*Pouch Slings*

This is how I sew 2-layer contoured pouches with padding for Sweet Things Baby Slings. The fabric used for the pouch in these directions is a piece of midweight...See more » This is how I sew 2-layer contoured pouches with padding for Sweet Things Baby Slings. The fabric used for the pouch in these directions is a piece of midweight brown twill paired with a quilting flannel; 2 layers of calico would make this a perfect summer or spring pouch that is reversible. I chose my fabric combination for a pouch to be used in autumn. Be very choosey about the fabric you pick to use for your pouch and please don't ever carry a baby in a sling that isn't well-constructed. This style of pouch is a bit more involved to cut and sew than the standard straight-edge pouch; I'd recommend trying one of those first. Rev. Jan at Sleepingbaby.net has excellent instructions. I find that I greatly prefer babywearing with a contoured pouch; they're more comfortable for me because there is less fabric to tweak and manage at the shoulder area. Pardon the instructions if they are confusing and please email me with any questions! Please use these instructions for personal use only to your heart's delight and kindly include a link back to me whenever you share 'em. 1. Start with 2 pieces of fabric, 1/2 yard wide by 2 yards long. Match up the pieces wrong side to wrong side and lay out flat, long edges parallel to you. 2. Fold in half, bringing the right edges to the left edges. 3. Fold in half again, this time bringing the top long egde to meet the bottom long edge. Raw edges will be on the left side and the bottom, folded edges to the top and right. Folded fabric will be ~36" long. Rotate the fabric 180 degrees clockwise. 4. Take your measurement, left shoulder across to the top of the right hip, across your breast. Call it "t" for torso. How deep do you want your pouch pocket to be for your baby? 4" to 6" is pretty standard. Call this "b" for baby. Add "b" plus 1" for seam allowances and divide the total in half. Add this total to "t" to get the length you need to use for your pouch. Here are my measurements: 6"(b) + 1" seam allowance= 7". Half of 7"=3.5", added to 26"(t)=29.5" _________________________________________________________________________ Measure your folded fabric along the long folded edge, starting at the corner where the 2 folded edges meet, using this total measurement. Cut a gentle curve to make the seat of the pouch, starting at the base of the long folded edge and crossing the short raw edges, curving upwards a few inches; how extreme and deep the curve is depends on personal preference. 5. Cut a gentle curve to make the seat of the pouch, starting at the base of the long folded edge and crossing the short raw edges, curving upwards a few inches; how extreme and deep the curve is depends on personal preference. Continue to cut, following the pouch seat curve up the long raw edge of the fabric, following parallel to your other long edge; midway along the length, begin an inwards gentle curve. Pull out of the curve towards the last quarter of pouch length. How deep you direct the curve depends on how broad your shoulders are and how busty you are; generally, I cut a greater width for a greater girth. I've got really broad shoulders, so I cut my shoulder width to ~5", eliminating half of the fabric found on a straight-edge pouch. Your pouch is now cut!See less »