Mangyan Baby Sling Tutorial
These very simple slings are traditional and still popular in South East Asia; they were the only baby carriers I saw when I was growing up in the Mangyan villages of the Philippines, where this particular pattern is from. This project is perfect for the Mangyan Cotton and is 100% the exact fabric used traditionally. A sling is the first thing all Mangyan weavers make, as they learn to weave as a right of passage in becoming a mother. You could use a different strong, soft and no-stretch (not knit fabric, for instance) fabric for this. This was one of my first projects when I was learning to sew and really doesn’t require experience at all. You can sew this on a machine or by hand- it only requires sewing three 23” straight seams.
You will need: +/- 1.5 yards* of 20-24”wide woven fabric, a tape measure (or a piece of string!), thread and needle or sewing machine, iron if desired
*For my sling I used 48” of 23”wide fabric, I am 5’4” dress size US 0
Step 1
Wash your fabric! If it’s the Mangyan cloth you are using, it is fine to go in the machine and tumble dryer- will get it nice and soft. Will bleed A LOT of indigo in the wash. And measure yourself: With a tape measure, put over the center of your shoulder and across your body and down across your back creating a loop- where the sling will be. Measure to 2” above the side of your hip bone. This measurement, plus 4” will be the length you cut the fabric to.
Step 2
Cut your fabric straight across to make a rectangle, then fold in half, right side out.
Step 3
Sew the first seam across the cut side about 0.5” from the edge (I have marked over the photos in red where the seams are). Then turn wrong side out, you may want to try it on at this point to second check your measuring- you can adjust the following seam based on your findings. Just like a French seam, sew another seam about 2” in (more or less as needed based on your fit test) from the seam you just made, making a flap. Then finally sew the flap (edge where your first seam was) back down onto the cloth, getting the edges in too. Turn right side out, your sling is ready!
Step 4
Try it on- it should be super strong with the triple seam and the heavy duty Mangyan fabric. Loop it over your shoulder and then lower your baby down into it- a leg on each side of your hip or tummy- making sure that the bottom of the sling goes all the way over their butt and finishes in the backs of their knees. If you dont properly spready the fabric from the back of baby’s knees and up to the top of their back they can fall through. An arm is ALWAYS wrapped around baby for extra security- but you may find it is still easy to use that hand as the weight is not on the arm. This is a tutorial on how to make a traditional Mangyan baby sling, it is up to you to make and use your own correctly and keep your baby safe while wearing.
