An in-between sling....??

I made one!!! I did it!!!!
Its on Fb if you wanna see... I'm gonna make heaps... Adam wants a skull one for Kane!!! :lol::lol:

I am so damn excited!!!!! :leap::wiggle::wiggle:

What did you use for rings PB?

You were right, spottie's were crap... so went to Bunnings... they had great thick rings, but they had some hook looped through... so Ad grinded the hook off with an angle grinder!!! :lol: (they weren't connected, just looped together, so no grinding was done on the ring!)

But they said one of the other hardware shops in town might sell just the rings, so I'm cheking them out tommorrow...

I would suggest caution with them PB, they may not have a load bearing capacity suitable for carrying a baby (there is a lot of strain put on both the rings and the seams). Even thick rings may not be designed for loadbearing, depending on the metal composition and of the type of join. Not to say that the ones you have will not be suitable, but my experience with Bunnings staff is that many of them wouldn't really know. Marine grade rings will be suitable, as they are designed for loadbearing, but they are much heavier than the aluminium rings designed for babywearing. Which you can get from slingrings (US site), or theweewuns in Australia.

You might find this info helpful, and if you want to use fleece, this tutorial helpful.

I rang the two boat places we have here, and neither sold them.... :doh: They said maybe on the coast they would have them??? :rolleyes:

Adam read the packet, but I didn't, Ill do a double check!! ;)

eta.. we have a lot of horse shops up here... might give them a call in the morning!!!
eta... the packet says zinc plated ring bolt....the hook-bolt we took off goes into pipe or whatever, and then you hang stuff off the ring, so should be pretty loadbearing.. but gonna go check today before I cart her around it!!! thanks....

When I rang the marine place to check if they had the rings in stock, they asked if it was for a special occasion, marriage, engagement etc. LOL... personally, I'd be really cautious of anything from Bunnings around my baby, but if it works... good for you! Check if it can hold a lot of weight and pressure. If there's any welds or joins, there's potential breakage points.

I'm getting another sling today. I got my mum to sew this one for me because I just haven't got time! I got her to make it from a stronger fabric than my current one because I'm taking it travelling overseas and we're not taking a pram or stroller. And DS is just plain heavy! If I'd had time I would have got the nylon rings from the US so it wouldn't be an issue taking the sling thru x-rays at airports, but I think they make you take baby out of them anyway...

Ill check bubba earth today, and order some ring sets.... Adam wants some "cool" material to carry Kane around in, skulls and stuff!!! :rolleyes:

Excellent! I wish I could get DP to take DS in the sling more often. He just doesn't, no matter how cool I make the sling. Ah well. Makes me stronger, and I get all the attention :lol:
I'd suggest to make the main body of the sling from whatever sturdy fabric you choose, and just add panels, pockets or patches of whatever "cool" fabric you want. Even iron-on transfers could work, I guess. I've even seen a carrier made from an old pair of jeans and a flanelette shirt!

Could I sew some "cool" fabric to the "strong" fabric, or would it be too thick?? As in 2 layers??

I just ordered 5 ring sets from bubba earth!!! :dance::dance:
$32, posted!! :clap:

Is the fleece ok to use, without the pleats sewn in?? Its nice and snuggly material, and I can sew edges, but not pleats and stuff.... :redface:

There's instructions in the link from Suse about how to cut out the extra fabric and sew pleats in fleece. I don't know about making the whole sling 2 layers. It would be a bit too much fabric, maybe. That's part of the beauty of slings is that they can be folded up and put in your bag, glove compartment, etc without being huge or bulky.

PB, you could do just a gathered shoulder, but it would be much bulkier. As for using a thick layer and a thin layer of fabric, you can do double layered slings no problems.

The biggest concern with lighter fabrics is that your seams won't be strong enough - because most quilter's cottons (for example) are just not designed for the type of stress. The concern is that even with reinforced seams, the fabric may tear at the seams because it is too light. But doubling will help reinforce it.

I have also been looking at getting a sling and decided after reading this to try and make a basic ring sling. I was thinking of getting two pieces of calico material and sewing them together like a pillow case and then threading it through the rings. I was just wondering if you think this would work and whether it would be strong enough?

I have a 10 month old and he is about 10kg. I am not entirely sure he will like the sling, so making it is a great alternative to spending lots of one that he may not like :) Thanks for all the ideas :)

nope, not calico... not strong enough. Check bubba earth or the links Suse posted for some of the best info!

TBH Townsvillegirl, calico may not be the best material, especially for an over 10kg baby, and especially for a one shouldered carrier. It has very little diagonal stretch in the weave, so it may be too rigid. There is a calico-like fabric called osnaberg, it is quite popular for DIY wraps because it has good diagonal give, and thus softens up nicely - it is supportive and strong without yet supple apparently. I'm not sure how it would go as a ring sling. You could always try tencel too.

There's no reason why you can't use calico, but I would be careful to check the shoulder seams before each use and be mindful of wear and tear, and it may not be as comfortable as other fabrics (or you may find that it works brilliantly for you).

As your bub is quite heavy, have you thought about making a mei tai which would be more supportive? I generally only use one shouldered carriers for short periods these days.

I was only thinking calico or something similar because that link earlier said that it might be alright if doubled over but thanks for your other suggestions . . . I'm not quite sure what they are but off to google a few things now :)

ETA : I should also add - I really want a lighter fabric because I live in North Queensland so anything too heavy will just be too hot (even in the middle of winter).

I had a look at the mei tai slings - I have an infantino baby carrier (like a baby bjorn) and they don't look that different. I guess I was looking for something that kept him nice and close to my body to try and protect my back a bit more (I have an RSI in my back from lifting babies incorrectly so I have to be very careful with what I do).

I also googled that other fabric that you mentioned Suse, it looks like it might do the trick. I will check it out at spotlight in the next couple of days.

Thanks for your help Na Na and Suse :)