Downton Abbey napkins

When my mom came to help after Ivy was born, she got us hooked on Downton Abbey. Wouldn't it be fun--and tiresome after a while--to dress up for dinner every night? Tiara and long gloves and diamonds. A far cry from dinner at our house most nights. 

For my mom's birthday, I made her a set of Downton Abbey napkins. I wrote some of the wittiest quotes from Violet Crawley onto vintage linen napkins that I bought years ago. I followed the instructions from Design Mom's tutorial.

This was a simple, fun project requiring only a few supplies: fabric marker, lettering guide, and napkins. When I was stenciling the letters, I stretched the napkins out and fastened them to my work surface with masking tape. The weave on my napkins made the fabric marker bleed a little, but the overall effect was still quite nice.

If you had the time and skills, these quotes would look amazing with hand-embroidery.

I have several more sets of vintage linen napkins at home. I think I'll make myself another set (or two..or three) when I get home!
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Ombré dyeing tutorial: dip-dye

After batch dyeing 6 different hues for a duvet cover, I tried my hand at ombré dip-dyeing. Dharma  Trading Co. advises starting with the lightest shade first, while Rit Dye's tutorial starts with the darkest shade first. Which works better?

Hands down: lightest first.

Here's the ombré dip-dyed fabric sewn into a ring sling: 

Supplies

• Dye appropriate for your fabric type. I prefer Jacquard dyes. I used Jacquard iDye in the following proportions to achieve the end color*:
• 2 parts 418 Turquoise
• 2 parts 419 Royal Blue
• 1 parts 421 Kelly Green
• Non-iodized salt (if needed)
• Dye fixative
• Mason jar with lid (for mixing dye)
• Large pot or bucket
• Stovetop, camp stove, or bucket heater (optional, but keeping the fabric close to a simmer helps the dye absorb better)
• Old clothes

*Note on end color: I was aiming for a turquoise with some green undertones, but the end hue was a greenish teal. The kelly green was surprisingly strong. If you're aiming for a bluer hue, cut the kelly powder in half.

Step 1: Prepare the dye concentrate

• Add the dye powder/liquid into a Mason jar and fill with water. I used approx. 1 cup (250 ml) of water per package of iDye, resulting in a full quart/liter of dye concentrate for 5 packages of iDye. (Note: I ombre dyed a total of 18 yards of 56" wide linen with this concentrate and still had some left over. If I had dyed the colors successively in the same bucket, rather than in separate buckets, I would have had at least half a jar of concentrate left.)
• Fasten the lid tightly and shake well. Even a few drops of this concentrate will stain your fingers a deep hue!

Step 2: Moisten fabric

If your dye calls for it, moisten your fabric before putting into the dye bath. If you want to leave the top undyed, then do NOT wet the fabric.

Step 3: Prepare the dyeing area

You will need some way to hang your fabric and move it progressively upward. I suspended my fabric with a sturdy hanger. I was dyeing a double length for ring slings, so I simply folded the fabric twice lengthwise to fit on the hanger, then put the hanger in the middle. If you're only dyeing one length/garment, you'll need to attach it to your hanger with safety pins.

Next, I attached two ropes to a tree branch and moved my fabric up in 6" intervals. (I used two ropes to more easily jump back and forth between lengths, but you could make do with one rope.) I tied single knots in the rope and slipped the hanger hook through. The rope held 5 1/2 yards of wet fabric with no slipping.

Step 4: Prepare the lightest dye bath

Fill your pot/bucket with boiling water. Start by adding a tiny amount of dye for the lightest hue, around 1/4 tsp or less per 4 gallons of water.

I used a bucket heater to keep the water hot. You could also use your stovetop or campstove. 

Step 5: Add fabric

Add entire length of fabric to the dye bath and agitate constantly. (If you're keeping the top undyed, suspend the undyed end above the dye bath.) I kept my fabric folded over the hanger, but you might find it easier to take it off for this first step. Aim to keep the fabric in the dye bath for at least 10-15 minutes to ensure an even tone, so don't add too much dye concentrate at first! You can always add more if needed.

Tip for adding additional dye concentrate to a dye bath: Remove the fabric before mixing in additional dye concentrate. The last thing you want to do is to pour dye concentrate right onto the fabric; you'll end up with a dark spot!

Step 6: Elevate and add more dye

When the fabric has reached the desired shade, elevate one end 6" above the dye bath. (You may choose smaller or larger intervals depending on the length of the fabric/garment you're dyeing). Add a tiny bit more dye concentrate (start with 1/8-1/4 tsp) and gently agitate the fabric.

My tip: Every time I moved to a deeper hue, I elevated the fabric 12", carefully stirred in the dye solution, then lowered it back 6". This  ensured a more even gradation between hues. I would also ladle the deeper dye bath up a few inches on the suspended fabric to help soften the hue changes.

Here's a picture showing successive dye baths, starting with the 3rd color change and ending with the last one (I did about 9 color changes in total).

Every 5-10 minutes, lift the fabric up another 6" and add more dye concentrate. Continue to gently stir the fabric to ensure an even hue. As you reach the deeper shades, you'll add progressively larger amounts of dye concentrate and let the fabric sit for longer intervals. Your deepest hue should sit in the dye bath for around 30 minutes.

Once the last part of the fabric has reached the desired hue, remove the fabric out of the dye bath. Always rinse from top (lightest) to bottom. If you're outdoors, simply elevate the fabric and rinse in place with a hose until the water runs clear. Remember, the fabric will be lighter once it's been rinsed, washed, and dried.

Machine wash the dyed fabric with dye fixative.

The lines between hue changes disappeared after rinsing & machine washing. I was very pleased with the end result!

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Ombré dyeing tutorial: batch dye

During an unusually warm spell early this December, I tried my hand at ombré dyeing. I wanted a duvet cover with hues like this duvet cover:

and sewn like this knotted squares bedspread (an Anthropologie knockoff DIY):

I had over 12 yards of white linen on hand, otherwise I would have used jersey sheets to make the knotted squares duvet. I also had another bolt of pale ivory linen, so I used the extra dye to dip-dye fabric for ring slings.

Here's the end result of my first foray into ombré dyeing:

Now that I've done two different methods of ombré dyeing, I wanted to share my tips & tricks. Today's tutorial will be on ombré batch dyeing (dyeing each shade separately). Stay tuned for a dip-dye ombré tutorial.

Supplies

• Dye appropriate for your fabric type. I used Jacquard iDye in the following proportions to achieve the end color:
• 2 packages turquoise
• 2 packages royal blue
• 1 package kelley green
• Non-iodized salt (if needed)
• Dye fixative (optional with iDye, but I found it made a difference)
• Mason jar with lid (for mixing dye)
• Large pots or buckets
• Stovetop, camp stove, or bucket heater (optional, but keeping the fabric close to a simmer helps the dye absorb better)
• Old clothes

Preparing the dye concentrate

• Add the dye powder/liquid into a Mason jar and fill with water. I used approx. 1 cup (250 ml) of water per package of iDye, resulting in a full quart/liter of dye concentrate for 5 packages of iDye. (Note: I dyed a total of 18 yards of 56" wide linen with this concentrate and still had lots left over. If I had dyed the colors successively in the same bucket, rather than in separate buckets, I would have had at least half a jar of concentrate left.)
• Fasten the lid tightly and shake well. Even a few drops of this concentrate will stain your fingers a deep hue!

Dyeing the fabric

I batch-dyed six different shades using 2-yard pieces of linen. I used six 5-gallon plastic buckets and dyed outdoors. This will be very messy, so try to do this outside if at all possible! I kept the water hot using a bucket heater (found at farm supply stores).

Now that I've done this once, I recommend dyeing everything in one bucket, one shade at a time, starting with the lightest shade and adding successively more dye to the same water (Method B). But first I will explain how I actually did it using concurrent batches (Method A).

If your dye calls for it, pre-moisten your fabric before putting into the dye bath.

Tip for adding additional dye concentrate to a dye bath: Remove the fabric before mixing in additional dye concentrate. The last thing you want to do is to pour dye concentrate right onto the fabric; you'll end up with a dark spot!

When the fabric has reached the desired shade, rinse with cool water until the water runs clear. (Remember, the fabric will be lighter once it's been rinsed, washed, and dried.) I dyed my fabric outside and had a hose on hand, so it was easy to refill my rinse buckets.

Machine wash the dyed fabric with dye fixative. I washed the 3 lightest hues together, then the 3 darkest hues. You could probably wash them all at once too.

Method A: Concurrent Batches (Not Recommended)

I filled six 5-gallon buckets with 4 gallons of very hot water per bucket and added about 1-2 cups of non-iodized salt into each bucket. Add a small amount of dye to the first bucket and successively more amounts of dye concentrate to each bucket.

I started the first bucket (lightest hue) with about 1 Tbsp of dye concentrate to 4 gallons of water and it was WAY too much. I'd suggest starting with 1/4 tsp or less of dye concentrate per 4 gallons of water for the lightest hue. Remember, you can always add more dye if needed. My last bucket (deepest hue) had 6-8 Tbsp of dye concentrate. So ideally, your starting to ending dye ratio will be at least 1:50 and perhaps close to 1:100.

Darkest dye bath (#6) on the left; shade #3 on the right.

For the first few shades, you really won't need much dye. It's better to have a more dilute dye solution and let your fabric sit for a while, than to have a more concentrated solution and a short dyeing time. Why? If your fabric is in the dye bath for only a few minutes, it won't come out evenly dyed. (I learned this the hard way!). Aim for at least 15 minutes in the dye bath for the lightest shades.

Once you've mxied the dye concentrate into the water, add the wet fabric. Keep the fabric hot using a burner or a bucket heater. While you're dyeing each shade, stir constantly to ensure the fabric is evenly dyed. Again, aim for a minimum of 15 minutes for the lightest shades and more for mid- and deep tones. Your deepest hues will sit the longest in the dye bath, ideally 30-60 minutes. Rinse dyed fabric until water runs clear.

Method B: One Bucket For All Batches (Recommended)

Fill your pot/bucket with very hot water. Start by adding a tiny amount of dye for the lightest hue, around 1/4 tsp or less per 4 gallons of water.

Add fabric and stir constantly. Aim to keep the fabric in the dye bath for at least 15 minutes (for the lightest shades) and 30-60 minutes (for the darkest shades) to ensure an even tone, so don't add too much dye concentrate at first! You can always add more if needed.

When the fabric has reached the desired shade, remove & rinse. Keep your rinsed, wet batches close by so you can visually assess when your next batch is the right shade.

dyed and rinsed batches #2-6

Using the same dye bath, add a little more dye concentrate (maybe 1/4 tsp) for the second lightest hue. Then add your wet fabric. Rinse when the fabric is the right shade.

Repeat for each successive shade. Each time you go a step darker, you'll be adding successively larger amounts of dye concentrate. So while you might add 1/4 tsp for the 2nd batch, you'll probably add 1tsp for the 3rd batch, 2-3 tsp for the 4th, 1-2 Tbsp for the 5th, and so on. Remember, you can always add more dye if the fabric hasn't darkened sufficiently after at least 10-15 minutes in the dye bath.


Why do I recommend doing each hue successively in the same dye bath, rather than all at the same time?

1. You have more control over the end results. By starting light and going successively darker, you will have the best results achieving gradual tone changes.
2. It's hard to do 5-6 batches at the same time, especially with larger pieces of fabric. You simply can't stir, heat, assess dye color, and rinse all by yourself. You'll likely find that some batches have gone too dark too fast and that others are splotchy. 
3. You only need one large pot/bucket for dyeing, instead of 6!

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Christmas Craft #1: Felted wool sweater blanket

My family likes to make things. When we get together for Christmas, we usually have a large family project. In past years, we've done silk painting, soap making, jewelry making, book binding, and fishing pole making. This years' family project was handmade wooden marble runs, one for each sibling with children. More about this in an upcoming post.

We also have lots of individual projects going on during the holidays. This year I went 100% natural and 100% recycled using felted wool sweaters. After I saw this tutorial for a felted wool sweater blanket, I started collecting wool sweaters. I've fallen in love with Goodwill Outlets, where everything is sold by the pound! Once I had enough cream and gray sweaters, I made this:

It was my Christmas present to my family. We use it every day. And it probably cost me $5!

Fine print:

• I straight-stitched all of the seams, then went over them with a wide zig-zag stitch. Some sweaters felted better than others, and I didn't want anything to unravel. 
• I made sure that all the outside edges and corners had finished edges. Because of that, I didn't put a backing fabric on or do anything else to finish the edges. 
• My blanket was made of 9" squares (except for two double-sized pieces): 6 blocks wide and 8 blocks high.

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BumGenuis conversion: velcro to snaps

A good friend of mine, Nutrition Momma, uses bumGenius one-size pocket diapers for her daughter. They look like this:

After a good 18+ months of use, the velcro had worn out and would no longer grip. She asked me if I could convert the diapers to snap closures.

The bumGenuis diapers are well-made in general. I just would never recommend any kind of diaper with hook & loop (velcro) closures. Hook & loop becomes ratty, snags in the wash, and inevitably fails. I see that bumGenuis now makes the 4.0 diaper with snap closures--a wise move, in my opinion.

So here's how to convert a bumGenius hook & loop diaper to snaps:

1. Remove the loop tape from the front of the diaper. It's much easier to apply snaps without the thick piece of loop tape in the way.

2. Remove as much of the hook tape from the two side tabs without disturbing the stitching. I carefully cut a slit in the hook side with a seam ripper, then used small embroidery scissors to cut right next to the stitching. (If you have lots of time, you could always remove the hook & loop tab entirely and make a new tab.) Why do this? You want to get rid of as much hook tape as possible, to eliminate snagging. It's also really hard to put snaps through two layers of velcro.

3. Mark the spacing for your snaps. I put 10 snaps across the front and 2 on each tab. My snaps were just under 1" apart along the front.

On the first diaper I converted (orange diaper pictured below), I put the tab snaps far enough apart to skip a snap in the middle. But I found that the outer snap was too close to the edge of the tab to grip well.

So I decided to space the rest of the tab snaps closer together, so they didn't skip a snap in between. In other words, I made the tab snaps 1" apart, rather than 2" apart (see blue tab pictured below). This gives you more tab to grab onto when you're removing the diaper, plus more snap positions to choose from.

4. Apply snaps with a snap press. The front 10 snaps (which use a socket fitting) can be inserted inside the diaper, so you don't have to put the snap all the way through the entire diaper. The tab snaps use a stud fitting, shown in the above picture. You'll need 14 caps, 10 sockets, and 4 studs for each diaper. I bought my polyacetal snaps and snap press from The Snap Store.

You're done!

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Pregnant pumpkin carving pattern

Want to make this?

You can download the free pattern (PDF)!

I also love this breastfeeding-friendly pumpkin that TopHat made.

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How to make maple syrup

1. Find a sugar maple tree.
2. Wait until the temperatures start to rise above freezing during the day. This just happened last week where I live. You might also notice sap starting to drip from the trees--another sign that it's maple syrup season.
3. Drill a hole in the south side of the tree, angled slightly upwards. I used a 1/2" drill bit.
4. Insert a maple syrup tap and gently hammer in until snug.
5. Attach a container to the tap. I use a short piece of tubing to make sure the sap goes where it should.
6. Collect the sap and strain through a thin cloth (this will filter out insects, bits of bark, etc).
7. Boil. Boil. Boil. Boil. Boil until all the windows in your house steam up. Keep adding more sap to the pan as the liquid evaporates. You'll be boiling off approximately 25 to 1. For every 25 cups of sap, you'll get about 1 cup of syrup.
8. When it's close to being done, check every 10-15 minutes. You don't want to burn the syrup!
9. The syrup is done when it starts to bubble up and foam.
10. Pour into hot, sterilized jar with a sealing lid such as a canning jar. I also reuse glass jelly and syrup jars. Refrigerate syrup after opening.

I installed these taps today around noon. The maple tree was big enough for two taps. By 7 pm, I had collected 3 gallons of sap; this yielded 1 cup of maple syrup. It's delicious!

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My newest creation

A recent order: reversible ring sling in pomegranate cotton batik and peacock silk dupioni. Create a custom silk/silk or silk/batik reversible sling for $70.

Or, if you're a DIYer like me and know your way around a sewing machine, make your own. Directions are for a single layer of fabric. To make a reversible sling, stitch the two layers together with the rights sides facing each other, leaving one short end open. Press & turn, then topstitch 1/4" from the edge. Then proceed with the tutorial.

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News, research, and more

It's time to clean out my files and bookmarks again.

Are antibiotics beneficial for preterm labor or PPROM?
Preterm Abx beneficial for PPROM, but not for preterm labor. A newly published meta-analysis has concluded that antibiotic use prolongs pregnancy and reduces neonatal morbidity in women with preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) at a gestation of 34 weeks or less. The same analysis found little evidence, however, of a benefit from using antibiotics in preterm labor occurring at 34 weeks or less. Source: American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology 2008;199:620e1-e.

Is Acupuncture Effective at Inducing Labor?
Acupuncture to induce labor: a randomized controlled trial.
Obstet Gynecol. 2008 Nov;112(5):1067-74.
For women with a scheduled postterm induction, acupuncture sessions before the induction did not reduce the need for inductions or the length of labor. This trial used sham acupuncture, which is a great way to lessen the placebo effect of acupuncture. The conclusion from the abstract: "Two sessions of manual acupuncture, using local and distal acupuncture points, administered 2 days before a scheduled induction of labor did not reduce the need for induction methods or the duration of labor for women with a postterm pregnancy."

Precipitous births in the news:

• A UK mum gives birth in an ambulance outside restaurant. She had planned a home birth, but decided to transfer when the baby unexpectedly presented breech. On the way to the hospital, the baby flipped back to vertex and was born en route.
• Baby boy arrives on bathroom floor. The couple was planning a home birth anyway; the midwife dind't arrive on time. So dramatic! How amazing that the mother and father managed to deliver their own baby!
• A Denver woman riding a city bus goes into labor and has the baby in a public library.

Other birth-related news and articles:

• Erykah Badu gives birth at home to a girl
• Routine epidural turns deadly (this is an older article but I am trying to clear out all my extra bookmarks).
• Call for Abstracts for the Australian College of Midwives 16th Biennial Conference: "Midwives & Women: A Brilliant Blend" is being held at the Adelaide Convention Centre, from the 22 - 25 September 2009. I wish I could go!Any way I could get funding for this?
  
• Home Delivery: The Movie. From the website: "This film documents the lives of three women in New York, who for very different reasons have decided to go up against social trends and take the birth of their children into their own hands… and homes." I haven't seen this one yet. It's available for purchase here.
• BirthLove is back (don't know how long, though) on this website!
• Woman to Woman Childbirth Education shares her thoughts about the UK documentary on Freebirthing. She argues that "if doctors or midwives want to stop [unassisted births], they have two choices — scare women out of doing it, or make the alternatives more appealing."
• The Independent Childbirth blog examines Why American Women Can't Handle Labor (or why people think they can't).
• The Times (UK) discusses how pregnant women are "risk magnets." Vivienne Parry writes:

  Pregnant women are risk magnets, attracting every sort of scare about potential damage to their babies at a time of their lives when they are most fearful, for themselves and for the new life they carry. Not only are food scares (too much liver, too much fish, etc) aimed squarely at mums-to-be, but there are also horror stories about the maternity services. The irony is that the perception of risks may be more harmful than the actual risks.
  

Sewing/crafting:

• Babywearing Coat Instructions: this tutorial shows you how to alter a normal jacket or winter coat into a babywearing coat. A great project to try with a secondhand coat! I'll have to make one of these for next winter.
• CPSC grants one-year reprieve for certain products. This news has handcrafters relieved, as many were worried they'd have to shut down because of the prohibitive costs of lead & phalate testing. Forbes op-ed piece on the CPSC law (written before the reprieve was announced).

Ecological/sustainable living:

• How Women Can Bleed Green: an article about reusable menstrual products

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2-3T Sleeveless Dress Pattern & Tutorial

I bought this green linen dress from a thrift store and liked it so much that I wanted to make another one. I made a pattern by laying the dress out flat and tracing the seam lines. The tag was so faded that I couldn't make out the size, but I am guessing it's a 2T or 3T. Zari wore it last summer and it was a bit on the big side.


Here's the new dress I made from the pattern:


If you'd like to make this dress yourself, I turned the pattern into a PDF file: 2-3T Sleeveless Dress Pattern. Follow the tutorial below for sewing instructions.

Sleeveless Dress Tutorial

* Please note that all pattern pieces show actual stitching lines, NOT seam allowances. Be sure to add seam allowances before cutting out fabric. (I like 3/8" or 1/2" for small children's clothing.)

• Cut out fabric as indicated on pattern, remembering to add seam allowances (except on center fold lines, bottom facing [blue line], and ruffle pieces).
• With right sides together, join shoulder seams on front & back body pieces. Do the same for front & back facing.
• Serge, pink, or zig-zag long the bottom of the facing (blue line on pattern).
• With right sides together, join body and facing at neck and arm holes, leaving side seams open. Clip the inner curves, turn right side out, and press.
• With right sides together, join side seams. Serge/pink raw edges and press to one side.
• On the side seams, stitch in the ditch to anchor the facing pieces down.
  
• Serge center back edges on each back body piece.
• Sew back seam on the bottom, leaving the zipper area unstitched. Serge/pink raw edges and press to one side.
• Join ruffle pieces into one long loop, fold in half and press. Gather and stitch onto bottom edge of dress. Serge or zigzag.
• Apply zipper.
• You're done!

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Toot toot

Blowing my own horn a bit, but here's a recent review from a Second Womb customer.

I want to remind everyone to enter my ring sling giveaway & sale--deadline is December 18th. If you are thinking of buying a sling, don't forget to take advantage of the free shipping & extra giveaway entries, good through December 18th. Visit Second Womb Slings for a look at the current selection of fabrics.

And for those do-it-yourself types, I have created pleated ring sling and padded pouch sling tutorials.

Happy babywearing!

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Canadian cloth diaper tutorial

I've had lots of requests from people wanting to buy my Canadian cloth diapers (featured on the photo at the top of the blog). Unfortunately I am not making them to sell. Believe me, you probably couldn't afford them anyway.* Good news is they are not too hard to make yourself, if you are reasonably handy with a sewing machine.

Here is a tutorial on how to make the maple leaf diaper or cover.

Materials:
1 mil white and red PUL
white and red polyester thread (Gutermann's, not the cheap stuff)
white and red 1" matte FOE (fold-over-elastic)
glue stick
ballpoint 14-gauge sewing machine needle
snaps or hook-and-loop tape
Chloe Toes diaper pattern (or you can use her free side-snapping diaper cover pattern!) or your own favorite diaper pattern

I made hemp fleece AIOs using the Chloe Toes pattern, which I modified for a hook-and-loop closure. (I haven't written this tutorial yet, but I will. Hold tight!) I didn't want to pay the big bucks for a snap press, and I like the adjustability of the H&L. I used 1 1/2" Aplix for the loop and 1 1/2" TouchTape for the hook.

If you can't find red FOE, you can dye it. I used the Jacquard acid dye from Dharma Trading in Fire Red. I think Bright Scarlet or Cherry Red might be a better match, actually. Follow their instructions for vat dyeing and you'll have beautiful red FOE!

Optional step for AIO or pocket diaper: Cut out body pieces and assemble the body and soaker out of the absorbent material, as indicated on the Chloe Toes instructions. If you're doing a H&L closure, this is where you'll sew on the fold-over hook tabs.



Next, cut out a body piece of PUL and one maple leaf in the contrasting color. Mark the edges on the fabric side of the PUL with a disappearing fabric marker. I used this pattern. Click to see the full-size image. You can reduce or enlarge it until it looks like the right size on the bum of the diaper.

Attach the applique to the PUL body piece with a glue stick. Press firmly and let dry for at least a few minutes. Zig-zag stitch around the entire applique piece with a small, narrow zig-zag stitch. This is a slow process, since you want the outside "zag" to just barely overlap the applique piece. If it's too far in or too far out, it won't hold the applique on very well.

Optional step for H&L closure: zig-zag the hook pieces to the front of the diaper (yes, this is also part of another upcoming totorial!)

Cut another piece of white PUL the entire size of the main diaper piece. This is to overlap the applique & H&L stitches with another layer, otherwise the needle holes will let water seep through the PUL.

Optional step for AIO or pocket diaper: glue the fabric and the PUL together.

Next, attach the FOE as indicated on the Chloe Toes instructions. For H&L closure: sew on hook tabs (tutorial in the works). For snap closure: attach snaps.

You're done!



The finished hemp fleece AIO diaper, with hook & loop closure. I did a sewn-in soaker flap for the newborn and small sizes, which helped cut down on drying time. For more mobile babies, I found that the soaker flap tended to scrunch up. When I made size M diapers, I swiched over to a soaker sandwiched between the full-size layers of hemp. 

* This sentence does not mean, as one anonymous commentor suggested, that I am super-rich and snotty and full of myself because I can afford very expensive diapers. In fact I made my own diapers myself (primarily to save money). They were fairly time-intensive, which is why I don't sell them, even though I've had requests from people wanting to buy them. I would have to charge too much in order to make a decent wage.

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Pleated Ring Sling Tutorial

I make and sell sling rings. If you know how to sew, you can easily make a ring sling yourself. Here is how I make mine. Feel free to use the instructions for your own personal use, but be considerate and don't use my design--which I have developed over the past few years--if you want to make slings to sell.

Materials:

• slightly over 2 yards of woven, non-stretchy fabric (2 yards 4" for most people, 2 1/3 yards if you're big-chested). I prefer linen-cotton blends. You will see the back side on the "tail" of the sling, so choose something that looks good on both front and back. Embroidered fabrics work very well.
  
• 2 aluminum sling rings. I use the largest size (3") for medium to heavy weight fabrics. For very thin, lightweight fabrics, I recommend the medium size (2.5").
  
• thread
• masking tape
• disappearing fabric marker or dressmaker’s chalk

Instructions:

1. If desired, wash and dry fabric before sewing sling.

2. Cut a length of fabric 26-30” wide. Square off the ends.

3. Hem the two long ends and one short end. (I turn 1/4” and press, turn 3/8” and press, then stitch.)

4. Lay the fabric out right side up, with the raw edge on the right side. Make two parallel sets of marks—one at the raw edge, the other 9” from the raw edge--starting from the bottom hemmed edge. The first mark starts at 2”, and the rest are every 3” after that. (So 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20...)
5. Fold and press along each parallel line (pressing the wrong sides together).
6. Make the pleats: fold the first pressed edge down until it lines up with the edge of the fabric. Press.
7. Fold the next pressed edge down until it lines up with the underside of the pleat (you can feel it by running your fingers over the fabric). Press.
8. Continue until all of the pleats are pressed into place. The last pleat may need a bit of adjusting to make it line up just right with the finished edge. You can see me doing this in the photo.
9. Temporarily anchor the pleats with masking tape. Put one length about 5/8” from the raw edge, and another length of tape 8” from the raw edge. Flip over and tape on the back side.
10. Zig-zag stitch the raw edge. Trim if necessary.
11. Mark a line 4” from the raw edge with a disappearing fabric marker.
12. Using masking tape, fold the pleats close together so they overlap only ¼”. Tape on the front.
13. Flip over and tape the back of the pleats, arranging the pleats to make them look nice (if you're a perfectionist like me; you won't ever see them).
14. Stitch two parallel lines, 1/8” apart, to hold the pleats in place. This holds the pleats neatly in place when the sling is washed.
15. Remove the center masking tape. Put the two sling rings onto the pleated edge. Fold over and line up with the masking tape. (Be sure to that the "wrong" sides are folded together, not the "right" sides!) Stitch two parallel lines through all layers, 1/2” apart.
16. Add a third line of decorative stitching between the first two lines. Here are some photos of the stitching from various slings I've made.
Remove all masking tape and enjoy!

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