If you've always wanted to try a silk sling but haven't had the corresponding bank balance... here's your chance! Dupioni silk differs from silk shantung in its weave: dupioni is woven from a doubled silk cocoon, which leads to more "slubs" and variations in the texture, but it has a more natural look to it. While it is initially quite crisp, the fabric *can* be machine washed on gentle, though I would recommend hand-washing if at all possible. If machine-washed, it will lose some of its luster and shrink about 10%, but will get softer. Please indicate below how you intend to wash it; if you will be machine-washing it, I will add a few inches to the length to insure that the sling is the correct length after washing. (If you select "hand-wash" and then machine wash it anyway, it will end up somewhat shorter than the specified length.)

Add one of these accent fabrics to create a really one-of-a-kind sling. If you add an accent, I would recommend against machine washing, as the silk will shrink more than the accent (most of which are a poly/rayon blend, and don't shrink much if at all), or I can sew the accent to the bottom of the silk, rather than on top of it, as a double layer.

Aluminum rings are standard on silk slings. While I prefer the medium size myself, and have had no problems adjusting my sling with medium-sized rings, some users prefer the large size, so that's now an option. If you plan to machine-wash the sling, I would recommend medium rings; if you intend only to hand-wash, large rings are all right, but may still slip more often than medium rings.

While silk is a strong fiber and will stand up to occasional use with aplomb, I do not recommend using a single-layer silk as your only sling. With repeated washing and continuous use, any fiber will break down, but since silk is so thin to start with, it will break down sooner (with continuous use) than other fibers and could tear during use. I have used a single-layer silk sling with a heavy toddler, but never exclusively. Please discontinue use if it starts to look threadbare in any spots.

Washing tips:In order to maintain the original crisp texture and luster of a dupioni sling, spot-cleaning is recommended, unless you wish to wash the whole sling, in which case dry cleaning will keep it in its original condition. If machine washed, dupioni silk loses some of its luster and softens considerably, and it will shrink about 10% during washing. (The luster can be regained to a certain extent by ironing the sling on your iron's silk setting, but the sling will never be as crisp as it was initially.) The sling will be sized to include shrinkage if you select "machine washing" below, but not if you select "hand washing only". In either case, hang to dry, as machine drying will adversely effect the fabric. This link has more information about washing silk.