Project 42: Finished baby shoes and lessons learned

There is the baby wearing my shoes! I wasn’t totally happy with how they turned out, but they fit the baby and she wasn’t slipping all over the place so I consider them a success. If I were to make them again (and I have enough material left over to make many more) there are certainly some things I would change.

Lessons learned:
– Bias tape and twill tape are not the same thing.
– A pattern with wrong sides sewn together may look easier, but the finishing work to cover those edges is going to be much more fussy. Trust me on this one.
– Babies aren’t too picky about their shoes.

Next up: the 8 final projects in a pre-Christmas blitz. Here we go!

Project 42: Patterns and pieces

One of the things that intimidated me about this project was that I wouldn’t have access to the baby while cutting out the pattern, so I wouldn’t be sure if they were right until the project was finished. I modified the original pattern slightly to give her more room for her toes, but I kept the rest of the measurements pretty much the same.

I also like how the upper pieces make big As.

Since taking this photo I actually completed the shoes, but because I was in a hurry I didn’t take any photos. There will be no blog post tomorrow. Check back Friday for a photo of the shoes on baby feet!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Project 42: Materials

I had a lot of fun choosing materials for the baby shoe project. I knew that I wanted the outer fabric to be a light color with some pattern in a material that could take some abuse. I ended up finding this spotted ivory vinyl in the discount section. It’s really soft and pliable with a fabric back, so I think it will be perfect. The faux leather and the hot pink duck cloth were remnants. Because I don’t need much of each fabric I was able to get some good deals. Then I just needed velcro and bias tape (I bought twill tape because it was the right color) and I’m ready to cut and sew!

The pattern I’ll be following is this one from Suzy at I Just Had To Try This. Her first step is to trace your baby’s foot. Well, the baby wouldn’t cooperate. I pulled out the paper and a pen and all she wanted to do was draw. I won’t have access to the baby’s foot again all week so I’m going to have to wing it. These are a test, I guess. I hope they fit!

Tomorrow: Cutting out the pieces.

Project 42: Baby shoes

A couple of months ago I missed a meetup that included learning to make shoes. I figured that since I missed it I would just put the idea of shoemaking behind me. Then a reader suggested I make shoes and a friend was having a hard time finding just the right pair of shoes for her daughter — so I got the shoe bug again. I found a pattern and bought the materials so I’m ready to go!

Photo by LilyWhitesParty on Flickr