Sewn Slippers

First, I must give a photo credit. I enlisted my five-year-old daughter’s photography help for this one. I can’t believe how easily she has picked up on how to use my Nikon. I’m shooting on manual, so I adjust the settings and hand it to her. She carefully holds the heavy thing, looks through the viewfinder, and lightly presses the button to focus before she takes the photo. I think you’d be hard-pressed to get that kind of help as a tourist asking someone to take your photo somewhere. Oh, and my son really wanted his feet to be photographed too. I think it’s sweet how they love to be involved with my bloggy stuff, so I intentionally did not crop his foot out from the final photo. Aren’t those sweet little toes?

These slippers were a test pair out of flannel scraps, using a pattern I found at Shabby Raggy Rose. After one more test run, since these have some kinks to work out, I’ll be making a final pair out of leather. One problem about sewing with leather is that the holes the needle punches are rather permanent. So seam ripping isn’t a good solution to mistakes. The only real solution is getting it right the first time – which isn’t my strongest ability!

They’re comfy slippers. I really prefer them to the crochet ones I made before, in terms of comfort and padding for the soles of my feet. They were an extremely quick project. I love things that are quick, but that create something which would cost a good bit at the store. (this is where my mind went yesterday, while in line at Old Navy next to the PJ Pants. I started thinking about yardage and everything to make them myself, and wondering why they were even sold when they’re so easy to make.)

If you decide to make your own slippers using the tutorial I’ve linked to, I have a BIG change that made this pattern work for me. Elastic. There’s a reason all the little ballet flat slippers at the store have so much elastic in the tops that they fold in half. They really want to fall off otherwise. So do yourself a favor and head my advice now, so you don’t have to seam rip your slippers like I had to in order to insert the elastic.

Before sewing the top to the base of the slippers, I ran an elastic cord along the top part of the shoe and tied a knot. I don’t know how to say it more clearly! If you make the shoes, I think that will make sense.

The final leather slippers will be part of a much bigger project I’m creating for my mom – a Regency ball outfit! Regency, as in the time period that all the Jane Austin books took place. If you’ve seen Pride & Prejudice, Emma, Sense & Sensibility, etc. then you know the style. The first time I watched the entire BBC production of Pride & Prejudice (which is HOURS long), I was so immersed in it that I remember really wishing I could wear those beautiful dresses all the time instead of jeans.

My parents are attending a Regency Holiday Ball in less than two weeks. So I have the opportunity to make my mom look like she stepped out of a Jane Austin movie (or, ahem, a book). And although I’ll be using a sewing machine, which is most certainly not period-correct, I’ll have a tiny bit of satisfaction knowing that I could have sewn my own beautiful clothes if I’d been born way back then. Did you ever watch those PBS shows, like Regency House Party? Yeah, I’d be in for a huge shock if I did the real thing, wouldn’t I? I do have to thank modern medicine for c-sections and surgical pill removals and all for helping me stay alive.

So here’s the plan:

• I’ll be sewing a dress using Simplicity 4055 – pattern shown here.
• Shoes, similar to above, but out of leather.
• Reticule, a pouch-purse, from this tutorial.
• A bonnet, possibly using this tutorial. Though we may try to make one that’s all fabric, without the straw hat base.

Finally, here’s one more shot of the slippers, including a whole set of those adorable three-year-old feet. They’ll be four-year-old feet in less than two weeks.

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