DIY: a few tips for sewing small fabric baby shoes

Sewing little baby shoes like these can be a bit daunting and my first pair for sure wouldn't have won any beauty prizes buuuuut they are awesome to sew if you watch out for a few things. Yep, you can do it 👍. A few things I learned about sewing baby shoes along the way:

• Iron fusible fleece to the outside pieces and press/steam so it's a bit thinner. I use the Pellon brand.
• Stitch all your inside and outside pieces together, turn where needed, and only then finish the open raw edges with a small but open/loose zigzag. This way the raw edges are finished, the layers stitched together and you avoid extra bulk.
• You could sew the inside sole in later by hand, this will provide a wonderful look, right. I stitch the sole in as a finished sandwich. Let's be honest, I would never complete a single pair otherwise. You have to be real about your love for hand sewing...
• Add the labels and hook and loop before the shoe goes together. It's a tight fit to do this later.
• Use micro hook and loop. It's thinner and the hard side stitches better, not so loopy, plus it hooks really really well.
• After the shoe is turned the nose will be wobbly. 'Massage' the nose a little to loosen the layers and it will sort itself out into a rounded nose.
• And of course HAVE FUN. These are a darling project and too cute for words when they are finished. They make lovely gifts that can easily be mailed. Give yourself one pair to learn/ruin and go from there.

Cheers,

Christel Dekker ❤️