How to Make Fabric Baby Shoes
Pick out a soft and pliable felt., Make your own pattern., Cut the pattern pieces out., Pin the upper to the sole of your booties along the front edge., Sew the back of each bootie together, forming the heel.Take the two flat edges that were the top...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Pick out a soft and pliable felt.
There are many types of felt out there, so be sure that you purchase one that is soft enough to come in contact with your baby's skin.
Avoid synthetic fibers, instead opting for a high-quality thick natural felt.
You will need very little felt for this project.
A piece that is 6 inches by 15 inches should be more than enough to make a pair of standard baby booties.
You may want to purchase a few colors of felt.
The shoes you are making each have several pattern pieces, so you could easily make them multi-colored.
If you prefer, you could make the bottoms of the booties out of leather instead of felt.
This may be a good idea if your baby is actually walking on them, as leather will hold up much better than felt. -
Step 2: Make your own pattern.
Making simple booties only requires two pattern pieces, the upper and the sole.
The upper pattern piece will be a rounded "v" shape and the sole will simply be the shape of the outline of your babies foot with quarter inch of seam allowance added all the way around the outside.
The upper pattern piece is the most difficult to make yourself but can be done rather easily.
The general shape of the piece is a "v," but with the bottom very round, as it will be the toe of your shoe, and the sides as tall as you want the shoe.
The two tops of the "v" will be very flat, as you will sew them together to make the back of the shoe.
Begin by measuring around the outside of your babies foot.
This length, plus an inch for seam allowance, will be the length of the outside of the "v," from the top, down to the bottom, and up to the other side of the top.
The opening of the "v" does not need to be very wide, only a few inches at its widest.
Remember that the width of each side of the "v" will determine the height of the sides of your shoe, so that measurement is up to you. , Once you have cut them out, position them so they both fit on your felt.
Then pin each pattern piece onto the felt before cutting each piece out.
Remember that you will need two of each pattern piece to make a pair of booties.
However, they each need to be the opposite of the other, so that you have a left and right bootie.
To avoid confusion, cut out one set of felt pieces (the upper and the sole) and then flip both pattern pieces over and cut out a second, opposite, set.
Keep the sets together at all times, or mark them lightly, so the pieces don't get swapped.
Felt can be a hard fabric to cut cleanly.
Make sure you are using good sewing shears to cut out your pattern pieces, so that the edges of the booties look nice and neat. , You basically want to attach the two pieces together only at the toe of the bootie.
Once you have it pinned, sew the two pieces together.
Remember to line up your upper and your sole piece well.
The top and the bottom of the toe section of each piece should be the same shape, so they should match up nicely.
If their shapes are slightly off, trim one to match the other.
You can either sew your shoes with a sewing machine or by hand.
However, because the shoes are so small, you might consider sewing them by hand with a decorative stitch.
Consider using a buttonhole stitch around the outside with a contrasting color of thread., Pin them together and then sew along the overlap, so the outside edge is contained inside your stitches.
This will round the back of your shoe and open up the middle of the shoe where your babies foot will be inserted.
The easiest way to contain the exposed edge on the back of the shoe is to use a wide zig-zag stitch on your sewing machine or to sew the back by hand.
Either way, you should make sure that your stitches are neat and sturdy. , Pin the pieces together all around the edge, except around the front, where you have already sewed them together.
Once pinned, sew around the edge using the same stitch as you used on the front, making sure that your stitches are kept as close to the edge as possible. , It may be nice to reinforce the upper edge of the sides of the shoes with a simple blanket stitch, or you could add a few stitches to the center point of the "v," in order to reinforce a spot that might split due to pressure.
There are endless ways to decorate these little shoes.
Add some embroidery or other types of embellishment, anything that will give your little baby shoes a little decorative interest. , They should fit your babies feet perfectly, as they were made specifically for him or her. -
Step 3: Cut the pattern pieces out.
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Step 4: Pin the upper to the sole of your booties along the front edge.
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Step 5: Sew the back of each bootie together
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Step 6: forming the heel.Take the two flat edges that were the top of the "v" of your upper and overlap them slightly
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Step 7: but keep them parallel.
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Step 8: Attach the rest of the upper and sole.
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Step 9: Finish up your little booties by adding any decorations or reinforcements you like.
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Step 10: Put the booties on your baby!
Detailed Guide
There are many types of felt out there, so be sure that you purchase one that is soft enough to come in contact with your baby's skin.
Avoid synthetic fibers, instead opting for a high-quality thick natural felt.
You will need very little felt for this project.
A piece that is 6 inches by 15 inches should be more than enough to make a pair of standard baby booties.
You may want to purchase a few colors of felt.
The shoes you are making each have several pattern pieces, so you could easily make them multi-colored.
If you prefer, you could make the bottoms of the booties out of leather instead of felt.
This may be a good idea if your baby is actually walking on them, as leather will hold up much better than felt.
Making simple booties only requires two pattern pieces, the upper and the sole.
The upper pattern piece will be a rounded "v" shape and the sole will simply be the shape of the outline of your babies foot with quarter inch of seam allowance added all the way around the outside.
The upper pattern piece is the most difficult to make yourself but can be done rather easily.
The general shape of the piece is a "v," but with the bottom very round, as it will be the toe of your shoe, and the sides as tall as you want the shoe.
The two tops of the "v" will be very flat, as you will sew them together to make the back of the shoe.
Begin by measuring around the outside of your babies foot.
This length, plus an inch for seam allowance, will be the length of the outside of the "v," from the top, down to the bottom, and up to the other side of the top.
The opening of the "v" does not need to be very wide, only a few inches at its widest.
Remember that the width of each side of the "v" will determine the height of the sides of your shoe, so that measurement is up to you. , Once you have cut them out, position them so they both fit on your felt.
Then pin each pattern piece onto the felt before cutting each piece out.
Remember that you will need two of each pattern piece to make a pair of booties.
However, they each need to be the opposite of the other, so that you have a left and right bootie.
To avoid confusion, cut out one set of felt pieces (the upper and the sole) and then flip both pattern pieces over and cut out a second, opposite, set.
Keep the sets together at all times, or mark them lightly, so the pieces don't get swapped.
Felt can be a hard fabric to cut cleanly.
Make sure you are using good sewing shears to cut out your pattern pieces, so that the edges of the booties look nice and neat. , You basically want to attach the two pieces together only at the toe of the bootie.
Once you have it pinned, sew the two pieces together.
Remember to line up your upper and your sole piece well.
The top and the bottom of the toe section of each piece should be the same shape, so they should match up nicely.
If their shapes are slightly off, trim one to match the other.
You can either sew your shoes with a sewing machine or by hand.
However, because the shoes are so small, you might consider sewing them by hand with a decorative stitch.
Consider using a buttonhole stitch around the outside with a contrasting color of thread., Pin them together and then sew along the overlap, so the outside edge is contained inside your stitches.
This will round the back of your shoe and open up the middle of the shoe where your babies foot will be inserted.
The easiest way to contain the exposed edge on the back of the shoe is to use a wide zig-zag stitch on your sewing machine or to sew the back by hand.
Either way, you should make sure that your stitches are neat and sturdy. , Pin the pieces together all around the edge, except around the front, where you have already sewed them together.
Once pinned, sew around the edge using the same stitch as you used on the front, making sure that your stitches are kept as close to the edge as possible. , It may be nice to reinforce the upper edge of the sides of the shoes with a simple blanket stitch, or you could add a few stitches to the center point of the "v," in order to reinforce a spot that might split due to pressure.
There are endless ways to decorate these little shoes.
Add some embroidery or other types of embellishment, anything that will give your little baby shoes a little decorative interest. , They should fit your babies feet perfectly, as they were made specifically for him or her.
About the Author
Samantha Lewis
Creates helpful guides on DIY projects to inspire and educate readers.
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