Turnaround Time: Muslin, Mesh and Conversion Ring Slings – 5 – 7 working days | Wrap Conversions – 5 – 6 weeks
Turnaround Time: Muslin, Mesh and Conversion Ring Slings – 5 – 7 working days | Wrap Conversions – 5 – 6 weeks
Ring slings are a really popular way to carry your baby, and you may wish to make your own!
In this blog post we’ll go through the safety basics, materials and how to actually make a ring sling.
This tutorial is suitable for intermediate sewists or very confident beginners.
If you’d like to skip the sewing, you can get a custom made ring sling here.
Whether you make your sling yourself or you buy one, it’s really important to always always always follow the safety guidelines.
When wearing a sling or baby carrier, remember the TICKS guidelines:
Make sure you’re confident in how to wear a ring sling too – you can check out our video and written instructions here.
Fabric – 2m length of fabric that is 70-80cm wide. To learn more about the suitability of different fabrics and which to choose, read our blog post. We also have a variety of wrap scrap pieces that would be suitable.
Rings – Make sure these are specific babywearing rings. We stock these in a variety of colours here.
Sewing Thread – We always recommend Gutermann as it’s super strong and available in a wide variety of colours. We stock some colours here.
Sewing machine, scissors, clips or pins, tailors chalk, iron.
1) Prepare and cut your fabric
Iron your fabric if it’s crinkled and cut a 2m length of fabric that is 70-80cm wide
2) Hem the long edges with a 1cm hem
Fold under 1cm and fold again so the raw edge is concealed.
Sew 2-3mm away from the folded edge along the full length of fabric. (I find folding 15-20cm at a time to be the easiest way)
Lock each end of the stitching by using the reverse function on your sewing machine for 4-5 stitches.
3) Hem one of the short edges
If you have a directional print that is running along the length of the fabric, do this step at the bottom of the pattern.
Start by folding the corner of the already hemmed edge at 45 degrees (so it’s inline – you’re basically tucking the raw edges in) then fold the rest of the raw edge under by 1cm and fold again to enclose the raw edge.
Sew 2-3mm away from the folded edge.
4) Create your layers
A) Fold and iron the unsewn (raw) end of the fabric by 2cm, again folding each corner by 45 degrees, where the fabric is hemmed. (Same as other edge – but by 2cm. Only fold once here not twice like the other side) – Once ironed use a clip or pin to hold the folded edge in place.
B) Measure 20-25cm from the folded and ironed edge (very end – the folded over bit) and mark the fabric using a fabric pen or chalk. (I personally prefer the stitching to be closer to the rings but you can make this section as long as you like up to around 60cm, you will need a longer piece of fabric if you choose to make the folded over section longer, this is called a floating shoulder)
C) Fold the end you have just ironed to the mark you have just measured so you should have a 10cm folded section, iron this flat to leave a crease. This folded over section will be sewn to create a “tube” of fabric around the rings.
D) Mark a line along where the folded edge sits on the lower layer of fabric and then make small 2-3cm vertical lines along the width of the folded over section that go onto the fabric underneath. These guide lines help you to line up the fabric as you sew.
5) Sewing in the rings
This section might feel slightly counterintuitive but hopefully watching the video will help it make sense. You’re essentially trapping the rings a bit at a time to avoid bunching of the fabric.
A) Get the rings and then place them in-between the two layers of folded fabric, make sure your guide marks are aligned at the hemmed edges. This feels very strange at first because the layers will no longer line up, this is what the guide lines are for.
B) Start sewing the folded over edge to the underneath layer at the hemmed edge approx 3-4mm away from the folded and ironed edge, ensure you lock the stitching by doing a few reverse stitches. Go slowly to start as this is the part where the fabric is most likely to move around.
C) Once you have trapped the rings then slowly work along the folded edge, pulling a small section through the rings at a time and ensuring the guide lines match up.
D) Lock the stitching at the other end and the fabric will be bunched up with the rings trapped in the “tube”
E) Do two further lines of stitching 5-10mm away from the first line of stitching working towards the rings
Ta da! You’ve made your own ring sling!
Once it’s made, check the stitching for flaws, make sure there are no loose threads or ends.
Then get carrying!
Congratulations on making your first ring sling!
