Sweet Things Baby Slings, LLC.: Sew Ring Sling

	Fabric width: 30"- 36" wide.
	Fabric length: depends on your personal preference & individual measurement. I recommend that your fabric is 7"to 10" longer than your desired finished length. Allow for a few inches of shrinkage in the wash.
	Fabric type: Many different types of fabric can be used provided that the fabric is strong....choose bottomweight fabric like twill, linen, or denim such as is used for pants, jackets, and skirts. Also, choose fabric that is machine washable. Wash and dry your fabric before sewing.

3. Choose your thread and needle: avoid cheap, bargain threads and go for known brand names. Most people prefer to use best quality threads, such as Gutermann's, but if you can't get them, you can also use Coats & Clark's Dual Duty Plus or Upholstery thread. If you're sewing a basic sling, you'll need one color of thread, usually picked to match your sling body. If adding a panel, you'll need thread color of the sling body and a thread color to match your tape trim/panel. Needle choice is based on the type of fabric you use.

2. Choose your rings: I prefer rings made specifically for slings. Slingrings.com is an excellent sourse & has good info on how to choose the right ring size. You may also use metal rings found at hardware and tack stores, provided that the rings have an excellent weld and no rough edges. Most rings sold at craft stores are not strong enough to use. The rings need to be large enough to accomodate the sling's fabric....~2.5" diameter for thinner fabrics and up to ~3.5" for heavier fabrics.

4. Hem three sides of your fabric. I prefer a 1/4" rolled hem (fold fabric edge 1/4" towards the sling center, fold over itself so that no raw edges show, and stitch down close to the inner edge).

5. Finish the the remaining side to make the top of your sling.
You have several options:

1. Fold in half, bringing D behind A and C behind B.
2. Pinch layers of fabric together ~4'-6" to the right of A. This will be your shoulder width. Keeping layers pinched, bring B behind A and crease at your pinch, maintaining a rectangular shape. Flatten along the new crease to make 2 new outer edges. The hemmed corner A should be roughly centered across the width.
3 & 4. Pinch all but base fabric layer at the left corner of A. Pull the base layer all the way to your right. Fold the left-hand edge of the stack to the left, using the internal stack edges as a guide to determine the new crease.
5. Attach the rings.

Scotch tape and a pen really come in handy. Place 4 pieces of tape on the top length of you body fabric and label "A-D." "A" goes in the left-hand corner. "B" & "C" are placed along the midline. "D" belongs in the right-hand corner.

	Serge or use an over-cast or over-lock stitch (not all machines have this capacity.)
	Use a rolled hem (can get super bulky if your fabric is very thick but looks good.)
	Run a tall, closely spaced zig-zag along the extreme edge of the fabric. Top the zig-zag stitches with a line of straight stitches to "lock" the stitches. If the fabric is a type that unravels quite a bit naturally, consider doing this process twice. The fabric will fray/fuzz up a bit after washing, but should not unravel beyond the stitching. Trimming the edge with pinking shears first before you sew will also help prevent fraying.

These instructions are intended for non-commercial use only. Leah Walthery & Sweet Things Bay Slings, LLC. cannot be held accountable for accidents or damage associated with slings made from these instructions. Practice using something heavyish and not alive until you are sure your sling is safely sewn and your fabric choice is sturdy prior to using your homemade sling with an actual factual baby! If you choose to make a sling from these instructions, sew to your heart's content, but kindly give credit where is due and provide a reference back to Sweet Things Baby Slings, LLC. if you share the information.
Please do send an email to Leah at L_walthery@comcast.net with any questions or suggestions concerning this set of instructions. I strongly suggest you check out our online stock sling pages, pouch sling section and fabric info for ideas and a greater understanding of this sling style.
Here is the web address: http://www.sweetthingsbabyslings.com. Carry your baby with comfort & love!