Fabric Slippers + Craft Book Month

Come sew along and celebrate Craft Book Month all September with Craft Buds for a chance to win one of several amazing prizes! You know you have them--craft, quilting, or sewing books--just sitting in your sewing room waiting to be used. I'm guilty for sure, and for some reason, my stack of books keeps growing despite my lack of effort to sew from them more often. They are just hard to resist! An entire book full of wonderful patterns and ideas!

Craft Book Month always reminds me to reach for one of those books and finally make something I've bookmarked, and this year, I decided to sew up a pair of fabric house slippers for myself! Ella doesn't get anything this time. Nope! This one's all for me!

And it's sort of funny that the book I used was Little One-Yard Wonders which is actually full of tons of absolutely terrific projects for children! The fabric slippers pattern includes pieces for children as well as adults, and I have been needing wanting a new pair of house slippers for a long time.

Photo from Amazon.com

The pattern instructions were fairly easy to follow, but I will warn you, making these little shoes can be tricky. It can sometimes be difficult to maneuver the tight curves of the fabric under your machine foot, especially if you make an infant or child-size pair.

To begin, I measured my foot and chose to sew the size 7 since my foot was shorter than the measurement shown. However, when all was said and done, I really should have sewn the size 8. My slippers are a tad too short, but I plan to wear them a few times before making another pair in the next size up. I definitely recommend that you cut out the sole pattern piece and compare it to your own foot before cutting fabric. That's my plan for the next pair for sure!

I made a few slight modifications/additions to the slippers just as a matter of personal preference, but I found the pattern to be a great guide in putting these together, especially if you have never made slippers before.

First, I decided to use a piece of fold over elastic across the top of each slipper instead of a fabric strap that velcros on the side. I thought it would be less trouble slipping the shoes on and off, but having the short piece of elastic to sew around made it difficult to topstitch around the upper edge of the shoe all in one run. I managed though and really like how the elastic fits.

Secondly, I added a piece of automotive headliner fabric (thin foam essentially) in the sole of the shoe for a nice cushy feel. I think the pattern originally called for batting, but the foam idea sounded better to me for some reason! If you go that route, I suggest trimming the foam so it is not inside the seam allowance and then using Wonder Tape or a double sided tape to secure it in place. You could also baste it in place on the bottom of the shoe.

The pattern suggested using non-skid fabric for the sole of the shoe as an option, and since I had some of it on hand, I used it.

Also, I highly recommend using a fabric marking pen to indicate the left and right shoe as well as which part is in the inner and outer edge. This made keeping all the fabrics in order so easy.

I used two prints from the Geofabulous collection from Blend Fabrics to make my slippers. Isn't it pretty? I just love the colors, and used some of the same fabric to make a pencil pouch with a free pattern I found for Ella. Read about the pencil pouch HERE.

This same fabric in a different colorway is being given away as one of the many amazing prizes during Craft Book Month! Visit Craft Buds and link up your craft book project during September 1-30, and you'll automatically be entered to win some fantastic prizes from the Craft Book Month sponsors! To see all the prizes, click HERE!

Link Up

9/1-9/30: Link up your craft book project at Craft Buds from your blog or Flickr account, and enter to win prizes. To participate in the month-long contest, just link up any project you've made from a pattern in a craft book. That easy! You'll tell us a little about the book, the project, how you personalized it, etc. Winners will be announced on Wednesday, October, 1!

Rules

1) One entry per person.
2) Your craft book project must have been completed in 2014.
3) Create a new blog post or Flickr photo (dated September 1, 2014 or later) and link back to Craft Buds/Craft Book Month in your post or photo description. In your post or photo description, make sure to list the craft book you used and provide a link if possible.
4) All winners chosen via Random.org. Some prizes available to international winners, so please join us!

Also, be sure to check out the amazing line-up of bloggers to find more Craft Book inspiration!

Monday 9/1: Fabric Mutt / Lindsay Sews

Tuesday 9/2: Rae Gun Ramblings / Craftside 

Wednesday 9/3: The Feisty Redhead / The Fabric Studio

Thursday 9/4: Marci Girl Designs / Small Town Stitcher

Friday 9/5: LRstitched / A Prairie Sunrise

Monday 9/8: Hopeful Threads / sewVery

Tuesday 9/9: 13 Spools / Lisa Liza Lou

Wednesday 9/10: Stitch This! / My Sewcial Hour

Thursday 9/11: The Littlest Thistle / Fabric Seeds

Friday 9/12: Sew Sweetness / Clover + Violet

Monday 9/15: Inspire Me Grey / amylouwho

Now, go have FUN sewing from a craft book! Can't wait to see what you make and link up!