Of
course, there are other methods (see two others on this site!). You can
use the method when you have not quite enough of one fabric, but have more than
enough of the lining. Of
course, there are other methods (see two others on this site!). You can
use the method when you have not quite enough of one fabric, but have more than
enough of the lining.
Please note: if you're making slings using this method that you intend to sell, please include a link back to these instructions in your sales page. I was pretty happy being the only overlapping-pleat sling maker on the market, and would like a little credit if you're selling them! You can use the graphic at the bottom of the page, or just a text link -- either is fine. these directions have taken me many, many hours to put toge ther -- they are not just some random freebie. All directions on the site are copyright to Jan Andrea, for personal use only, and are not intended for bulk resale.
Sew your fabrics toge ther, right sides toge ther, like a pillowcase. Leave a 4" gap somewhere along the seam so you can turn it right-side-out. After turning, topstitch the edges (and/or iron if you are so inclined). Sew the rings in using your favorite shoulder style. This sling won't be fully reversible if you don't like the opposite color showing at the shoulder, but it's quick and relatively painless. Thicker fabrics will, however, be very difficult to sew through if you're using more than 3-4 folds at the shoudler, because you'll be going through a lot of layers, and that can make the shoulder look messy on the "wrong" side.
If your fabric is wider than about 36", I would suggest cutting it down to 36" or less. If your fabric is thick, 30" is about as wide as I would recommend; if it is thinner, 36" is fine. You can certainly use the trick in my original sling sewing page of buying 1.25 yards of 60" wide fabric and cutting it down the middle to make a 2.5 yard long piece (for example). However, most silk brocades come in a 36-42" width, so that probably won't be possible.
If your fabric is only 2 yards long but you want a finished length of more than 2 yards, try this trick: buy more of the lining -- enough so that you have a total length that's twice as long as your finished sling will be. In my case, I had 2 yards of brocade, but wanted a 2.5 yard long sling, so I bought 3 yards of the lining. I then cut the lining fabric (45" wide) to the same width as the brocade (36") and sewed them toge ther along the short edges, as shown below:
If you want a pocket in your sling, I would recommend using an inset pocket. I have made pockets where I put a facing on the brocade, sewed in the zipper, and then just sewed the two fabric layers toge ther to form the pocket bag, but have since rethought the idea, as that can add stress to both layers and shorten the life of the sling. An inset pocket with a zipper takes a little more time to create, but the results are more professional. Click here for a full page with instructions.
Sew
the two prepared fabrics toge ther along the short edge (right sides toge ther).
Unless they are different lengths, the rings will lie along this seam, so make
sure it's very sturdy! I usually serge initially, then topstitch over that seam
for strength. You'll want a strong seam, but not a bulky one, or the ring attachment
can look weird.
I think this is where a pleated shoulder really shines. You can also use a fanned shoulder or a "hotdog" method, but I've never tried those myself. I prefer pleats over a fanned shoulder for this purpose because the pleats add extra strength to the seam -- any rip will have to go through 3 or more layers, instead of just one (as would be the case for a "fanned" shoulder) , for the rings to tear out. For a two-layer sling, I sew in the pleats ra ther than just pinning them. I fold the fabric in half lengthwise, then sew a 2" wide pleat from 3" above the seam to 3" below it. then I fold another 2" wide pleat so that it lies 1" from the first one, and repeat that on both sides until the whole width is pleated, leaving between 2-3" on the edges for sewing. Click here for step-by-step photographic directions.
For a more finished look, I usually fold the pleats so that they overlap on each other, and baste through them to keep them in place. I open out the center pleat, so that there's 1" on each side of the sewing line, then fold the pleats on either side down so they overlap it; then the next set; then the next, until all the pleats are pointing towards the center. Baste through this with stitches you can remove easily later. Click here for step-by-step photographic directions.
Thread the rings onto the fabric so they're in the center
of the pleated section. the pleated section will wrap around the rings a fair
amount -- don't worry about that.
Fold the two layers with their right sides toge ther. You may want to pin before
sewing, especially if you're using brocade and silk -- they can be very slippery.
then sew around the edges, leaving a 4" wide space for turning at the bottom
of the sling. Go slowly and don't get frustrated -- sewing slippery fabrics can
be very awkward, which is why I charge an extra $6 when I sew them for other
people! When you're done sewing, make sure you take out all the pins :)
Turn the sling right-side-out through the space at the bottom of the sling.
It's easiest for me to reach between the layers, grab the rings, and just pull.
I usually topstitch about 1/4" from the edge of the sling all the way around,
making sure to catch the turning opening. I generally fold a bit more than the
seam allowance to the inside at the ring end, just for looks. It gets trickier
to stitch close to the rings, so I usually end up stopping about an inch from
the rings. You can hand-sew those small openings closed, but it's not strictly
necessary, as long as there's not a problem with fraying.
If one of your fabrics is slightly wider than the other (eg. 32" vs 30"),
you can use that to make a nice-looking edge finish. Sew both long edges toge ther
first (from ring-end to the end of the tail), then pin the end of the tail so
that the center of each length of fabric lines up. the corners will then have
a folded overlap. Sew the end of the tail, leaving a space for turning. When
you turn the sling right-side-out, there will be a rail of the lining color along
the edges. I usually try to turn the seam so that it's within that rail, then
topstitch.
 |
 |
| Brocade side, ring end | Silk dupioni side, ring end |
 |
Full sling, threaded. Inset pocket also visible, though it's not as obvious in natural lighting. (In fact, the person I made this sling for couldn't find the pocket at first!) |
I finally got around to adding illustrated directions on threading and wearing your sling. Please check them out! If you have any questions, please email me!
Did you use this pattern and like it? Please link back to me from your site or blog! (This is not an invitation to copy the file to your site, nor does it imply that the file is freeware. I invite links, but as I do make changes to the files on my site from time to time -- and often they are important ones -- I do not wish them copied to other sites.)
The URL for this page is: http://crafts.sleepingbaby.net/reversible.htmlHere is a little graphic you can use: 
To make a link, please copy the graphic to your own directory (linking to it here is theft of bandwidth! Shock/horror!) by (PC) right-clicking on it, or (Mac) clicking and holding, and selecting "Save picture as..." then copy this code and paste it onto your page wherever you want it:
<a href="http://crafts.sleepingbaby.net/reversible.html" target="_blank">
<img src="link.gif" alt="Jan Andrea's Baby Crafts" height=50 width=135></a>
Remember to change the image source to wherever you've saved the image! And thanks for the link!