If you're looking for a quick-and-easy project that needs only tiny bits of fabric (scrap hoarders, give yourselves a pat on the back!) this is just the thing. I used some scraps of South African shweshwe and some bits of left-over denim for the outers, with the inside uppers made from fleece. The insoles are made from cotton batting sandwiched between two layers of thick wool and stitched together - the instructions have you sew two insole pieces together, but this proved a little thin, hence the batting and the wool. I also appliqued half a heart to the insole of each shoe to help R remember which foot is which; when she puts them together the right way the heart is complete. For the outer sole I used non-slip fabric with little rubber dots, just like Masha did. It all came together easily and I enjoyed the process.
These are beautiful! So much more elegant than my hideous comic/disney character fleece slippers! I'd like a pair just like them, and those half heart... Genius.
ReplyDeleteThank you Shelley! I'm just lucky that R is completely over all the princess/disney characters - although I think she'd happily wear anything with Darth Vader on it...
DeleteIt tickles me that it was your children's idea to go shoeless in the house. We are shoeless too, after living in the former Soviet Union for years, where it is de rigeur to go shoeless (and where it also makes sense since more often than not your shoes are wet and slushy). But mostly my kids just run around barefoot (the Russians believe they will catch their death of cold if a bare toe touches the floor).
ReplyDeleteYour slippers are beautiful - very minimalist chic. And the heart applique is genius - I am going to steal that idea if I ever make more of these! They are really cute.
Thanks Masha. The other day I noticed that R's trainers have a whale picture split between the two insoles and wondered why all kids' shoes don't have this brilliant detail! So that's what gave me the heart idea.
DeleteAs for bare feet, my grandparents were Polish and we used to have to put shoes on any time they came to our house just to avoid all the moaning and wailing over how we would die from the cold. Then the moment they left we'd be barefoot again :)
What a lovely teeny tiny project. We have indoor slippers too but these ones look a million times more special. I love it, more so because it involves scrap fabric.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jing. Isn't is SO satisfying to use up beautiful scraps!
DeleteI love these!! My kids seem to track in so much dust, gravel, and debris from outdoors, I have seriously considered trying to enforce a shoeless rule as well. But my sister does it and it's actually really awkward when kids are running in the front door and out the back, it tends to end up with them barefoot in the backyard and then they drag in just as much dirt that way! Basically, my house might be clean when my children grow up ... but then I'll probably have dogs. :) In the meantime, though, I regularly wear slippers or house shoes because our hardwood floors are cold, and I don't like wearing regular shoes in the house much. I would get a ton of wear out of these slippers! Perfect for summer.
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