I made Rob slippers for Christmas.

Like most dogs Abby gets the occasional hankering for a pair of shoes and a couple of months ago Rob's slippers fell victim. I wanted to give him a new pair for Christmas and I wanted them to be proper shoe-like men's slippers. I used pattern 2 view a out of this book (ISBN: 978-4-277-43077-7). I measured the remains of Rob's old slippers to find out what length they should be and enlarged the pattern pieces accordingly. They turned out a little tight at first but he says they've stretched to fit nicely.

The instructions are illustrated with photographs and were pretty easy to follow. The construction of the slippers is really lovely. It takes a little more work and there is a lot of hand finishing but the end result feels very sturdy and has no exposed edges. I was a bit confused about what some of the materials for the slipper sole were supposed to be; I ended up using some heavy felt for the lining of the insole and sewed a leather outer sole on after I'd finished the slippers (the actual outer sole is just cotton). I used cotton for the inside of the slipper, regular cotton quilt batting for the interlining, and a wool blend for the outer.

The leather outer sole was my own addition to the pattern since I was not sure that felt (my other option) would be a really good slipper sole. I was also able to get leather in town while I'd have to order anything else from somewhere south. The woman in the shop helped me find something suitable for slippers. I forgot to ask what kind of leather this is but think it might be moose. I had a lot more leather than I needed so I'll be able to replace the soles on Rob's slippers when they wear out (and I might even get around to making a pair for myself). I'm hopeful that, preserved from Abby, these slippers will last for quite a while.

This was another quick sewing project - once I had the pattern traced out. The design is from a Japanese craft book. I don't know exactly what the title is but it was called Camisole and Dress in the Etsy listing (I think this one came from here). It's full of cute little tops and summer dresses.


Copying the pattern out wasn't too bad. It did take me a little while to figure out which pieces I was supposed to be tracing (and I kept forgetting what my bust measurement was in centimetres and had to remeasure it) but the pieces and sizes are very clearly marked. I used some cheap cotton-poly fabric as my tracing paper - the light colours are easy to see through, it doesn't fray badly and it means my pattern pieces kind of stick to my fabric for easier cutting - and traced several designs I liked at once so I wont have to get everything out again next time I want a new top.

The sewing went really quickly. It's such a simple top. My favourite detail is the facing and dip in the centre front. It looks nice with the ties loose or in a bow. My fabric (I think it came from Goodness) is a little crisp for this design but I think it will soften up nicely with a bit of washing and wearing; right now the straps have a tendency to slide off my shoulders.


As promised, here is an 'action shot' - look at my hands, I'm getting ready to knit. Photo creadits go to Rob who was patient enough to keep taking pictures until I managed to keep my eyes open for the shot (it's a special gift).