Broken Arms SUCK! And a Sling Tutorial

  Yesterday Prisoner #1 had a run in out on the play ground at school, needless to say the monkey bars won.

She was such a big girl! And so brave!

   I think she keeps getting hurt for the ice cream she gets after. But really, this kid has the worst luck! Thank God for crappy socialized medicine  Tricare or I would have payed for a new wing at the hospital by now.
   So when it was time to leave the nurse came in with one of the standered blue hospital issue slings. She takes one look at the sling then looks at me like, they don't expect me to actually ware this out in public do they? She is her mothers child because their is no way I would EVER ware that thing!
  What is that saying..."Out of pain comes art"? Well in this case at least a cute sling and a tutorial for all of you. I thought I should share just in case one day you mite need to make one to. Although I hope for your sake that day never comes, broken arms SUCK!

Onto the tutorial...
What you will need:
*Fabric (I used scraps that I had left over from another project)
*A stitch ripper
*Washable marker
*Scissors
* Iron
*Sewing machine and matching thread

First I took my stitch ripper and took off the piece that gos around your head. Set them aside because you are going to use them later.

Now lay out your sling on your fabric upside down and try to get it as flat as you can. You are going to use the sling as a pattern. When you have everything laid out the way you want it, trace around the the top (the side toward you) and the two sides (front and back), mark off ware the top strap comes out so you know ware to place it later. 

Now flip it over and line up the bottom with you lines you just made. Again trace the top and two sides. I used two different kinds of fabric so I cut this one out leaving enough for my seam allowance and lied it on top of my other piece of fabric and cut around it. when you have everything cut out iron everything so it is nice and straight. You want to iron the fabric you want for your INSIDE wrong sides facing each other and the fabric for the OUTSIDE right sides facing each other (the design facing the inside) with a nice crease at the bottom. *Sorry I didn't take a picture of the next part* Next you want to pin and sew the backs together (Ware the elbow will be), Just use your line you drew earlier as a guide.

 

When you have done that, put the outside fabric inside the fabric you want to be inside your sling. Make sure they are right sides facing each other. pin all the way around the keep everything in place. Also mark ware the piece that supports the elbow will be sewn, center it on your seem you just sewed. And check your other marks and make sure they are lined up. 

Now you are going to sew all the way around, leaving a opening for the piece that supports the elbow and the two openings for the piece that gos over the hand. Use your line you made earlier as your guide.

Trim around the hole thing leaving a little extra ware you are going to add all the other pieces. On your corners cut little slits into your fabric like the picture, be sure not to cut across  your sew line. Now use one of your opening and turn it right side out. Iron all of your seam out and straight. Put your pieces into the openings and pin in place. Now top stitch all the way around. I went back and used a zig-zag stitch to reinforce the straps.

Now you can add whatever you want to decorate it. I made a little flower and just hot glued it on. But you can use buttons, fabric flowers, or if it's for a boy you could put on some appliques before you sew it all together. 

So much better than the hospital one!

Good Luck!

Thais