DIY SUMMER LINEN RING SLING TUTORIAL May 8, 2014 01:02

Last time I made a ring sling, I used a bottom weight broadcloth, which ended up being a little too bulky and stiff. This time, I used a nice linen and rayon blend fabric from JoAnn Fabrics (here). It has a beautiful drape, very breathable, adjusts easily even with baby already in it, but also very sturdy and durable. I got my rings from SlingRings.com (here). I'm in love with the way this turned out!

So, what you'll need: 2.25 yards (81") of linen/rayon blend fabric 2 large aluminum sling rings Sewing machine, thread, pins, seam ripper, scissors ... and of course an assistant (AKA a baby who will be rolling himself up the loose end of fabric while you run the other end threw the sewing machine!)   

Step 1. Cut your fabric to one rectangular piece measuring 81"x43" (As a size reference, I'm relatively petite - 5'3" &  about 115 lbs. - the finished length of 80"x42" leaves me with about 2.5 ft. of tail fabric when baby is in the sling.)    

Step 2. Hem all four sides of the fabric. I used a 1/4" double-turn hem. This basically means you fold the edge over a quarter of an inch, then fold it over on itself another 1/4" - this keeps the frayed edge from being exposed! Sew4Home gives a great explanation of how to do a simple double-turn hem here. I chose a decorative stitch for my hem, but any apparel stitch should do. 

Step 3. Pin your pleats along the 42" side of the fabric. I did roughly 1.5" pleats and wrapped the top and bottom edges underneath to give it a smooth finish. I did two pin lines, one at about an inch, and one at about 8 inches.