Handmade infant accessories are great baby presents. You can easily create those fun felt baby shoes that are cute and comfy with a piece of felt, needle, and string. They can also be given out as presents to your friends who are expecting. Read on to learn this DIY guide on how to make handmade felt baby shoes.
How to Make Handmade Felt Baby Shoes
Materials
- 24cm x 30cm wide (9 1/2″ x 12″) piece of wool felt for one pair of booties
- 60cm (23 5/8″) narrow ribbon for the ties
- Threads
- Tracing paper
- Sharp pencil
- Water-soluble fabric marker
- No. 8 sharp needle
- No. 22 chenille needle
Instructions
- Pick Out a Soft and Pliable Felt
There are several types of felt like this, so be sure to buy one that is soft enough to get in touch with your baby’s skin. Avoid synthetic fabrics, then go for a dense natural felt that is of good quality.
This project will require very little felt. A piece of 6 inches by 15 inches should be more than sufficient to create a pair of regular baby booties. You might want to buy some felt colors. The shoes you make each have multiple pattern pieces, so you can easily make them multi-colored. - Make Your Pattern
Making basic booties requires only two pieces of the pattern, the upper and sole. The upper design portion should be a squared “v” form, and the sole form should be the outline shape of your baby’s foot with a quarter-inch of seam allowance applied back.
The upper piece of the template is the easiest to produce, but you can achieve them quickly. The piece’s basic form is a “v,” but with the very circular bottom like the shoe’s toe would be, and the sides as big as the pair you like. The two “v” tops will be smooth because you’ll stitch them together to create the shoe back. - Cut the Pattern Pieces Out
Place them after you’ve cut them out, and they can match on your felt. Then pin every piece of the pattern onto the felt before trying to cut every piece.
To create a pair of booties, you’ll need both of each pattern piece. They should reverse the other side so that you can have a bootie on the left and right. Take one group of felt pieces (the upper and the sole) to prevent confusion and then turn all fabric pieces over and take a second collection, opposite. Hold the sets together – and mark them finely at all times, so the parts don’t get replaced. - Pin the Upper Part to the Sole
You want to connect the two parts to the bottom of the bootie together. Sew the two bits around until you’ve got it pinned.
Remember to line up your upper and sole pieces perfectly. The top and bottom of each piece’s toe segment will be of the same form, and they will match together perfectly. If their shapes are somewhat off, then trim one to fit the other. - Sew the Back of Each Bootie Together, Forming the Heel
Make two flat edges which were the upper “v” rim, and partially overlap them, but hold them parallel. Attach them, then knit down the gap such that the outside edge is within the seams. That should circle the shoe’s back and expose the middle of the sole where you position the baby’s foot.
The simplest way to eliminate the outer edge on the back of the shoe is by using a large zig-zag weave on your sewing machine or by hand stitching the back. You will try to ensure the stitches are clean and durable. - Attach the Rest of the Upper and Sole
Pin the sections around the edge, excluding the front, where you’ve already stitched them. When fixed, use the same stitching you did on the front to thread across the bottom, meaning the stitches are held that near to the bottom as possible.
Finish up the steps on how to make handmade felt baby shoes by adding any decorations or reinforcements you like. It could be good to strengthen the shoes’ top edge with a quick blanket stitch. You may apply a couple of stitches to the middle point of the ‘v’ to protect a position that might break due to friction. You can paint those little shoes or attach any embroidery or other flair styles.
Benefits of Felt Baby Shoes
- Learning to Walk
Know how stressful it will feel about learning how to walk on stiff and uncomfortable hard sole shoes by being barefoot for much of your life. Select a lightweight soft-soled pair so your kid would be able to comfortably lift his foot and grab the floor as if he were moving barefoot. This will help your baby learn how to walk, as a sense of balance and coordination starts to develop better. - Comfort
Most badly soled shoes have narrower footbeds and denser toe areas. Most soft so-called shoes have a smooth, adjustable upper part of the shoe that allows your baby to flex and squeeze its small toes. Choose shoes with sufficient width at the toe a little shorter than your finger so that your child’s toes have space for wiggling and developing. - Protection
Soft-soled shoes protect your baby’s feet from hard, muddy, painful, and hot or cold surfaces while also enabling your baby to enjoy the comfortable barefoot feeling of walking. To help your baby protected from stubbed toes, pick a closed-toe pair, as babies continue to move their toes while practicing how to walk.
Conclusion
Now you know how to make handmade felt baby shoes. It’s easy to make even though you have limited sewing skills. These cute, rustic-looking shoes will look cute on your baby’s feet and make a great baby shower present for your expecting friends. Get more tips on baby shoes.