Green Birdies on a Sling??

Okay... So one of my FOREMOST goals with this whole sewing adventure is to learn the techniques and processes that I need to be able to see something and recreate it, without a pattern or some wise sewing guru (ie, Mom) standing over my shoulder - telling me how it's done.

Don't get me wrong...

Without the help and wisdom of those that have gone before me, I would be a ship lost at sea. I fully intend to gather as much light and knowledge as I can along the way.

Enter the baby sling!!! Chrissy (an awesomely-fantastic friend of mine) showed me this cute baby sling she found online. She asked if I thought I might be able to make something like it. I glanced at it, and with bravado that I was unaware that I possessed, I instantly said, "Why, of course I can make this!  It would be mere child's play!!!" Well... I most likely didn't use those exact words, but I was pretty darn confident. There was this nagging problem, though. I had two little hurdles to overcome... 1 - I'd never completed a flat felled seam before. 2 - I didn't have a pattern for the measurements of the sling.

Ultimately, this was the perfect project for facing both of those challenges. After years of off-and-on piece-quilting, I'm a whiz with a rotary cutter. I measured twice, cut the fabric once. I did a little mental figuring here and there. Chrissy said that she wished her original sling was a little smaller, so I took that in account as well (I'm good like that).  The sling is pretty much a glorified tube, or a modified pillow case that's open on both ends, however you want to look at it. So the pattern portion of the events was a total non-issue. Now, the flat felled seams intimidated me, I'll admit it.

For those that don't know the difference between a "flat felled seam" and a regular seam, let me give you an example... Grab a pair of your favorite jeans. That seam that runs from the bottom of the zipper in the front, down and around and back up between your two back pockets?  It has two parallel lines of thread?  That's a flat felled seam. It's meant to be more durable than a regular seam, like that one that runs down the side of your jeans. Mom did a great job of explaining how to sew it in simple, uncomplicated terms, as to not set off my internal panic alarms (which were totally poised and ready to go).

The end result:  The seams weren't perfectly straight or even, I'm still working on that, but... If I do say so myself, the baby sling turned out cute and, my favorite part, absolutely functional!!!  I even made one improvement on the original. I added an interior flanel lining (that's the striped fabric you see) to the bottom two-thirds.
Lessons learned: How to flat fell a seam, and a little more confidence in my ability to make something from scratch. I gave it to Chrissy, as a belated birthday present, and as thanks for giving me the challenge in the first place.
YEAH FOR CONQUERING SOME FEARS!!!