DIY Baby Hammock
A baby hammock is a sling made with lengths of fabric that you wear over your shoulder to hold your baby close. These slings are safe and secure for your baby and convenient for you to keep your hands free and baby cozy and close. Commercial baby slings are expensive. Luckily, you can make your own baby sling at home for little money and energy.
Instructions
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1
Wash all fabric prior to cutting. You can machine wash and dry or hand wash and line dry, depending on the fabric you choose. Prewashing ensures the fabric will not shrink after you cut it. You can choose any fabric you would like, as long as it 97 percent cotton and 3 percent lycra blend.
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2
Use fabric scissors to cut your fabric. You will need a piece that measures 72 inches by 22 inches.
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3
Fold your fabric in half twice, along the length of it. Fold it in such a manner that when the second fold is complete all four open corners are together. Place your folded fabric on your work surface so that the open corners are at your right hand side, at the top of the fabric.
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4
Measure your torso length, from shoulder to hip. Add 1/2 inch to this measurement.
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5
Measure down from the top right corner of your fabric. Place a straight pin in the fabric when you reach the measurement you found in Step 4. Measure and mark with a straight pin, 3 inches in from the top right edge.
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6
Cut a rounded line, using fabric scissors, from the top straight pin to the bottom straight pin you placed in Step 5. Take the straight pins out and set them aside.
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7
Unfold your fabric, width-wise. Sew a hem to attach the two open sides of fabric along the rounded line you cut in the previous step. Use a sewing machine for ease of sewing.
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8
Reverse the fabric. Use your sewing machine to go back over the seam you just made and encase it. This is achieved by pulling any excess fabric from the seam inside the hem as you go back over it. This provides added support to your seam, making your baby hammock safer and more secure.
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9
Finish the raw edges of your fabric by folding them over and sewing them with the sewing machine.
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10
Reverse the fabric again so that your hammock is right side out to finish it.
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References
- Photo Credit baby image by Yvonne Bogdanski from Fotolia.com
