I realize that this particular tutorial won’t be of use to most people, but we’ve had a rash of bad luck the last 5 months, and I know how it feels to be in desperate need of a miniature sling and not be able to get one. Luckily, I sew and could make one. I wanted to provide a tutorial for people in that same situation. As long as you have a sewing machine, even if you’re not much of a sewer, you can handle this!
So, my almost 4-year-old son has broken each of his collarbones since January. Yes, both! And doing just minor things, like going down a slide and landing wrong. The urgent care gave us a sling the first time that was tiny enough for him, but it got lost. I soon found that you can’t just go to Walgreens and buy a tiny sling. I also found out that insurance only covers the first one and that they are very expensive to replace out of pocket. Furthermore, I found the one they gave us was pretty crummy. It didn’t stay in place at all. So I made something that worked much, much better (not to brag!). Luckily, little kids heal quickly and we found that each time he needed the sling for 3 weeks max. The healing process takes longer than that, but he felt good at 2.5 to 3 weeks each time. Hopefully, if you’re in the same situation, your baby will heal up quickly, too.
And I hope this tutorial can help you whip up a little, tiny sling if you find yourself in such an unfortunate situation!
Supplies
The pattern
Cut two of the pattern pieces — one from outer fabric and one from lining. Cut from webbing one piece 25″ long and two pieces 3″ long.
Cut from Velcro one piece (with both sides) 3″ long and one piece 5-1/2″ long. From this one we’ll use one side 5-1/2″ and the other you can trim to 3-1/2″ if you want (see tutorial for more information).
Unfortunately, due to the borders required to make this print properly, this didn’t quite fit on one page. Print both pages and line them up where the letter “A” is. Tape together and then cut out pattern.
Where it says “Fold,” place that edge on the fold of the fabric so that when it’s cut, the piece opens up double the size. That fold is what will end up being underneath the arm.