Thursday, November 18, 2010

whimsical felt slippers tutorial

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Now that fall is here, I wake up every morning with cold toes- yes, even in Southern California. For a while I've been wanting to try making my own slippers with a fun and whimsical twist and my icy toes were the perfect excuse. This project could be altered and adapted in so many different ways and would be a great little handmade gift for the holidays.

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I have a huge pile of colorful felt squares (those cheap ones you can buy for .29) and scraps of fleece and I decided that they were perfect to use for my slippers.

For the sole of the slipper, I started by tracing my foot onto a piece of felt. I traced it a little larger than the exact size of my foot so I would have a little room.

I then cut out the shape and used it as a template to cut out two pieces of fleece (two pieces for a little stability and for warmth).

All three pieces got stacked on top of each (the felt for the bottom and the fleece for the top) and then repeated for the second slipper.


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With a zig zag stitch, I sewed all three pieces together around the edge of the sole.


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Next, I cut out the top of the slipper from another piece of felt.



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Again, I made it a little bigger than my actual foot.


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I used different colors of felt and cut petals for the surface.


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I sewed the petals down.


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I created leaves with a free motion stitching.


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After the flower petals were sewn to the surface I cut a piece of fleece to back the top of the slipper, leaving enough fleece to fold over.


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With a zig zag stitch, I sewed the fleece to the felt.


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I pinned the top panel to the sole and sewed it on the outside with a zig zag stitch.


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I created another flower by cutting out petals,


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and adding a dab of glue and pinching to create dimension.


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I glued all of the petals together until it formed a flower.


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I applied glue- Liquid Fusion- to the middle of the flower and sprinkled beads onto the glue and let dry.

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Last, I glued the leaves and the flower to the top of the slipper.


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I just couldn't resist hand sewing some more of the beads to the edges.


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And there you have it- a pair of bright, fun and whimsical slippers for my cold toes :)

35 comments:

Lisa H said...

endless generosity and inspiration here. Thank you.
Always.

Nelly said...

Wowo! they are adorable. I may have to try these. Thank you!

Louisa said...

Ooh, how pretty!a

laurie said...

so very cute and cozy looking! you make everything appear so easy. :-)

Belle said...

I am definately going to make these. I love having lots of slippers because I am always misplacing them.

Claire Kiefer said...

Those are so incredibly cute. I have a sewing machine, but I'm afraid that I don't even know how to use it--I've never turned it on! How awful is that?? I need someone to teach me!

Katy said...

Fantastic slippers!
When I saw these I immediately thought of a little addition. I remember from your pumpkin painting blog that you like using dimensional paint (I always called it puff paint) and if it is the same material I am thinking of you could make a cute and effective non-slip sole to the slippers by adding on little dots or shapes of the puff paint.

Christie - Fine Lines said...

SO CUTE!!!! When I try making them I am thinking polka dots!!! Thanks.

martinealison said...

Je me suis régalée en parcourant votre blog et autorisez-moi à très vite y revenir!!!
Bises

Jane LaFazio said...

totally adorable!

Danylle McLain said...

These are so cute! What a great craft for my daughters to make their friends for Christmas gifts! Thanks so much for sharing.
~Danylle

Wendy said...

oh my goodness!!
How cute and, yes, whimsical!
And I have felt on hand. Yay!!

Jen @Sadie Inspired said...

You ALWAYS have the cutest, most charming tutorials! Thank you for sharing! :)

africa said...

Thank you so much for sharing:)I loook foward to doing this with my niece.now if i could just get a sewing machine:))

Unknown said...

I love that you didn't use a pattern. Can't wait to try! Thank you for sharing :)

Cindy Lietz, Polymer Clay Tutor said...

Soo cozy! Thanks for the tutorial Alisa! I would like to make some of those for the kids. Bet they would love them! (Would have to think of something a little less girl for my son though. Maybe trees or fish or something!) :-)

LenoreNeverM♡re said...

absolutely CHARMing!
This is a fab way to discover your blog indeed~

NicNacManiac said...

Oh my gosh....your tooties are so lucky to be kept warm and cosy and look so darned cute at the same time...oozing talent here!! xOxO

kitty said...

Ooh, I love these. My family is always joking about my felt collection- wait 'till they see what I can do with the scraps now. :) *giggle*

Giggles said...

Adorable!! Thanks so much for sharing. Much abundance to you for your generosity!

Hugs Giggles

Lori P said...

Adorable! And such a fun project. Can't get enough slippers.

martienn said...

ou ur blog is really fantastic !:D
i like it !
more more more pictures !!


follow me and write comment if you want ;* <33

Lynn Cohen said...

These are so cool. Aee we allowed to use your pattern and idea?
If I have time...a friend might like these~!

Alissa @ Homemade Gifts said...

so cute! the little leaves are the best :)

Judith said...

Thank you, thank you! I've been looking for a good slipper tutorial. My slippers have "died" and I need a new pair. The ones you made are so pretty that I'm going to make extra to give as Christmas presents.

Belinda said...

I recently bought a pattern for making simple shoes and they used a sole insert for them - I wondered if putting a sole insert in the middle of layers of felt (for the soles) would make these a little more comfortable to walk in and add a little more support! Love your site - check it daily for inspiration!

Elsa said...

I found your blog from Tip Nut and these slippers are just so lovely. I'm going to be following your blog!

amber renee said...

This is absolutely amazing! Thanks for the inspiration. :)

Unknown said...

Not only am I empressed with the slippers, I am also excided that you have the same sewing machine I have. Thanks for sharing this wonderful idea. Mary B.

Cinnamon said...

Great tutorial, love the beautiful photos! I just shared this post with our FaceBook fans. http://www.facebook.com/LibertyJaneClothing This will work great for American Girl dolls! Thanks :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing!! I just made a pair and your instructions are on point!!

Amanda Tempel said...

So cute, and they look simple enough that even maybe I can make some :D

rcstanley said...

Thanks for the tutorial. Made them for my kids. They like them.

Julia Johnson said...

Wow they are pretty! I also have a ton of felt, but no fleece :( Where could I get cheap fleece from? Is there anything else I could use instead?

Unknown said...

Thanks so much for this tutorial. These were SO much fun to make. Can't wait to make more! I wish we could post photos to share. Thank you again. :)

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