It's snowed!
What a weird year: it's mid-January and I'm half surprised to see the white stuff on the ground AND I still think snow is magical. Usually by now I'm counting down the days to spring!
Winter is great for sewing because there are so many cozy patterns and fabrics out there. If you have a couple of free hours, I highly recommend sewing up some flannel lined slippers! I purchased the I Think Sew kimono slipper pattern back in October and have made 6 pairs since (3 for me and 3 for gifts!).
It's one of my favorite patterns because it's a great jumping off point: it's simple, quick, I can use supplies I had on hand. Plus it's the perfect level of "warm". When made with flannel for the interior, this is a good mix between a fluffy sock and a super hot slipper.
I found that the fit wasn't exactly what I wanted. I don't know whether my style is a bit different than the designer's or my foot is shaped differently (or both) but I tweaked the pattern and loved the result... for myself. It fit my foot perfectly. However, I used the same pattern tweaks on all of my gifted slippers with varying degrees of success. One fit the recipient perfectly, another could barely fit her foot into it, the third was swimming them! So I guess that right there is the good and bad of sewing your own stuff-- you can make it fit you perfectly, but it doesn't mean it fits everyone!
Here are some other good little details I came up with -- and they work for everyone, nothing to do with sizing!.
Use binder clips. These are my new favorite sewing tool-- I use them for everything!! Trying to pin all the layers together is frustrating and nearly impossible. Clip em and go!
You can also see a glimpse of the soling I used. The first pair I made had quilting cotton on the sole, per the instructions, but it wore out within one month of use. Granted I wore them daily, but always in the house. By the end of the first month they looked like they had been torn apart by wild dogs. So I purchased some Nonslip Neoprene Soling from Two Of A Kind. This stuff is the best. You can sew through it without a problem and it holds up beautifully. I bought one sheet and made 5 pairs of slippers from it!
For the insole I used this craft foam, available in the Interfacing section of your fabric store. After dozens of wears it's flattened to nothing, but it lasted a lot longer than the pair I made with just fusible fleece as the insole.
I used all different fabrics on the exteriors: quilting weight, home decor weight and flannel. Thanks to the fusible fleece interfacing on the exterior, either weight of fabric will work. I have a patchwork one in the works that I can't wait to finish. The options to customize are really endless!
It's such a bummer that they didn't fit everyone perfectly, but that's what I get messing with the pattern too much! As always, I would suggest making a pair out of less-than-favorite fabric to test the sizing and general fit. You're going to love the coziness, plus there's something very satisfying when you say you made your shoes!
What's your favorite winter sewing project?
Happy Stitching!
Laura