeding Latch
~ Gentian Violet and Grapefruit Seed Extract as Thrush Remedies
~ Breastfeeding and International Travel
~ Top Five Breastfeeding Interviews

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Super Easy Pullover Bib

Materials:

~ 1 fingertip towel (regular-sized hand towel)
~ 10 5/8″ x 3″ ribbed knit fabric — I don’t necessarily use ribbing, but I look for a ribbed knit that has spandex in it so it will keep its shape.
(Ribbed knit should have the ribs top-to-bottom)

Instructions:

1. Fold the top of the fingertip towel 1/3 of the way down, and mark this line — this will be the center of your circle opening.

2. Make a 5″ circle template and center it on the line marked in step 1. (I used a small plate to make my template.)

3. Stitch ends of ribbed knit to make a circle with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Fold in half so seam allowance is inside.

4. Mark top, bottom, left, and right points of circle. Divide ribbing into fourths and mark with pins.

5. Place raw edge of ribbing along the opening in the bib (right side), matching pins and markings and stretching as necessary.

6. Stitch a 1/4″ seam — I use my serger and simply serge. If you are not using a serger, I would recommend a stretch stitch of some sort.

7. You can fold the seam allowance to the underside and top stitch, but I would make sure you are using a stretch stitch or you will lose some of the stretch. I never do this step, I simply press the seam allowance away from the neck hole.

The finished product:

For more fun and easy sewing and do-it-yourself craft projects, see:

~ Baby Bib with Neck Ties
~ Ring Sling
~ Nursing Necklace
~ Nursing Pads
~ Baby Booties
~ Cloth Diapers
~ Nursing Pillow, Nursing Shirt, Nursing Bra and Pumping Bra, Cloth Diapers, and More

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

NJW of Associated Content — uses a CD as a circle pattern to make reusable nursing pads out of flannel

Frugal Families — suggests four layers of flannel rather than two

Frugal Baby Tips — uses old cotton t-shirts

mistymq on eHow — uses fleece and t-shirt cotton or flannel, and adds a waterproof fabric layer (PUL, drapery lining or plastic diaper cover-ups)

For more “do-it-yourself” projects for breastfeeding-related items, see the “how-to” category.

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Now don’t get the mistaken impression that I have time to sit around and make crafts all day long. I realize that new mothers aren’t going to have a lot of free time on their hands! This would be a fun project to make while you’re pregnant or to give as a baby gift. Of course, if you think these Bitty Booties would be adorable on your own child (who wouldn’t?!) then I hope you’ll enjoy taking the time out to sew this rewarding project!

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3