Few things are as powerfully “awww”-inducing as baby shoes. When I made a pair for my good friend’s new baby boy a little while ago, she loved them and I immediately embarked on making girl versions. It’s been baby-baby-baby around here and I thought I would be able to whip up a few dozen in a jiffy as potential gifts.
That was my first mistake. Whenever I think I can do something quickly, it always takes about a billion times longer. By the time I finished these two pairs, I never wanted to see another set of baby shoes ever again.
My second mistake was to focus on trying to sew multiples when I really needed just one pair, and as a result, I kept making mistakes because I knew that I should be working on other things (Halloween is in less than 24 hours!).
The grey polka dot ones aren’t too bad and I didn’t make too many mistakes, though it took so much longer than the first pair I made. I used the scraps from K’s flannel pants, and I just can’t get enough of this fabric. But this aqua pair from the same fabric as the top I made for K here — now these were a doozy. The left shoe came together semi-decently, except the flannel tore all over the place. I was also trying to modify the pattern from the same book as before, and I have a feeling that pattern-making is not in the cards for me. So back to the aqua shoes: the right one refused to cooperate.
Attempt number one: the elastic lace got pulled, and even though I liked the diagonal look, it didn’t match the left shoe.
Attempt number two: this time I sewed the elastic on the wrong way. See how the scalloped part is facing down? Should be the other way.
Attempt number three: I somehow managed to cut a slit into the main shoe fabric, which you can’t see here, but this made me actually put my head in my hands in a pose of utter defeat. Unwilling to accept failure, I went ahead and patched the slit and finished them up, and despite being slightly uneven, they’re still pretty cute. I’m afraid I can’t give either of these to friends as the craftsmanship is just not up to par. At least the suede bottoms of the aqua shoes gave me no issues whatsoever…it’s important to look on the bright side.
So I will keep these on my sewing table as a reminder to take my time and not to shoulder unnecessary tasks. Lessons learned.
p.s. I had re-purposed the tea box as a gift box for the first pair of shoes. I have several of these boxes. The packaging is fab, is it not?
That´s one reason I love visiting your blog! Not just for beauty and inspiration but also for a good laugh! Maybe give the shoes to a baby with wonky little duck feet?! Even if they will be a reminder on your sewing table, they will be a pretty one. You managed to photograph your fail beautifully! 😉 And yes, the boxes are wonderful. I would not mind getting a wonky pair of shoes in one of these!!
Haha, thanks Ute! I am having a series of less than lovely sewing mojo lately that’s good fodder for laughs…oh well, all part of the fun, right?
Oh goodness, baby shoes are so sweet! Although the one pair I made gave me similar troubles. I’ve stuck to knitting baby shoes since then and found it much more satisfying!
I need to pick up my knitting needles again – knitted booties are adorable and I can just imagine how satisfying they would be! Thank you, Elizabeth!
This is one of my favorites, if you’re looking for ideas!
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/saartjes-bootees
So cute! Of course, I loved the neutral ones best 😉 Must give this a try!
How I love your honesty, Sanae! It’s nice to know it’s not all roses for sewists other than me sometimes:) That being said, I’m sorry you had such a struggle with those adorable baby shoes. Don’t you feel sometimes that a certain project is doomed almost before you begin, and that anything that could go wrong does? But you managed to salvage them quite nicely, and they make a lovely, thoughtful baby gift. And yes – the packaging is terrific – don’t you just love a well-designed package?
This project was definitely doomed from the start, Lucinda! I’m thinking these could be American Girl doll shoes with just a few modifications….:-) I’m all about great packaging and in another life, I think I would have enjoyed being a packaging designer!
Oh dear… It seems extra ironic cause babies can’t walk and don’t really ‘need’ shoes, yet that’s no consolation when they don’t work out.
hilarious Ute, but I can’t imagine any parent being happy with a gift for their baby described as: perfect for your baby and it’s ‘wonky little duck feet’.
They look fine from here (the wonders of large aperture photography!) and of course ten out of ten for honesty and amusing your blog audience. Round of applause from over here, Sanae.
Thanks for the consolation, LM! I loved Ute’s comment – so funny. And yes, shallow depths of fields will hide many a sewing sin. 🙂
Oh how disappointing! I have had a number of sewing fails and semi fails of late. This is hard for me to accept but I do keep trying to tell myself it is an important part of learning. As you say, important to look on the bright side! Agreed, tea box is fab. I am terrible for saving random boxes and then not actually using them for gift giving.